AirTrans vs Southwest

[Hare23]

I have only flown Southwest to Orlando but see cheaper fares with AirTrans (even with baggage fee)...can anyone share their experience with this air carrier, thanks!

 

[dancin Disney style]

We have used AT many times with no problems and will in future. Often their fares are lower than SW.

I have heard that they are known to change flights....non stop to a stop or cancel one altogether. They seem to be very good about accommodating you if any of those things happen. I have read many reports that they will put you on just about any flight that works for you is they have made a change to what you booked.

 

[dacky041208]

We have used AT many times with no problems and will in future. Often their fares are lower than SW.

I have heard that they are known to change flights....non stop to a stop or cancel one altogether. They seem to be very good about accommodating you if any of those things happen. I have read many reports that they will put you on just about any flight that works for you is they have made a change to what you booked.

This info is correct. We prefer SW because Airtran seems to change more often than most airlines (just search the boards here, you'll find plenty of complaints), however they are usually good in changing you to a flight that fits your needs if you ask. We just don't like having to worry about watching for the changes. If the fare was notably lower than SW, then I wouldn't hesitate to book AT, but usually for us, even before bags, SW is a good bit lower.

 

[NotUrsula]

I prefer SWA, but I'll take AirTran if there is a good enough price difference AND if the times are good, which leads me to my key issue:

Can I Avoid Atlanta????

Due to a situation a few years ago where we were stuck on a runway for several hours in July heat, DH & I intensely dislike changing planes at Hartsfield. As a general rule, we are willing to pay up to $250 more total in order to avoid the place.

 

[vacation_junkie]

I have only flown Southwest to Orlando but see cheaper fares with AirTrans (even with baggage fee)...can anyone share their experience with this air carrier, thanks!

3 out of 3 of our flights with Airtran had problems. All 3 flight times were changed..never stayed at the same time we booked at. Which caused a big problem for our cruise!!! Will never fly with them again!!

 

[skyman8963]

I have flown Air Tran many times and not had one issue. Also the same with SW. so for me its a wash and yes I do find AT to be less expensive even with the baggage

 

[DonnaL]

I heartily agree with NotUrsula about trying to avoid ATL at all costs and I believe AT connects a lot of MCO flights thru ATL. We also had a situation several years ago sitting on the runway with 26 planes in front of us waiting for clearance to take off.........we waited a few hours also. We have flown AT from ABE (Lehigh Valley, PA) with no issues, however there currently is only one flight per day from there and it's a nonstop turnaround MCO/ABE. It appears they're adding another flight or two this summer so I will be very careful in the future if I book them as to which flight I schedule.

 

[tooh8ful]

We live in southern Indiana, acutally a suburb of Louisville, KY. I have found it is cheaper to drive 2 hrs to Indianapolis, pay to park my car for 10 days, spend the night in a hotel, and now even pay baggage fees and fly AT rather than Southwest out of Louisville, less than 10 min. from my house.
Flight times have changed but usually only by a couple of minutes, AT has always been accomodating w/allowing me to make changes w/out charge if that happens, and the flight times are WAY better for us as well as direct flights.

 

[Elmo007]

Personally out of the NY area, I prefer SW. Islip is way better than LGA. There are almost never delays and security is measured is seconds rather than hours.

I usually like Jetblue from JFK as well but with the runway closure it has become a mess there. Check back in July 2010 to see if its better.

 

[cg1200]

We have used AT many times with no problems and will in future. Often their fares are lower than SW.

I have heard that they are known to change flights....non stop to a stop or cancel one altogether. They seem to be very good about accommodating you if any of those things happen. I have read many reports that they will put you on just about any flight that works for you is they have made a change to what you booked.

This about sums it up. Airtran is 2 for 2 with me. I booked them twice and both times they changed the departure times. I dealt with it the first time but the 2nd time they added a stop which was not acceptable. They gladly refunded my money.

