new high in lows for AirTran

[tj4disney]

Originally scheduled direct flights to and from MCO on AirTran. Was notified a few weeks ago they were removing the direct return flight and replacing with a 1-stop. Ok, that stinks, but hey, this is AirTran.

Then two days ago they replace that with a 2-stop layover that gets in too late (kids have school the next day, plus a myriad of other issues).

They offered to move up or back a day, or refund...none of which are acceptable. So am considering returning to a different airport and renting a car for a 3 hour drive, which would cost me an additional $160.

Guess how happy I am about this whole thing?

After this trip, adios AirTran. I'm not falling for the good ol' bait-and-switch again.

 

[krisces]

Originally scheduled direct flights to and from MCO on AirTran. Was notified a few weeks ago they were removing the direct return flight and replacing with a 1-stop. Ok, that stinks, but hey, this is AirTran.

Then two days ago they replace that with a 2-stop layover that gets in too late (kids have school the next day, plus a myriad of other issues).

They offered to move up or back a day, or refund...none of which are acceptable. So am considering returning to a different airport and renting a car for a 3 hour drive, which would cost me an additional $160.

Guess how happy I am about this whole thing?

After this trip, adios AirTran. I'm not falling for the good ol' bait-and-switch again.

This is why I do not fly AirTran! I am so sorry that they did this to you!

 

[connie1042]

They did this to us for our Oct trip out of Minneapolis. We are waiting for SunCountry to come out with flights. None of their flights are good times. After spending a week in WDW, I really do not want to get up at 3 am to get on ME, and have a 7 hour flight,with 2 little ones, when it should take ony3 1/2 hours. We have not done anything yet, Still weighing our options.

 

[MagicKingdom05]

This is why I'm so happy that Southwest had $79 each way fares out of Chicago for our September trip. It not only saved us $140, it also saved us the issues about the routes being changed.

 

[maxiesmom]

It is not a bait and switch. If you read the Contract of Carriage all you are guaranteed when you buy your ticket is transportation from point A to point B.

Air Tran is not alone in changing flights, my non-stop flight on Delta vanished. No airline is going to show any mercy to flights that are not full enough to suit them. When they are all struggling to survive it makes great business sense to fly as few planes as possible.

I actually love Air Tran. They are a no nonsense airline, which I really like. Plus they have XM Radio on their planes.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

It is not a bait and switch. If you read the Contract of Carriage all you are guaranteed when you buy your ticket is transportation from point A to point B.

...on the given day, with no guarantees to specific seat (outside of class purchased).

If more people read what they were buying and their rights I think most of these posts would be non-existant. Sure, it's disappointing, but it's not a bait and switch, it's not misrepresentation, or similar.

 

[tj4disney]

Actually, what it is is a really bad business practice. While not isolated to AirTran, it's abundantly clear that this is a regular business practice for them. That is, if other airlines change up x% of their schedules, AirTran is more like 10x. (or whatever multiple you want to come up with)

So, they can exercise their rights all they want. That in turn, will lead me to exercise my right not to fly with them in the future, and to warn others of AirTran's propensity to exercise their rights.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

So, they can exercise their rights all they want. That in turn, will lead me to exercise my right not to fly with them in the future, and to warn others of AirTran's propensity to exercise their rights.

That is the benefit of having a competetive market landscape. You as a consumer need to take a look at the total picture, find the values that are important to you in making a purchase. For many (especially on DIS) price is the leading indicator for air travel, followed by times/convenience, airline, etc. For others, it may be airline followed by time/convenience and then price.

Just remember to always look at the total picture, what Air Tran has a negative in the sense of multiple schedule changes often results in them being able to offer lower fares because they use adjustments to handle capacity can also be a positive because of the lower prices and their very generous refund/change policy.

 

[Suellen]

Originally scheduled direct flights to and from MCO on AirTran. Was notified a few weeks ago they were removing the direct return flight and replacing with a 1-stop. Ok, that stinks, but hey, this is AirTran.

