How Does airtran load?

[kjpotter]

I'm guessing that Business class is first. But after that is it front to back?

 

[peemagg]

No actually they load a few rows from the back after first class. Check out seatguru dot com for a run down and to see if your seat is a good or bad one.

 

[itrek]

They board by zones printed on your ticket. It's generally back to front but they spread it out across the whole so more people can be seated at the same time (in theory). I flew AT in early May and all three of us in the same row on the same side of the plane had different zones on our tickets.

AirTran doesn't seem to be too picky about when you board as long as at least one person in your party has a zone that has already been called.

 

[dawnmommy]

I also believe that if you have the purchased the $15/$13 seats labeled as "priority seating" (on their website, when you select your seats), you board immediately after business class. they seem to be rows 11-16 on many flights.

can anyone confirm that? that is how the seating charts are labeled out of Chicago and Milwaukee (we just purchased our tickets but haven't flown yet)

 

[irishtigger]

I just took air tran last week and they load by zones. the zones are printed on your boarding pass

 

[cruisingkat]

I also believe that if you have the purchased the $15/$13 seats labeled as "priority seating" (on their website, when you select your seats), you board immediately after business class. they seem to be rows 11-16 on many flights.

can anyone confirm that? that is how the seating charts are labeled out of Chicago and Milwaukee (we just purchased our tickets but haven't flown yet)

We purchased (thanks to the Little Debbie promotion) these seats as it looked like our flight home was full as only the highest price business class tickets were available before the flight. We were in Zone 1 and boarded with business class.
The flight down to FL had tickets in all price categories still available so waited until check in to select our seats. We picked seats in that priority seating area (there were seats in those priority rows still available at check in) - in fact one row up from those we selected for our return flight where we paid for the seats and were put in zone 6 (window seat) and 7 (middle seat). So if you do not prepurchase those priority zone seating seats but select a seat in that area at check in, you will be among the last to board. The back of the plane boarded before we did.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Here's an interesting experience I had recently on AitTran regarding UNLOADING at MCO. Not only did they have passengers deplaning out the front door via the jetway like they normally do, but they also brought a set of portable stairs up to the rear door and had those sitting at the back exit there, if they wanted to and were able to. We then walked across the tarmac to the terminal entry door and up the stairs into the terminal.

I thought that was brilliant because it cleared out the plane much quicker so they could turn it around for the next flight. Rear aircraft doors are so rarely used in the USA.

BobK/Orlando