Anyone flown AirTran?

[ahake]

Just wondering if anybody knows anything about this airline? How was the flight? Thanks!
Amy

 

[phillybeth]

Flew Airtran last year, and am flying them again tomorrow

I think they are a good airline. We have had no problems with them, flights on time, friendly FA's, and their fleet is mostly newer planes.

 

[horseshowmom]

We've flown with them lots of times. Whenever we've had a problem (all minor ones), they've always responed promptly and responsibly.

 

[ahake]

Thanks for the info! Have a great trip PhillyBeth! We are flying out of BWI with them in January. We got a great deal with them!
Amy

 

[Taylor]

Just returned this evening from MCO on AirTran. Everything was very smooth and on-time. I would definitely fly with them again.

 

[KProuty]

Just flew them from Boston to Baltimore. It was a real treat in Boston, the security line is just for the airtran gate. Only one person in front of me. (Don't know how long this will last. I think it is because they are redoing the terminals.)

Plane was not full for both legs of the flight. Real new planes. I'd fly them again in a heartbeat!

Katherine

 

[becobscot]

Just so you know, AirTran used to be Valujet. Their prices are tempting but I won't fly with them.

 

[ahake]

Just wondering, but why won't you fly them again??
Thanks

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Originally posted by becobscot
Just so you know, AirTran used to be Valujet. Their prices are tempting but I won't fly with them.

Actually, the ValuJet fleet is no longer part of the AirTran fleet. I think they finished their use of the DC-9's, and are opperating all brand new B717's and B737's now.

 

[ahake]

OK..I"ve already booked 4 tickets for my family not knowing that they were formally Valuejet..know I Understand my mothers everglades statement I know we are fly a 717..and have heard mostly good things about them. Am I wrong for assuming they've gotten their act together?
Thanks!

 

[NCRedding]

I've flown them to MCO from Raleigh, and would not hesitate to fly them again, even though I had a little hesitation. But in thinking it through, I am not sure why we hold that crash against Valuejet--I believe that the transporter who was shipping the oxygen tanks was considered the most at fault in that crash. Why don't we hesitate to fly AA--they've had a number of crashes that were pilot error/maintenance issues. I never did hear what the official cause of the last crash was (the one in NY right after 9/11) US Air has also had a number of crashes related to maintenance. Why do we (and I'm including myself in this) sneer Valuejet/airtran, but not the other airlines??

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

We flew AirTran in Aug. We had a very smooth flight to Orlando and back. The plane was nice and all the staff was very friendly.

Stuff happens anywhere and everywhere. I wouldn't hold it against one airline b/c there was a crash.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by ahake
OK..I"ve already booked 4 tickets for my family not knowing that they were formally Valuejet..know I Understand my mothers everglades statement I know we are fly a 717..and have heard mostly good things about them. Am I wrong for assuming they've gotten their act together?
Thanks!

The company ValuJet was bought by another company and merged. The new airline is called Airtran. Most if not all of their planes are the newest of any other airline out there. If someone stops flying a particular airline because of a crash then their choices must be severely limited as most airlines have had accidents. I am a very scared flyer, always have been, but think Airtran is wonderful. We just used them two weeks ago and everything was fine. We got to board early due to small kids and the staff was very kind. On the return flight we were on the runway when the pilot came on to say they were returning to the gate for a light being out on the dashboard. So we taxied back to the gate, put in a new lightbulb and off we went. They are very picky about safety as I'm sure any pilot is as he is also going on that plane. I had such a good trip flying this time that I have decided to fly again in May. That is a big deal for me as I usually drive to avoid flying at all costs! I will fly Airtran even if it costs more then the other airlines. I'm sure you will have a great flight!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

We flew Air Tran for the first time this past June and thought they were very good. By using their online site we were able to pick out our seats from home and print out the boarding passes. This made it really fast at the airport since we had no bags to check in. On the way home we picked out our seats online but did not have a printer available so we had to stop at the counter for the boarding passes. We were delayed a while coming home but no big deal. We would definitely fly with Air Tran again.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

I know they were ValueJet and that there was a crash here in Florida.
But.......the planes are now much newer and I believe that the old fleet has been replaced.

My kids flew last week from Philadelphia and, except for having to wait on the taxiway in Philly for an hour due to heavy traffic, it was uneventful.

Just as an aside, they flew into Tampa due to gettting a much better internet rate. Tampa International is a very nice airport, easy to get into, and easy to get to WDW.
They flew back out of Orlando, and just remember that check in at departure is easy too. The entrance line to AirTran is about 100 feet from the curb side check in.

I would now use them, whereas before I wasn't sure.

 

[drcmk]

We flew Airtran two years ago. It was a "no frills" flight (no snacks, etc.) but everyone was pleasant and there were no safety issues. We are flying Airtran again tomorrow.

We will check in for our flight online from home, but won't have access to a computer before our return flight. What is the procedure for checking in if you don't have computer access? Can I call?


PS--Did you notice I said we are leaving "TOMORROW??!!!!!"

 

[WDWisTheBest]

This morning it was 48 degrees. It will be warming up over the weekend and will be a really great weather week.

Enjoy your trip on Airtran, after calling 800-airtran.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by drcmk
We flew Airtran two years ago. It was a "no frills" flight (no snacks, etc.) but everyone was pleasant and there were no safety issues. We are flying Airtran again tomorrow.

We will check in for our flight online from home, but won't have access to a computer before our return flight. What is the procedure for checking in if you don't have computer access? Can I call?


PS--Did you notice I said we are leaving "TOMORROW??!!!!!"

Airtran does provide snacks if you can call it that! LL! We got drinks and also pretzels and biscotti cookies. We were only in coach so I figure everyone gets them. At least that is what we got on our flights last month. I packed a few bagels and cream cheese for our flights.

 

[Dopey & Grumpy]

We flew Airtran in October. We had no problems on the way down. I got our boarding passes and seat assignments on the net before we left. Had absolutely no problems what-so-ever.

On the flight back we ran into a small problem. Our flight was around 2 pm and shortly before they were to start the boarding, they made an announcement that maintenance asked if they could delay boarding for about 20 minutes. 20 minutes later, they made the same announcement. After that 20 minutes (already 40 minutes late for the flight) they asked us to switch boarding gates with the next gate, which everyone did. A little later, they asked if we could switch back....Finally left about an hour late. The crew was very nice and kept us informed so we were not left wondering what the hold up was. We would still fly with them again. I feel they were being cautious and was very thankful for it. :happy1:

 

[NCRedding]

Dopey & Grumpy: Were you flying from MCO to Atlanta on 10/7 by any chance? That is exactly what happened to us with Airtran. They were excellent at keeping us informed and at compensating us for our delays, since we missed our connecting flight.