Airtran-Well, you all warned me but I didn't listen

[dawnmommy]

I'm confused, as I think the first post is a bit misleading. Your flight was cancelled because of the WEATHER, right? Like many other flights around the country. Because you were flying out of a small airport, it then took more than 1 day for Airtran to book you on another flight.

That is weather, it happens, and it is why everyone should buy trip insurance.

The same thing happened to us on United, out of O'Hare. Huge airline, huge airport. Nothing the airlines can do about bad summer storms. Thankfully as I was in the wedding, I'd planned ahead and was trying to travel 2 days ahead of time (I did arrive in time, but about 30 hours after I intended)

Airtran does tend to shift times on their flights out of some markets, but this was a WEATHER issue. Would you have rather that they flew in unsafe weather?

Likewise, would you have blamed the airlines for the volcano disruption earlier this year?

I also don't tend to understand the Airtran complaints in general - I suspect their changes don't differ all that month from the majors. Also, Airtran in many cases is the ONLY airline offering direct MCO flights out of smaller markets.

 

[dawnmommy]

pickles - no airline does the things you listed as the result of weather issues. How would any airline stay in business if they paid for hotel rooms for all displaced passengers whenever there are weather delays? If you are flying from a small airport, then you have the added risk that flights can't get there in the first place, so then there are no planes for departing passengers.

actually - not even limited to small airports. Midway (Chicago) has horrible issues with this, particularly on SW airlines.

BY THE WAY - I continue to be baffled by the AirTran complaints - I recommend anyone interested in facts take a look at sites like flightstats.com Compare city by city, all airlines, their average on-time performance and their cancellation rates.

Airtran is actually better than the majors in all markets (although the results are similar for most airlines - including airtran - cancellation rates hover in the 1-2% range.

My theory is that disboard is of course, by nature, primarily vacation travelers. Some of course may travel for business too. But I suspect that the vast majority fly only a few times a year, then blame whatever airline they are on, when they are delayed.

I'd recommend anyone interested in ACTUAL performance just spend a few minutes on any of the sites that report travel delays/cancellations each month

 

[keishashadow]

OP sorry for you, weather-related or otherwise

fyi, AT does indeed change flight times last minute (@ least the Pittsburgh ones). Ive had flight times moved forward as late as the day before depature (which i discovered when printing out boarding passes) .

It's a real pia to be on a cruise & find out when (again, printing out boarding passes day prior to debarking) that the flight home has been substantially changed since it was checked less than a week prior (in our case, thankfully it was later departure vs earlier).

many peeps fly for business and pleasure. When it's on 'my dime' i look carefully @ the bottomline which steers me to the the discount/no-frills carriers.

That said, i got sick of AT changing a flight around for October to WDW this year (several times already, each time moving it back later in the day cutting into an already short trip) i cancelled & booked SWA . Had 1 'free/reward' flight booked, however; the tradeoff of worrying about losing most of the 1st day's fun isn't worth it to me. I'll make the SWA $ difference up somewhere else & gift the reward to family or use for upgrade on flight this summer.

 

[kaytieeldr]

air tran has a reputation which they filled for this poster.

A reputation for changing flights in advance, yes - as do many other airlines. Few, if any, existing airlines have a reputation for canceling flights within hours of departure.

she didnt get to hear about the change until she actually gets to the airport..dont they have her phone number at least?

Up through early afternoon (and probably beyond) the flight was still scheduled - according to her own constant checking.

obviously planes were flying at atlanta--delayed but flying.
Why didnt hers simply delay their flight a few hours until weather improved?

AirTran didn't HAVE a plane available to fly INTO her small local airport. Hers could have been the last flight of the day; there could be restrictions on arrival/departure times at her small local airport that would prohibit 'her' plane from coming a few hours later. AirTran also obviously either had no SEATS available on any departing flights until Sunday, or it's entirely possible they don't serve that airport every day and simply had NO FLIGHTS scheduled for Saturday AT ALL.

did they offer her a hotel room while she had to wait until sunday?..

No airline has any obligation to pay for a hotel room for any passenger delayed due to circumstances beyond the airline's control, much less an entire planeload of passengers. zimaaaaah and her party weren't the only ones affected by this cancellation, remember.

after all she paid for a vacation hotel somewhere and would have lost that money and had to do something like food and hotel maybe while she waited for sunday and the flight they gave her

Again, no obligation; especially when a small airport is involved it is likely convenient to the passenger's home - at least we KNOW it was in this case, since she was STARTING a vacation trip - and the passenger could EASILY and cost-effectively go home and sleep/eat free while waiting for the replacement flight. In addition, the OP didn't wait for the Sunday flight. She chose to purchase tickets on another airline.

drove hour to airport and found there was no flight. Mind you, this is a small airport so not only was there no Airtran flight, there were no other flights to any where at all. And Airtran gave us the only option of leaving late Sunday afternoon.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm not Brian N

Whoops, sorry. I missed this.

