I'm going to miss AirTran!

[Buzz's Buddy]

So I received an e-mail from Air Tran advising me of a schedule change. They moved my flight to Orlando from a 7:00 am departure to a 6:20 am departure.

Ordinarily, I would have just accepted the change because I prefer the earliest possible flight. However, in order to save money, I was flying to Orlando from an airport further from my home. Because of this schedule change, I was able to move my flight 1 day earlier AND to a different, more convenient airport. All for NO CHARGE! This new flight (leaving on 12/26)would have cost me about $750 more than I had already paid. I know their schedule changes don't always benefit everyone, but their customer service is TOP NOTCH in trying to make it better!

 

[Inkmahm]

Amen! I am really going to miss Airtran, too, when it is swallowed by the Southwest machine.

 

[seashoreCM]

Are you sure it won't be Southwest swallowed by the Airtran machine?

With two fully functioning reservation systems they could phase out the unassigned seating by converting Southwest flights into Airtran flights. Or they could go the other way, turning Airtran flights into Southwest flights.

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

I won't mind being charged $20 per bag each way when Airtran merges with SW.....but I'm wondering if there will still be nonstops from my airport since currently SW doesn't do nonstops which is why we switched to Airtran!

 

[LdnCpl]

From what I've read so far, Airtran will be adapting to the Southwest model and not the other way around. From Southwest's standpoint they see no problem with the way they operate and therefore no need to overhaul or change anything. I am one of those who hope that my base airport (DTW) will inherit the Airtran direct flights to MCO as Southwest discontinued them a few years back. With the full merger only time will tell. This has more to do with obtaining slots into coveted airports than anything else

 

[monarchsfan16]

Southwest doesn't change schedules. So you don't need to worry about customer service.

That being said, Southwest's customer service is fantastic. You don't need to worry about it. 3 years ago we were in California when my stepdad ended up in ICU in NH. One phone call, and my mom was scheduled on the earliest flight back to NH. She was charged about $40 to change things, and I'm honestly not sure why, but the CS rep was very apologetic for charging her, and mom had no qualms about being charged just $40. The difference in flight prices was about $600. A year and a half ago, my dad was in the boarding line when he got the phone call that his father was being removed from life support. He told the gate agent, and within 15 minutes, he had a voucher to rebook his flight at no additional cost, and his luggage in hand, and was on his way to the hospital. Last February, a winter storm marched up the coast at the end of mom's school vacation week. She was in Florida, and while our home airport was not part of the winter weather alert with Southwest, PHL was, and she was connecting there. She called SW, and they quickly rescheduled her, after asking if she still wanted to get home the same day as originally scheduled, or if any day that weekend was good. She had booked the trip a day shorter than she wanted, because of a lack of cheap flights. She told them the next day was fine and ended up on the last non-stop home of the day. So she got a full extra day in FL while the rest of us were without power in 30 degree weather. No extra charge.

 

[uva185]

Are you sure it won't be Southwest swallowed by the Airtran machine?

With two fully functioning reservation systems they could phase out the unassigned seating by converting Southwest flights into Airtran flights. Or they could go the other way, turning Airtran flights into Southwest flights.

They have made it very clear the Airtran product will be converted to the Southwest product.

From the FAQs at http://www.lowfaresfarther.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Q: What about Bag Fees?
A: As you know, Southwest does not charge a bag fee for the 1st or 2nd checked bag. AirTran charges $20 for the 1st checked bag, $25 for the 2nd, and $50 for additional bags. Upon full integration, it is our intent to have a consistent product offering. It is our intent that the bag fees would not be part of that product.

Q: Will you charge a Change Fee?
A: As you know, Southwest does not charge change fees. AirTran charges a $75 for any changes made after purchase. Upon full integration, it is our intent to have a consistent product offering. It is our intent that the change fees would not be part of that product.