Then two days ago they replace that with a 2-stop layover that gets in too late (kids have school the next day, plus a myriad of other issues).

They offered to move up or back a day, or refund...none of which are acceptable. So am considering returning to a different airport and renting a car for a 3 hour drive, which would cost me an additional $160.

Guess how happy I am about this whole thing?

After this trip, adios AirTran. I'm not falling for the good ol' bait-and-switch again.

I don't fly Airtran this is ONE reason. This one I MAY be able to live with. But the WORSE thing??

When I checked in me, dh, dd1, my mom, dd2(lap child) only to find out all four PAID for seats were all over the plane without two together. Yeah, DD at the time was THREE. I pointed out that I would need to sit with my child and they said "Sorry ~ you had the option to pay $6.00 to pick your seat and you didn't" Well no I didn't because I thought that was "I want a window seat" "I want an exit row" etc.... not ~ I want to sit next to my THREE year old ticketed child that you were AWARE of her age.

The claimed there was nothing they could do and we would just have to live with it and "maybe next time you will pay the $6.00" OKay fine. If you sit her next to some pervert and he touches her ~ I am going to get a lawyer and sue you.

Lo and behold ~ they easily found us two seats together.

Never, never, never again.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Never, never, never again.

Absolutely. Never again will you presume to know what 'select your seats in advance' at any cost means. Also, while the "pervert / lawyer / sue you" threat worked this one time, don't EVER try it again. Did you even TRY on your OWN to resolve the situation - not by threatening the airline, but by maybe asking someone to change seats with you???? And "pervert"??? Really?????? Because you didn't take the time to find out why you might want to preselect your seat, does that really automatically make every person next to every empty seat a potential pervert?

Why in the WORLD do you assume that simply because YOU failed to educate yourself regarding what selecting your seats in advance entailed that it's the airline's fault or responsibility in ANY way?? Respectfully, even after seeing the option to preselect your seats, after buying your tickets... the Transportation forum has been here on the DIS longer than I have, and while (as you can see) there's little, if any, pixie dust, it's FULL of helpful, knowledgeble advice. You - anyone - could have come here even after paying for the tickets and asked, and you would have been advised by a number of posters to turn right around and pay to choose your seats, right then. You'd have also be prewarned of the consequences of NOT doing that - instead of finding out on the plane.

 

[Suellen]

Yeah... no I didn't head to Disboards to check my seats. I think it seems quite logical that they wouldn't seat a 3 year old by herself on the plane since they aren't allowed to fly ALONE.

And the snotty "You should have paid the $6.00" from several employees was what really tipped it over the edge for me.

And I was not getting on that plane and "hoping" to find someone who would switch seats with me.

Clearly NOT every potential seat mate is a pervert ~ but I don't know that they are not.

Seriously ~ who expects to buy a seat for themselves and their child and be separated for a 3.5 hour flight.

I had no reason to think we wouldn't be sitting together... so WHY would I research it?

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

This is also why I don't fly airtran. They suck. All of the nickle and dime charges, the changing and canceling of flights, and the charge to change reservations is not worth the low prices. I paid like 64 bucks for a flight once, decided I didn't need it, and they tried to charge me money to cancel it. They wanted 11 dollars from me. I wasn't expecting my money back that I paid, I was simply giving them the chance to rebook my seat. So I told them nevermind and just didn't show up. I will never fly with them again.

Sure, they might be doing what they need to in order to save money, but how much money will it save them when they lose their regular customers. Thats the nice thing about flying, there are other planes to fly on. I'm a Southwest girl now, thats for sure!

 

[Suellen]

It actually winds up saving NO MONEY anyway over JetBlue here in our market.

Free Bag, Free "sit next to your 3 year old"

If I had to pay another $6 per person for each leg of the flight ~ let's see that is 4 legs at $6 = $24 x 5 passengers = $120 Then another (25? per bag) x 3 bags $75 now I am paying almost another $200 on top of the flight. JetBlue is just cheaper.