It is *possible* to be moved to an AirTran flight at another airport, and (if the interline agreement is in place) *possible* to be written over to USAir. I don't know that AT would *have* to do it in either case, even if you asked. It is not clear to me what the rules are.

But, it never hurts to ask, and to ask as politely as possible. That can be hard to do when you've been delayed, but oftentimes during a weather/mechanical event, the few passengers that remain pleasant and understanding get a little bit of consideration.

 

[pickles]

Disney is under no obligation to replace your icecream when you drop it, but they often do

Disney is under no obligation to do anything if your special ticket event gets rained out, but they usually do and usually above and beyond what is expected.

You can drag any item back to walmart and theyusually will give you at least store credit, even if you were the idiot that broke the item.

Is airtrain required to do anything..nope

Imagine how the post would have read if they had done something beyond the min required?

poster probably would have written.."airtrain had weather delayed, but look how they helped me."

would have made me want to fly airtran next time. Now, however, they are noted for changing flights often and they dont do much to correct problems they have. Think I plan to choose airtran next time?

Know why i choose southwest? not just price, but the very fact i can change flights as often as I want and all i gotta pay is any higher flight fees, AND if the price is lower they give me credit for a future flight. Never had southwest change a flight on me

service can make the difference

 

[NancyIL]

Disney is under no obligation to replace your icecream when you drop it, but they often do

Disney is under no obligation to do anything if your special ticket event gets rained out, but they usually do and usually above and beyond what is expected.

Unlike Disney - most airlines are struggling to stay in business. What does it cost Disney to replace ice cream? A heck of a lot less than for an airline to pay for lodging for those whose flights were cancelled.

 

[seashoreCM]

I called the airline & they re-routed me - ... I knew ahead of time that my airline had another flight leaving MCO at 7pm, but connected in a different city than my original flight, but still got me to my home airport a few hours later. Thankfully those flights weren't full & the airline was nice enough to move me to those flights. !

When something irregular including weather happens, the airline should re-route you on their other non-sold-out flights of your choosing just for your asking in a whisper. And when you already picked out the flights, it is even easier for the ticket agent to make the change.

 

[pickles]

I guess I am the only one who understands the concept that doing better can improve your business. If airlines are struggling maybe changing how they do business would improve their lot in life.
How many choose to drive their cars because they dont want canceled flights or changed flights and to be stuck at some airport?
I didnt say they had to pay for everyones rooms. I simply stated they could offer some solutions that are more than just saying "I am sorry" I think, most people understand flight delays and canceled flights and things beyond an airlines control.
If airlines learned to work together or come up with more positive solutions imagine how much more enjoyable flying would be. Which airline would you choose the one who said "oh well I am sorry" or the one who found another flight for you on another airline and solved your problem?

 

[dawnmommy]

I guess I am the only one who understands the concept that doing better can improve your business. If airlines are struggling maybe changing how they do business would improve their lot in life.
How many choose to drive their cars because they dont want canceled flights or changed flights and to be stuck at some airport?
I didnt say they had to pay for everyones rooms. I simply stated they could offer some solutions that are more than just saying "I am sorry" I think, most people understand flight delays and canceled flights and things beyond an airlines control.
If airlines learned to work together or come up with more positive solutions imagine how much more enjoyable flying would be. Which airline would you choose the one who said "oh well I am sorry" or the one who found another flight for you on another airline and solved your problem?

Pickles, I would say you need to pick your business model. Do you want airlines to raise their rates substantially so they can then cover Millions in hotel room costs each year due to weather?

comparing an ice cream social with paying for hotel rooms for hundreds of displaced travelers (when not even remotely the airlines' fault) is like comparing a bag of apples to one teeny mandarin orange.

Besides, that is what Travel Insurance is for! Booking an expensive trip without travel insurance doesn't make much sense. I mean, weather interuptions can happen year-round. Heck, look at the volcano last month.

Why on earth should airlines reimburse people in that way? Travel insurance, people. For our family of 4 it was just over $100 - worth it on the cost of our trip. It is OUR responsibility to control as much as we can and be prepared, because obviously airline travel has many unpredictable elements.

 

[dawnmommy]

I guess I am the only one who understands the concept that doing better can improve your business.

Can you outline HOW airlines can do better as it relates to weather, please?

1. You wish them to fly in dangerous weather?

2. You wish them to increase rates substantially to cover MILLIONS of dollars in hotel room costs for passengers who didn't take out their own darn travel insurance?