Q: What about assigned seats?
A: As you know, Southwest does not assign seats. AirTran does offer seat assignments including Business class and Coach. Upon full integration, it is our intent to have a consistent product offering. It is our intent that seat assignments would not be part of that product.

Q: What about dual class service?
A: As you know, Southwest offers one class of service. AirTran offers Business class and Coach. Upon full integration, it is our intent to have a consistent product offering. It is our intent that dual class service would not be part of that product.

 

[honeymo78]

We too are sad to see Airtran go. I don't like the seating method on SW and the lack of business class. Thankfully our experiment to drive down for our Sept/Oct trip worked out well and I won't have to worry about finding a new airline. Our only other semi-regular travel is to CA and Airtran didn't fly non-stop out there anyway.

 

[JB2K]

Are you sure it won't be Southwest swallowed by the Airtran machine?

With two fully functioning reservation systems they could phase out the unassigned seating by converting Southwest flights into Airtran flights. Or they could go the other way, turning Airtran flights into Southwest flights.

Seashore - I doubt it, as Southwest's current methods have been very profitable for them for many years.

Obviously, that wasn't the case with AirTran -- otherwise, they wouldn't need to "merge to survive".

 

[evaready51]

Many of the postings re: Air Tran are complaints about their schedule changes, serious changes like going from day to night or the reverse. You won't have that w/SWA as their schedules are firm. Even though many travelers swear by assigned seats, I think that SWA is a more effidient system and goes a lot faster.

 

[spurk5532]

Southwest doesn't change schedules. So you don't need to worry about customer service.

That being said, Southwest's customer service is fantastic. You don't need to worry about it. 3 years ago we were in California when my stepdad ended up in ICU in NH. One phone call, and my mom was scheduled on the earliest flight back to NH. She was charged about $40 to change things, and I'm honestly not sure why, but the CS rep was very apologetic for charging her, and mom had no qualms about being charged just $40. The difference in flight prices was about $600. A year and a half ago, my dad was in the boarding line when he got the phone call that his father was being removed from life support. He told the gate agent, and within 15 minutes, he had a voucher to rebook his flight at no additional cost, and his luggage in hand, and was on his way to the hospital. Last February, a winter storm marched up the coast at the end of mom's school vacation week. She was in Florida, and while our home airport was not part of the winter weather alert with Southwest, PHL was, and she was connecting there. She called SW, and they quickly rescheduled her, after asking if she still wanted to get home the same day as originally scheduled, or if any day that weekend was good. She had booked the trip a day shorter than she wanted, because of a lack of cheap flights. She told them the next day was fine and ended up on the last non-stop home of the day. So she got a full extra day in FL while the rest of us were without power in 30 degree weather. No extra charge.

I too agree that Southwest has amazing CS. I have cancelled/changed flights so many times without any penalty. As to the seating method I love it especially when flying with children. I love that when I get on I get to pick where I sit. I always try to find a spot that nobody is sitting around so that they people who sit next to me choose to and know that I have children. This gives me more peace of mind and less stress about flying with my ds. oh and the not paying for bags is a huge bonus in my book.

 

[YayDisney!]

From what I've read so far, Airtran will be adapting to the Southwest model and not the other way around. From Southwest's standpoint they see no problem with the way they operate and therefore no need to overhaul or change anything. I am one of those who hope that my base airport (DTW) will inherit the Airtran direct flights to MCO as Southwest discontinued them a few years back. With the full merger only time will tell. This has more to do with obtaining slots into coveted airports than anything else

Couldn't agree more! Our base airport is also DTW and we were so disappointed to see all of Southwests direct flights to Orlando disappear from Detroit, Cleveland AND Columbus (we're centered almost equally between these airports, but we prefer DTW). For that reason, we do not consider Southwest anymore for Orlando since we can still fly direct through Airtran, Delta or Spirit. With a simple 2 hour flight to Orlando, we will never consider a connecting flight. We are also hoping that Southwest revisits the direct flights to Orlando from these airports.