Booking Airtran w/o paying seat fee? Assignment at check-in

[NUHuskies#1]

Hi all-

I was wondering if anyone had experience with booking Airtran w/o paying the seat fee? You can continue with the reservation and not pay the seat fee. If you do this you are assigned seats at check-in. This will save me $30 each way. Has anyone not paid the seat fee and waited for assignment at check in? If so, what kind of seats did you get? We are a family of five and as long as three of us are together, Im happy - the two oldest can sit by themselves.

 

[maxiesmom]

Hi all-

I was wondering if anyone had experience with booking Airtran w/o paying the seat fee? You can continue with the reservation and not pay the seat fee. If you do this you are assigned seats at check-in. This will save me $30 each way. Has anyone not paid the seat fee and waited for assignment at check in? If so, what kind of seats did you get? We are a family of five and as long as three of us are together, Im happy - the two oldest can sit by themselves.

If you do not pay for seat assignments, there are no guarantees that any of your family members will get seats together. If you are ok with that, then you are fine. If not, then you need to pay for your assignments. The Flight Attendants will not make people move to accomodate you.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I don't know if this 100% accurate but I have read many posts saying that seats are held back for airport check in. I would imagine that it wouldn't be very many so you would need to check in early.

 

[webworm]

We flew AirTran last March with family of 5 and only picked seats 24hrs in advance with no charge. My kids are teenagers so didn't matter to us but we got 3 together and another 2 together. I will never pay for seats.

 

[momofsamandeden]

I bought through Priceline and was able to choose for free

 

[pauly's girl]

I fly airtran every year and never pick my seats. You can log in for flight 24 hours in advance through the website and it will automatically assign your seats. I have always gotten seats together in the morning. For the flight back you can check in through airtran in your hotel also 24 hours in advance....you should be able to get seats together if you do. Last year we were in the park and never checked in we all got on the plane but we were scattered throughout. There were 11 of us so noone was alone we just had 2 here and 3 there lol!!

 

[aubriee]

If you want to sit next to your kids, I would recommend going ahead and paying for your seats. I don't fly as often as many here on this site do, but I have flown Air Tran four times in the last 12 months and have a tendency to take a seat next to the desk, while waiting for my flight. Every single flight I have seen families raising holy heck with the gate agent, upset that they did not get seats together. They just naturally assumed that since they had children (or that since they'd bought their tickets together) that the airline would accomodate them. Not once did the gate agents or FA even attempt to ask people to switch seats. It looks like those days are gone.

Air Tran has recently changed it's policy. They used to leave the first few rows in coach blocked off until 24 hours prior to flight time. If you go online and check those seats now, they are not only open, but are just a little higher in price. When you click on them, they now say they are in boarding zone 1. I know for my flights, I usually purchase a seat in row 13, because that has always been the first row you could pick, until 24 hours prior. At 24 hours out, I'd go online and try to move up to one of the first rows in coach and usually didn't have a problem. As of just a few weeks ago, that will no longer be an option, because now those previously blocked out seats are not only available for purchase, but are priced at a higher price. I know for my upcoming May trip, I had already gotten my usual row 13, back when you could go through Kayak and not have to pay the seat fee. I went online a few weeks ago, noticed that those seats up close to the front of the plane that are normally blocked off until 24 hours prior to check in were now available for a higher fee and was able to move my seat up to the first row of coach (without having to pay the higher fee). Go online like you are going to book a flight and you will see what I mean. Those previously blocked off seats are no longer blocked.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

I booked through Kayak and the $6 fee was waived when I chose my seats.

 

[ancestry]

When I travel with my older kids we usually do not pay for seat assignments. Every time we have been split up all over the plane. None of us near each other.

I would highly recommend that you purchase seat assignments for those who need to be together - otherwise there is NO guarantee. Other people who did pay to reserve their seat won't be real willing to move around to accommodate those who didn't pay.

 

[Missytara]

I booked through Kayak and the $6 fee was waived when I chose my seats.

It appears as though recently that "glitch" in the system has been fixed and you now have to pay the seat assignment.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I agree with others that if it is important to you to have even two of you sitting together you need to pay the fee. Otherwise you are gambling and may not get lucky. Since most people will have paid for their seats they are not likely to want to move to accomidate you.

 

[blanq]

Okay, here is my 2 cents, for what it is worth. I have never paid the advanced seat fee when flying AirTran and I fly them frequently; I generally take my chances and select my seats when I check-in online. I do monitor the load though by periodically checking available seats after I book. If the seats are filling, I always have the option of picking my seats, and paying the fee, anytime up to 24 hours before checkin. My family has always been able to sit together. It is just me, DH and DS-16, so if we were split up it would be no big deal to me, but if we have a longer flight, want to watch a DVD together or something, I might choose to do advance seating. I just flew AirTran last week (4 legs total: MSP to ATL, ATL to HOU and back again), and had no problem getting seats together. For our flight from MSP, I chose our seats when I did my online checkin. For our return to MSP, I did not checkin or get our seat assignments until we got to the airport. Some travel times, and destinations are busier than others though, so you should factor that into your decision.

 

[Thumper4me]

We are traveling over a holiday weekend (Labor Day) and wanted to make sure we could sit together. We enjoy watching a DVD on the way down. It makes the time go by so quickly. Watching a Disney movie also just puts me in a vacation mood. Why start you vacation out stressfully if you don't have to. The small fee ($6) is worth a little peace of mind.

 

[disgram]

For the last 4 years I have flown AirTran to Orlando and have never paid for the seats. There has been as few as 3 and as many as 4 and we have always been across the isle from one another. Never had a problem with them. I travel with my granddaughters most often and hae alsways been very happy with the seating arrangements.

 

[tam626]

My ds is only 4 & I won't take the chance of him not being able to sit with my dh or I so i pay the extra $18 one way for us. Maybe when he's older it won't matter so much.

 

[mygirltink]

If it is important that you sit together I would definitely pay for the seats. Every flight to and from BWI and MCO that I have taken for the last three years at least has been packed to the gills. The two times that I did not pay in advance for our seats we did not get to sit together and there were only the two of us and I checked in right at the 24 hour mark. I also have to agree that there are always people upset about not being able to sit together at the gate. I am sorry but if I have paid for my seats I am not moving no matter what or why.

 

[thumbalyna]

i dont pay for the advance seat either - i go on at the 24 hour mark - we have always been together i just move us from a 3 person row to a 2 person row
most recent trip was in december and i did the 24 hours for the flight on the way down and had my mom log on 24 hours before our return and do the same
never had a problem - also on my last trip i did see people switching seats in a couple different rows - the fa didnt care as long as everyone was in a seat

 

[danielle.st]

Hi all-

If so, what kind of seats did you get? We are a family of five and as long as three of us are together, Im happy - the two oldest can sit by themselves.

Why not just pay for the 3 to sit together that you are concerned about then? That would save a little bit but you would not have to worry.