Airtran luggage direct from Harrisburg first time

[disneymarie]

Leaving soon Airtran out of Harrisburg direct flight $89 each way thrilled. Except the 9 am flight back.

This is the first time flying paying for luggage with them. Two of us will share one I will send direct ME and pay the $20.

But, what can I take on. I have a 24" carry on and 21" carry on there are two of us. THen our purse/elec bag.
I need to get some med stuff down there, nebulizer and tens unit, rollator, mattress topper.

Can I gate check the 24" with my rollator?


Then my son and grandson with a stroller, 24" and check in we will send through ME we will pay for. Should they the gate check stroller and 24".

EDITED to add, the gate check I mean plane side and pick up when I get off the plane. I want to take them with us on ME.

 

[DebbieB]

Leaving soon Airtran out of Harrisburg direct flight $89 each way thrilled. Except the 9 am flight back.

This is the first time flying paying for luggage with them. Two of us will share one I will send direct ME and pay the $20.

But, what can I take on. I have a 24" carry on and 21" carry on there are two of us. THen our purse/elec bag.
I need to get some med stuff down there, nebulizer and tens unit, rollator, mattress topper.

Can I gate check the 24" with my rollator?


Then my son and grandson with a stroller, 24" and check in we will send through ME we will pay for. Should they the gate check stroller and 24".

EDITED to add, the gate check I mean plane side and pick up when I get off the plane. I want to take them with us on ME.

You can't gate check the 24" unless the overheads are full. I'm not sure AirTran's policy but most others send those to baggage claim. Regional jets are the ones that typically take luggage planeside and deliver it back there, but I don't think AirTran has any of those.

 

[TaraPA]

Like the OP said, you can't voluntarily gate chack a bag - unless you have a medical issue that may have special consideration? You said you have some medical items, maybe AT has special regulations for that. AT will send any gate checked items to baggage claim. I've flown AT many times (from ABE - hi neighbor!) and their overhead space is very limited. I've been forced to gate check my carry-ons several times, and they will not have them for you at the plane when you land, they go to baggage claim.

One way to guarantee overhead space for your carry-ons is to pay for Priority Seatng so you board first. I'm usually travelling alone so I don't pay for a seat, I pick whatevers left at the 24-hour mark, but that gets me last zone boarding, so no overhead space is left. So I make sure I take an ME tag with me (I never have checked luggage ahead of time) for that reason.

 

[princesspiglet]

We have flown AT many times out of MDT and I must tell you, the planes are very small and the overhead is very tight. I have a 21" roll on duffle and I am barely able to put it in the overhead- sometimes I just check it. And no, they will not do gate check there, they will send it right down to baggage as there is absolutely no room up front to put it anywhere. I honestly don't even know if the flight attendants have any room to sit because it is a tiggggghttt squeeze!

They will allow 1 carry-on per person and 1 personal item per person- such as a purse, pillow, laptop case, umbrella.

Also wanted to add, MDT is a very small airport, not much there, so it is very easy to get through security. We give ourselves a max of 45 mins to arrive before flight. It usually only takes us 2 mins to get through security and all the gates are within a 5 mins walk of each other.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Double check the measurements of your 24" bag - AirTran is downsizing bag size, effective March 1.

http://www.airtran.com/policies/carry-on_checked.aspx

Information about traveling with medical equipment is found on the tsa website:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1986.shtm

 

[vacationclub]

We have flown AT many times out of MDT and I must tell you, the planes are very small and the overhead is very tight. I have a 21" roll on duffle and I am barely able to put it in the overhead- sometimes I just check it. And no, they will not do gate check there, they will send it right down to baggage as there is absolutely no room up front to put it anywhere. I honestly don't even know if the flight attendants have any room to sit because it is a tiggggghttt squeeze!

Tight squeeze? Compared to what?

Airtran has two types of planes...737-700, with a very similar plane size to many other airlines including SW, JB, etc. It's around 25 rows long (depending on how they label them) and has 3 seats on each side of the isle. Pretty decent size. My 24" roller duffle goes in wheels first, and fits perfectly. Your 21" will fit in wheels first with inches to spare on this plane.

They also have 717's, which are basically the same plane except on one side it has two seats instead of three. It's basically a hybrid of the regional jets on one side and the 737's on the other side. The overhead space bins on the 717's are about the same on the 3 seat side, but obviously smaller on the 2 seat side, so if you are seated on the 2-seat side, and have a roller bag, it might need to go in on the other side of the isle. My 24" roller duffle won't go in wheels first on the 2 seat side of this plane. Your 21' may still fit wheels first on the 2 seat side. It will certainly fit on any of their planes if inserted side first.

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/AirTran_Airways/information.php