We have also never had Jetblue change our flight from nonstop to having stops that extend flying times by 6 hours. Not once.

Heck our TV was out for one leg of the flight that was like 45 minutes long and they sent us a gift check for 15$ per seat! We didn't even say anything about it. The stewardess just came by and wrote down our seat numbers and when I got home I had an email waiting.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah... no I didn't head to Disboards to check my seats. I think it seems quite logical that they wouldn't seat a 3 year old by herself on the plane since they aren't allowed to fly ALONE.

She wouldn't be alone on the plane. You would be on the plane with her. It's an entirely closed, pressure-sealed environment. You just wouldn't be inches away from her.

And the snotty "You should have paid the $6.00" from several employees was what really tipped it over the edge for me.

May have been snotty; may have been frustration; tone may have been in response to a tone you were unaware you were using in YOUR frustration.

And I was not getting on that plane and "hoping" to find someone who would switch seats with me.

That's often the solution offered by airlines that provide advance seat selection but, for a variety of reasons - computer glitch/error, equipment change, schedule change - passengers check in to find their seat assignments changed or nonexistent. Frequently, an adult passengers simply asking other passengers for help - especially when being able to offer a better seat - is successful.

Clearly NOT every potential seat mate is a pervert ~ but I don't know that they are not.

Yep. I think there've been what -two? three? - in the news in the last three or four years, out of all the thousands of passengers on all the thousands of flights every day in just this country?

Seriously ~ who expects to buy a seat for themselves and their child and be separated for a 3.5 hour flight.

I had no reason to think we wouldn't be sitting together... so WHY would I research it?

I don't know if you'd ever flown before, but seriously - I don't know anyone who WOULD expect to sit with other members of their party, of ANY age, without preselecting specific seats when given the opportunity.

These are simply the realities of air travel. I've never used AirTran and don't see any immediate plans to do so - but it's not reasonable to find fault with the airline in this case, especially when they ultimately DID give in to your demands.

 

[Suellen]

Well we have flown many times ~ this was not my first flight. We flew only Southwest for a long, long time. But they are far away and adding an extra two hours in the car onto an already long day doesn't "always" work with two small children. I never preselected a seat there and have always, always sat with my party.

We flew PanAm and didn't preselect flights and we sat all together.

As a matter of fact Jetblue was the first airline I have flown in say 15 years that HAD preassigned flights. So honestly I never thought anything of it.


Maybe there have only been two or three cases reported that doesn't mean it doesn't happen more often. And unfortunately no I can't be SURE that the one time I let my kid sit 20 rows away from on the plane alone next to some stranger isn't going to be one of those times. Sorry ~ I just wouldn't risk scarring my child for life.

And they only moved us after talking with several people. And no at first I wasn't upset as I thought it was a mistake ~ I only became upset when they made me out to be a bad parent for not paying the $6 ~ which really would have been ummmm $6 for mine, $6 for hers and for two legs. If I'd expected to not be sat with her I would have paid or simply not flown them. As I haven't again.

Not to mention that they lost our stroller that was gate checked and when we did receive it back it was damaged. Three days after they promised we would have it back.

So yeah... they suck. I'll pay extra.

 

[goofy4tink]