It would take a lot to get me to book with them again but I suppose I would if the fares were that much cheaper. I have the option of JB or Airtran from White Plains NY or SW from Hartford. Normally Airtran is the cheapest but JB is right behind them and they are super reliable.

All things being equal I would avoid AT. Too much risk. SW is known for being very reliable with their flights. Unless it's a huge price difference why bother?

 

[Hare23]

Thanks for all the information !!

 

[Missytara]

I have consistently used Airtran out of BWI the last several years, and they have never changed my flight and they have been cheaper than SW, even with the fees.

I also love being able to use RAC on the way home.

 

[TheWog]

Felt very cramped on AirTran, but never did with SW.

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

Felt very cramped on AirTran, but never did with SW.

According to SeatGuru.com, Southwest does have an extra inch or two between rows, but Air Tran's seats are 1 inch wider on the same plane, 737-700.

I've flown Air Tran several times and never had a problem. They did change my flight once by 30 minutes when going from PHL to MCO, but they were very accomodating in switching me to another flight.

Also, even though Air Tran charges for seat selection and bags, we have always found flights to be cheaper than Southwest, either because of an AT coupon or just the regular fare was cheaper. Even if the fares were the same, I would still fly AT because I can check my bags at the resort for my return flight, which is a very nice convenience.

I'd be happy to try Southwest because of the mostly rave reviews, but I can't justify paying more to do it.

 

[TheWog]

According to SeatGuru.com, Southwest does have an extra inch or two between rows, but Air Tran's seats are 1 inch wider on the same plane, 737-700.

I've flown Air Tran several times and never had a problem. They did change my flight once by 30 minutes when going from PHL to MCO, but they were very accomodating in switching me to another flight.

Also, even though Air Tran charges for seat selection and bags, we have always found flights to be cheaper than Southwest, either because of an AT coupon or just the regular fare was cheaper. Even if the fares were the same, I would still fly AT because I can check my bags at the resort for my return flight, which is a very nice convenience.

I'd be happy to try Southwest because of the mostly rave reviews, but I can't justify paying more to do it.

It must have been that two inches then. I don't usually have issues, but just felt like I was breathing into the seat in front of me. Upgraded to Business Class on the return flight and it was worth every penny.

 

[tam626]

We have flown Airtran the past 2 years to Disney out of BWI & had no problems. I got our seats for $69 this year & $59 last year.

 

[dacky041208]

I also love being able to use RAC on the way home.

This won't matter for too much longer. It looks like the rumors have been confirmed about SW being added to other resorts.

 

[thumbalyna]

i have flown AT twice once from PHL and once from ABE - the PHL flight time was changed but only by minutes not a big deal and the ABE flight was the same - i am planning 2 trips to MCO this year and right now i have our Oct trip booked at 59 a person each way and waiting for dec dates to come out - oct we are only going for the weekend so we are only taking carryons in dec we will take one bag - but i have never had any problems with them and you cant beat their prices

 

[aggiegirl1234]

Hello, sorry if this is slightly off topic, but I just booked a flight with AirTran a few days ago and after reading this thread I'm getting kind of nervous I've never flown with them before (I hardly ever fly actually). For those of you who said that they changed your flight times, how close to flight date did they notify you that your flight time was being changed? Thanks!

 

[twinklebug]

It must have been that two inches then. I don't usually have issues, but just felt like I was breathing into the seat in front of me. Upgraded to Business Class on the return flight and it was worth every penny.

As a person with long legs, those 2 inches mean a lot to me & my knees. I also appreciate the bit of extra room so I can get in and out of the carry on I tuck under the seat in front for gadgets, gizmos, Tylenol, and markers to play and draw with the kids.

I have flown with airtran twice, each time they did adjust the schedule by 10-20 minutes, but hearing horror stories from others about cancellations and automatic rebookings with horrible times & connections made me paranoid to the point where I found myself worrying and checking our flights daily for the month beforehand. That's not the way I want to lead up to a vacation.

In over 16 flights, SW has never changed flight times on us. If choosing between the two, I'm sticking with SWA just for the peace of mind.