3. You wish them to increase rates substantially to have extra planes on site in case in-bound plans are delayed due to weather? (keeping in mind of course that this doesn't solve the problem when the weather is at the outbound airport, or between the outbound airport and the destination)Southwest certainly doesn't do this. Google to find the recent article on Southwest out of Midway.

4. or you just want them to serve Ice Cream, like Disney does? Certainly that is the cheapest option.

Travel Insurance, Travel Insurance, Travel Insurance. And understand that delays can happen any time during the year. Travel enough and you'll figure that out.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

OP - I'm a little late reading this thread, but hope the rest of your trip has gone well.

It's interesting reading all the responses to this thread. I have had similar experiences to many of the previous posters.

. . . I know AirTran gets a bad rap for changing their flights, but the big carriers can put it to us sometimes too!

Our non-stop flight on Delta was canceled on our way to WDW because of no crew. They did not know there was no crew until they had already checked us in. Thankfully we were re-routed on the same day.

If it is a weather cancellation, they don't have to (and won't) do anything.

What are you expecting from Air Tran? NO airline compensates for a weather related delay.

pickles - no airline does the things you listed as the result of weather issues.

Actually, I beg to differ with these statements based on personal experience (with AirTran none the less).
In Jan. 2008 our return flight home from MCO on AirTran was delayed & then canceled because the plane we were to take could not get to MCO from out West due to weather. Interestingly, AirTran did put us all up in a hotel, gave us breakfast vouchers, and gave us a voucher for a one-way ticket to be used within a year (we did not complain, pitch a fit, or anything to get this treatment ~ they just announced that they would be comping us all of these things). I thought this was excellent customer service. Sounds like this experience is probably a very rare exception to what is typically done, but I will say it did make a very positive impression on me & I have given AirTran my business ever since because of how well they treated me this one time .

Nancy brings up a great point - BE PREPARED. I always always always know what other flights my airline has in case mine should be delayed or cancelled, and I even check other airlines for alternate routes before I go. I jot them down in a little notebook along with the toll-free numbers for the airlines. I also put down the phone numbers of the 3 closest hotels to the airport(s) I'm flying through.

Great tips! I will be doing this for our upcoming trip (even though I have also purchased trip insurance).

 

[maxiesmom]

Disney is under no obligation to replace your icecream when you drop it, but they often do

Disney is under no obligation to do anything if your special ticket event gets rained out, but they usually do and usually above and beyond what is expected.

You can drag any item back to walmart and theyusually will give you at least store credit, even if you were the idiot that broke the item.

Is airtrain required to do anything..nope

Imagine how the post would have read if they had done something beyond the min required?

poster probably would have written.."airtrain had weather delayed, but look how they helped me."

would have made me want to fly airtran next time. Now, however, they are noted for changing flights often and they dont do much to correct problems they have. Think I plan to choose airtran next time?

Know why i choose southwest? not just price, but the very fact i can change flights as often as I want and all i gotta pay is any higher flight fees, AND if the price is lower they give me credit for a future flight. Never had southwest change a flight on me

service can make the difference

But Disney always has tons of ice cream around the place. Airlines do not have lots of extra planes with crews hanging around, waiting for someone to need them. You keep saying Air Tran should have done something. What excactly should they have done? Fly when it isn't safe? Raise prices so high hardly anyone could afford to fly, so they can have extra equipment at every airport?

Previous posters experience of getting vouches is NOT the norm. No airline could afford to do s omething similar every time a flight was delayed or cancelled because of weather, they can't afford it! Even Southwest doesn't.

 

[DebbieB]

When something irregular including weather happens, the airline should re-route you on their other non-sold-out flights of your choosing just for your asking in a whisper. And when you already picked out the flights, it is even easier for the ticket agent to make the change.

They typically do. The problem is there are very few empty seats these days. Anytime I have flown this year, the planes were full. The problem with AirTran in a city that has few flights is there are not many options.

 

[pickles]

I like everyone else's suggestion, just say "the heck with it and scr*w their customer"

even giving free icecream would be better than doing nothing

I gave my ideas. the truth is they should be brainstorming ideas and trying ones that may be effective both in cost and making their customers happy.
This idea of a customer should just be happy they got promised one service and receved no service is terrible. We prepay for services that they dont give us. They mess up our travel plans and then we should be happy and forgiving?
Maybe they should only collect money the moment they know the plans will be leaving and they can provide the service as promised.

car rental place promises you a car, you get there and their cars arent working, wouldnt you at least expect them to help get you in touch with someone who has a car(rental place) and can help you?

wouldnt cost the airlines any extra money to search flights and offer alternatives on competitor flights, or offer reroute options. and it wouldnt cost much for them to at least buy you a coffee and give you an ice cream while you wait.

But what do I know , I have only been in a sales and service industry for 20 some years..lot cheaper to figure out how to keep your client than get a new one.