I just bought AirTran for my flight home to Mass from Florida. They were the cheapest flight at the time I needed to fly. I bought the flight a week ago...so just a bit more than a week out before flying..about 10 days actually.
In any case...it is pretty clear, when booking, that there are catagories for various things. If you want to choose your seat ahead of time, you click on that. If you click on each catagory it does tell you what each one really means. The cheapest flight, when clicked on, will tell you that seats will be assigned at the gate. This would lead one to believe that they may not get the seating they need.
I am flying solo so really don't have much issue. But...I really do need a bit more leg room..so had to pay an addtl $20 to get an exit row seat. I could have paid $6 and just chosen any old seat, or paid $13 for a slightly better seat. I went with a window exit seat, and it cost me $20. I was sure to look into what each catagory meant.
It is never wise to make assumptions when flying...especially with kids. Sure, you get to choose seats when flying SW...as you board. But, everyone is on the same level playing field. Everyone is choosing their seats. When flying AirTran, you are going to face having to take leftover seats when you don't pay extra for specific seats. It just isn't fair to assume you'll get to sit with certain people when others have already paid extra for their seats. There is no way I am going to give up my seat, that I paid extra for, to someone who chose to not pay extra and who hoped that someone would give their seat up so as to be able to be seated with their child. That just isn't fair.

Let's try to remember that everyone sometimes makes an error when booking airfare. Unfortunately, sometimes they are errors that cost. Let's not try to make someone feel stupid for not understanding how it works. I knew, going in, that my flight could very well change when booking with AirTran. BUT...I also assume that is going to happen with Delta and Jetblue as well...it has and will happen again.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well we have flown many times ~ this was not my first flight. We flew only Southwest for a long, long time. But they are far away and adding an extra two hours in the car onto an already long day doesn't "always" work with two small children. I never preselected a seat there and have always, always sat with my party.

That's Southwest's business model. Nobody preselects seats. If enough people start paying for early bird check in, that will likely affect later passengers' abilities to be seated together. That wouldn't be an issue for a family with small children, since, even in relation to Orlando, a parent would be allowed to board with a child (usually) four and under between the A and B boarding groups. Extended family - i.e. a grandparent - would still have to board with their proper group.

We flew PanAm and didn't preselect flights and we sat all together.

I'm relatively certain PanAm is once again defunct. If not, at the VERY least, they pulled out of their very short stay in Portsmouth several years ago.

And they only moved us after talking with several people.

Mm, yes. They probably talked with several passengers who had paid in advance to select their seats and so were reluctant, or apparently entirely unwilling, to give up the seats for which they'd paid extra.

 

[Alexander]

I have flown with my kids since they were infants. The oldest is 12 now. I have never in all of our flights (at least 4/year) had to enter the age of my children. So to assume Airtran knew you had a 3 y/o who was sitting alone, is not a valid arguement. You really need to do your homework when you are booking flights for a family. If you don't pre-select your seats, you are at the mercy of the airline to put you where ever they want to. You were very lucky that they were able to get you together. Honestly, if I had paid for my pre-selected seats, I would not have given them up. Someone was gracious enough to agree to be reseated because of your failure to pre-select your seats.

 

[PlanningNextTrip]

To the OP, I am sorry that this happened to you. I will be traveling with my son who will be 3yo in the fall, and I would also fully expect that if I didn't preselect my seats, that they would seat him and I together. I would NEVER board a plane that he was not sitting beside me, not only is it inconvenient to me and my son, but how horrible would it be for the person that is seated next to my son?!?
When I have booked flights, they do ask for birthdates, now Im not sure if thats because we are Canadian, but we fly out of detroit, so I would imagine that everyone would input birth dates.

OP, we will be flying Southwest now as well, there are just too many inconveniences with AirTran these days, and they have almost doubled their prices from last year.

 

[maxiesmom]

To the OP, I am sorry that this happened to you. I will be traveling with my son who will be 3yo in the fall, and I would also fully expect that if I didn't preselect my seats, that they would seat him and I together.

That would be a huge mistake. Many airlines are now charging for seating, which means that if you are flying one of those airlines, and your family wants to sit together, you need to pay for your seats. It doesn't matter how old the children are.

At the very least this should all serve as a warning that people need to read thru everything when they are buying airline tickets, so they are aware of exactly what they are buying. If you just skim thru and don't catch the fact that the airline you booked with charges for seat assignments, then you only have yourself to blame if your family is split up. Know what you are buying.