AirTran seat assignment hint

[CleveRocks]

AirTran's cheaper fares do not offer pre-assigned seat selection. You have to wait until check-in.

I bought my AirTran tickets through WDTC in May (we leave one month from today). In what seemed like a 1990s-flashback, I received paper tickets in the mail, along with a note stapled to each that they are "actual" paper tickets and are REQUIRED for boarding.

They offer online check-in as early as 24 hours in advance, and at that time you can get seat assignments.

I read a post here on the DIS a few days ago from a fellow paper ticket holder who said she learned from AirTran that if you have paper tickets that you can't check-in online. Well. traveling with 2 little ones, my wife and I didn't want to wait until 90 minutes before the flight to try to get decent seat assignments.

So I called AirTran yesterday to ask about this. The very nice customer service rep put me on hold because she didn't know the answer to my question, and when she came back she told me it was true that with paper tickets you can't check-in online.

UGH!

But immediately after that she cheerfully offered to assign my seats over the phone, right then and there, one month and one day prior to the departure flight. SHE DID IT, and sent me an e-mail to confirm.

So even though I bought the (much) cheaper tickets, and got paper tickets at that, I was still able to get my seat assignments more than one month in advance.

Hope this helps you!!!

 

[dudspizza]

If you buy through a TA, which I consider WDTC, you can get pre-assigned seats with the cheapest fare.

Otherwise, a call as stated above could help. It appears Airtran is "trying" to become more customer friendly.

Duds

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip)....Otherwise, a call as stated above could help. It appears Airtran is "trying" to become more customer friendly.

Duds

Hope they're trying when I call to change my departure flight to an earlier time, LOL. My non-stop flight is now arriving at 7:36 pm - when I booked it was scheduled to arrive at 2:25 pm. Since my Dh wants to attend a basketball game scheduled for that evening, the later time isn't going to work. Guess we'll have to switch in Atlanta. ANyway, hope Airtran doesn't give me a hard time about the change (or worse yet, charge for it).

Other than that, I'm looking forward to AirTran. They leave from the smaller HHH airport so we don't have to mess with MSP! That's a big plus for me.

Duds - would love to hear how your trip goes, so hope you report back.

Best wishes -

 

[dudspizza]

Hope they're trying when I call to change my departure flight to an earlier time, LOL. My non-stop flight is now arriving at 7:36 pm - when I booked it was scheduled to arrive at 2:25 pm. Since my Dh wants to attend a basketball game scheduled for that evening, the later time isn't going to work. Guess we'll have to switch in Atlanta. ANyway, hope Airtran doesn't give me a hard time about the change (or worse yet, charge for it).

Other than that, I'm looking forward to AirTran. They leave from the smaller HHH airport so we don't have to mess with MSP! That's a big plus for me.

Duds - would love to hear how your trip goes, so hope you report back.

Best wishes -

I will let you know how it goes... I know DW and I are really looking forward to it... though she keeps asking me how I can be concentrating so hard on this trip when we have to teach everyday!

I like the HHH teminal too, but the main terminal at MSP isn't too bad to move around. I like to watch people and the main terminal is a great place to do that.

My Airtran flight was also scheduled to arrive around 2:30 and is now at 5:54, but I am dealing with it since it is non-stop. I considered the 6:55am flight through Atlanta, but that arrived around 2:30 with a 2-3 hour layover in Atlanta..... no fun. Instead, we are going to arrive at HHH in the early morning to try for exit row seats, check our bags and go to the MOA for a few hours of fun before flying. We will have a big lunch at Rainforest Cafe to get the theming going and then we have a 9:20 ADR at Whispering Canyon that night. The couple going with us has no idea where we are eating and are in for it with some of the antics of Whispering Canyon.. plus, it is their anniversary.


Have a good one.

Duds

 

[MissMinnieMoo]

We were scheduled to fly AirTran out of HHH on the only early morning non stop flight. It had changed since the original reservation was made so instead of arriving around 2, we were scheduled to arrive around 7:30. I was able to get a full refund on nonrefundable tickets. We then made NWA reservations with a cheaper nonstop flight and arriving around noon!

 

[dudspizza]

We were scheduled to fly AirTran out of HHH on the only early morning non stop flight. It had changed since the original reservation was made so instead of arriving around 2, we were scheduled to arrive around 7:30. I was able to get a full refund on nonrefundable tickets. We then made NWA reservations with a cheaper nonstop flight and arriving around noon!

Airtran is good about offering a refund if the flight change a bunch.... this doesn't apply to me because I am flying for about $100 per ticket round trip using the Wendy's promo from Dec/Jan........ can't beat that price and I will gladly deal with a small delay for that price...

Duds