 

[zimaaaaah]

Hi there again. OP here. Now that I fully understand from some of you
just how foolish I was to complain about Airtran, a brief update.

When we had to change our flight, I called and managed to add our lost day to the end of our vacation, which was great. When we got to Pop Century around 930 pm on Saturday, somehow they had managed to cancel our reservation in the system. Yep, no room at Pop. They said they were fully booked and couldn't put us there at all. Luckily I had received the revised confirmation and printed it out that morning. So, long story short, after about an hour of calling and working the issue, a supervisor had us moved to another hotel for our vacation and took care of the problem. I did not have to throw a fit or anything. And guess where they moved us? The Grand Floridian. So all is well that ends well.
The only reason I even re-posted is to illustrate the difference in customer service styles and IN MY OPINION ONLY the right and wrong way to handle a customer problem that was not of the customers' making.

 

[maxiesmom]

Hi there again. OP here. Now that I fully understand from some of you
just how foolish I was to complain about Airtran, a brief update.

When we had to change our flight, I called and managed to add our lost day to the end of our vacation, which was great. When we got to Pop Century around 930 pm on Saturday, somehow they had managed to cancel our reservation in the system. Yep, no room at Pop. They said they were fully booked and couldn't put us there at all. Luckily I had received the revised confirmation and printed it out that morning. So, long story short, after about an hour of calling and working the issue, a supervisor had us moved to another hotel for our vacation and took care of the problem. I did not have to throw a fit or anything. And guess where they moved us? The Grand Floridian. So all is well that ends well.
The only reason I even re-posted is to illustrate the difference in customer service styles and IN MY OPINION ONLY the right and wrong way to handle a customer problem that was not of the customers' making.

You are not compairing apples to apples. Disney ownes both of those resorts. Each airline is its own business. Big difference.

And Disney did make the mistake in cancelling your reservation. They rightly corrected that mistake. Air Tran made no mistake. They simply couldn't fly you at that time, and had no other way to get you out. They had no other planes there they could throw you on, while Disney did have another resort right there they could put you up at. Air Tran has no control over the weather. Even Disney can't control the weather.

 

[TaraPA]

You are not compairing apples to apples. Disney ownes both of those resorts. Each airline is its own business. Big difference.

And Disney did make the mistake in cancelling your reservation. They rightly corrected that mistake. Air Tran made no mistake. They simply couldn't fly you at that time, and had no other way to get you out. They had no other planes there they could throw you on, while Disney did have another resort right there they could put you up at. Air Tran has no control over the weather. Even Disney can't control the weather.

I so totally agree. OP is comparing apples to oranges.

The Contract of Carriage states the airline will get you from point A to point B. Period. No guarantee of date, time, etc. Airtran did this - but because the flights didn't suit the OP, they thought they should go above & beyond? Airtran would have made good on their contract of getting OP from Point A to Point B on their next available flight. No need to go above & beyond, as no error was made.

Disney made a mistake & they rightly corrected it, as they should. They threw in some pixie dust & moved them to GF as an apology for their error.

I see 2 totally different scenarios! In any case, congrats on the GF - what an upgrade over Pop! Enjoy!

 

[Pink Flamingo]

And guess where they moved us? The Grand Floridian. So all is well that ends well.

Sweet! Glad you had a "happily ever after" once you made it to Orlando.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I like everyone else's suggestion, just say "the heck with it and scr*w their customer"

Please quote any such suggestion(s). Simply because we're realistic and not tilting at windmills doesn't mean we're advocating "the heck with it and dump on the customer" (masked vulgarity noted, by the way).

This idea of a customer should just be happy they got promised one service and receved no service is terrible.

VERY few customers get promised one service and then receive no service. This was an unusual situation beyond AirTran's control. Had the flight been cancelled due to mechanical issues, or lack of a flight crew, we'd be right there with you advocating compensation - not, seemingly, that it would have satisfied the OP who wanted to get to her destination, not spend nights in a local hotel at the airline's expense.

Maybe they should only collect money the moment they know the plans will be leaving and they can provide the service as promised.

Worst airline/airfare suggestion ever. Period.

wouldnt cost the airlines any extra money to search flights and offer alternatives on competitor flights, or offer reroute options.

Mind if I ask how much experience you have in the airline industry? Do you think it's possible - especially given that AirTran has, apparently, an interline agreement with US Airways - that they TRIED that for all these passengers (i.e. not just the OP's party, but the entire planeload) and that there were no seats available until Sunday, period? Or that some prepared passengers, instead of waiting in line, called AirTran's reservation number and got on the Saturday flight, or got interlined that way?

And yes, it WOULD cost AirTran to offer alternatives on competitor flights - even US Airways. You don't think other airlines would transport AirTran's passengers free, do you? Really?