Airtran is OK! In fact...

  • Thread starter Thread starter erikthewise
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erikthewise

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There have been several posts expressing concern about flying on Airtran. We just got back from flying on this airline, nonstop roundtrip Dayton-Orlando.

The times were very convenient, early morning departure (7:35AM) and late evening return (7:30PM), so we were able to check-in before noon and stay late on our last day. The flights arrived on time and we experienced no problems. Avoiding a transfer in Atlanta is priceless! (I like the Atlanta airport, but not the possibility of delays.) And the price was very reasonable, $176pp.

I had scoured the Airtran web site and noticed that they are currently offering cash upgrades to Business Class (from any coach fare) for $35. I had decided in advance to try and get one for my wife since she had never flown anything but coach.

When we arrived at the airport I asked if any cash upgrades were available on our flight. The agent said, "Well, let me check. Two, four, eight, ... twelve is all we have available." He was being sarcastic, as they only have 12 Business Class seats; they hadn't sold a single Business Class seat on this flight! I asked for two upgrades. After we left the counter, I discovered the agent had given us all four seats in Business Class for $70. Not bad, I thought, upgrades for $17.50 each! You can't beat that! But we did...

On Airtran you don't get advance seat assignments, but you can select seats via web check-in 24 hours in advance. I had done this before leaving but it turned out to be irrelevant due to the upgrades. On our return day, we spent the afternoon visiting relatives, so I used their computer to do web-checkin. When doing that, I found we were in Business Class again!! I called Airtran, and after a 20 minute wait, was assured this was not a mistake and there was no additional charge. So we got a total of 8 upgrades for $70, or $8.75 each!

We will definitely have Airtran at the top of our list for future Orlando travel, but of course we don't expect a repetition of our good luck on this trip (and neither should you).
 
Yeah, the only reason why we don't try AirTran is that they don't participate with the other airlines in case of trip iterruptions. I'd hate to be stuck having to wait an extra day to get home, because my airline had to cancel a flight and won't put me on Delta or United.
 
I had a positive experience with Airtran. The only reason I won't fly them more often is because they have no direct flights from my area, so I have to go through Atlanta.
 

My home airport doesn't have any non-stop flights (unless you're flying to Atlanta or DFW) so Air Tran is going to be a major cost saver for my family. We will be connecting through Atlanta but the flights are $200/person less than our flights 3 years ago (due to Air Tran coming to our town and driving everyone's prices down) and it looks like they have a fairly good on-time percentage our of my hometown, which was something Delta couldn't offer. I'm glad to hear that people are pleased with them. I expect to have a good experience as well.
 
I'm thrilled to hear of the good flight from Dayton to Orlando because that is the exact flight we have next month. I didn't even know about the cash upgrade. I might have to look into that but since there are four of us and two of them being small children, it probably would be too pricey but something to consider.

I too liked that they had the cheapest fare and I think only one of two companies to have direct flight from DAY to MCO. Get me there faster, especially with kids, and let me enjoy Disney sooner!

Thanks for posting. It was nice to be hear a good report.
 
Cool! Glad you liked AirTran, we have taken 2 trips with them so far and the third will be in 29 days! Each flight has been ontime or within 5 minutes, so we were pleased too. Can't beat those NS flights to get us from ROC to MCO in a couple of hours!

bicker-thanks for posting that info, I had no idea that they did not participate in that with other airlines. Something to think about in the future!
 
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We love airtran for its price and location! Instead of fighting the crowds in Detroit I can hop on a plane in Flint at a very nice and calm airport and fly non stop to Orlando!

Another happy customer,
Debbie
 














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