new high in lows for AirTran

[goofy4tink]

I'm adopting a 'wait and see' mentality on this one. I fly AirTran for the first time ever on Wednesday. Thank God I'm alone...nobody else to worry about for my grand experiment. I paid an addtl $20 for my seat...window exit row.
We'll see what I have to say when I get home. You will all be the first to know.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Before SW came to PHL, I flew Airtan regularly. I still fly them or my parents for the right flight times and prices but rarely. The prime reason is that they do frequently change your flight times and routes. Flying them for business works better since those flights are not booked far in advance but about 90% of my personal trip flights were changed (sometimes by only a small time change). The first time we were burned, we found out about the change a few weeks before the flight via an email and we were limited in what we could change to and they arbitrarily assigned seats that were not consistent with what we booked originally. (I found out that the flight changed months prior to my receiving the email.) After that experience, I learned to check on our flights at least two times per week for changes. When the flights would change and I called as soon as I found out, they were very good about accomadating me, but keep in mind, they have several flights out of PHL and other airports only have one or two. Their emails notifiying me of the changed flights always come way after the flight has changed (I think I may have received one shortly after the change) and I had already caught it in my bi-weekly checks. Other than their frequently changing flights and late notice of the changes, I have had no issue with their customer service. For families booking way in advance to secure the times and non-stopflights, it is strongly recommended that you check the flights frequently for changes. If Airtan has limited flights in your airport of choice, book with caution as the flights could be cancelled or changed with limited choices or you. Not all people are SW fans but I have flown close to 50 flights with them over the last 5 years and have had no complaints. Two flights were cancelled because of the weather and they were very accomodating. Now with EBCI, I am happy to pay the $10 to get an early boarding pass. Prior to ECBI, we checked in as close to 24 hours and always were happy with our seats. I also liek to fly SW for their friendly non-penalty flight rebooking/cancellation policies. For people who are not frequent travelers or don't have the time and opportunity to research Airtans' (or any airline) habits, I would also be frustrated as I was the first time I was surprised by the change in flights with a very late notification.

 

[Suellen]

What I think is shady is they list a non stop flight ~ which is ONE of the major reasons I typically book a flight ~ and I pay MORE than the flight that has 2 stops. Then two weeks before my flight I get and email stating the flight has changed and now is leaving two hours later and has two stops?

Yes I can cancel my flight ~ but it is now too late to get another flight from somewhere else at a decent price. The rest of my vacation is already paid for and scheduled around this flight.

I am of the opinion that it was never their intention to fly that nonstop flight ~ but since they know people don't like flights with two stops they list the nonstop ~ get you locked in and then put you on the 2 stop flight anyway.

SHADY!

I don't think we checked in online because we had the non paying infant. For which I waited in line and they "forgot" to tag her ~ which I didn't realize until we had waited in line for TSA and they wouldn't let us through. I had to go back and wait in line again.

I don't know if there were middle seats we could have been in ~ probably but I wouldn't have known that BEFORE getting on the flight. They were too busy being snide about the $6.00 to mention that may have been an option. They just kept saying that since we didn't pay the 6.00 we would have to sit wherever they put us. The had a "too bad" attitude.

 

[Aristocath]

I think the point here is: look at AirTran's business model. One reason they are able to offer lower fares is that they get rid of flights that aren't selling well and consolidate. They won't fly half-empty planes since they lose money. If exact flight times are important to you, you should pay more for a different airline.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What I think is shady is they list a non stop flight ~ which is ONE of the major reasons I typically book a flight ~ and I pay MORE than the flight that has 2 stops. Then two weeks before my flight I get and email stating the flight has changed and now is leaving two hours later and has two stops?

Yes I can cancel my flight ~ but it is now too late to get another flight from somewhere else at a decent price. The rest of my vacation is already paid for and scheduled around this flight.

But do you go online and look at AirTran's existing flights and see if there is one (or more) that will work better for you? Because they changed their flight schedule, they'll let you change your flights at no cost. You can also do what Disneyhappy does - check a couple of times a week starting from when you buy your tickets, and call AirTran when you see a change. They WILL notify you, but they notify passengers in the order affected. They're going to contact passengers departing April 2nd long before they notify passengers departing August 23rd. It just makes sense.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think the point here is: look at AirTran's business model. One reason they are able to offer lower fares is that they get rid of flights that aren't selling well and consolidate. They won't fly half-empty planes since they lose money. If exact flight times are important to you, you should pay more for a different airline.

 

[Suellen]

But do you go online and look at AirTran's existing flights and see if there is one (or more) that will work better for you? Because they changed their flight schedule, they'll let you change your flights at no cost. You can also do what Disneyhappy does - check a couple of times a week starting from when you buy your tickets, and call AirTran when you see a change. They WILL notify you, but they notify passengers in the order affected. They're going to contact passengers departing April 2nd long before they notify passengers departing August 23rd. It just makes sense.

Nope... don't do any of that as a I don't fly them anymore. That has worked really well for me.

 

[NancyIL]

I don't think we checked in online because we had the non paying infant. For which I waited in line and they "forgot" to tag her ~ which I didn't realize until we had waited in line for TSA and they wouldn't let us through. I had to go back and wait in line again.

It's unfortunate that you didn't check-in online up to 24 hours in advance, because you would've been assigned seats at that time. Knowing that you didn't pay for assigned seats in advance, and skipping the online check-in - you got the seats that were left when you arrived at the airport. I'm sorry, but you can't blame AirTran for that situation.

 

[Suellen]

I said I don't think we did. I don't remember.

I DO remember that they treated my and my family like dirt

I DO remember that the flight WAS NOT full.

I DO remember there was no reason to separate other than to PUNISH us for not paying the six dollars.

I DO remember how nasty their attendants at the gate were

I DO remember not knowing the flight wasn't full until we were on the plane

I DO remember them telling me the flight was full and too bad. <-- this was a lie.

I DO remember when I went back to the check in to wait in line again that I asked if the seats were together and was told the could fix it at the gate. <-- obviously this wasn't true.

I DO remember paying a higher rate for a NONSTOP flight.

I DO remember getting an email TWO WEEKS before our trip stating the flight would have two stops that would now get us there 5 hours later.

I DO remember calling about the flights and being given the option of a refund OR a flight that had one stop but left so late at night in got in the next day.

I DO remember that they expected a three year old girl to sit several rows away from any adult she knew.

 

[Inkmahm]

= cancelling their flight arrangements = subject to a $75 cancellation fee.

If I paid $64 for a flight and knew I wasn't going to make the flight, I would be a "no show" also. I would not call to cancel and be charged an additional $11 to let them know I didn't plan to use my reserved seat.

 

[NancyIL]

I said I don't think we did. I don't remember.

IF you had checked in online, you would've been assigned seats at that time. You would've known where you were sitting before you got to the airport. It sounds like you didn't do that.

 

[NancyIL]

If I paid $64 for a flight and knew I wasn't going to make the flight, I would be a "no show" also. I would not call to cancel and be charged an additional $11 to let them know I didn't plan to use my reserved seat.

That's fine - as long as it isn't the first flight of a round-trip itinerary. A no-show on the outbound flight will get your whole itinerary cancelled.

 

[Inkmahm]

That's fine - as long as it isn't the first flight of a round-trip itinerary. A no-show on the outbound flight will get your whole itinerary cancelled.

Obviously.

I didn't get the impression that the poster was talking about a partial ticket but was talking about a single flight.

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.

 

[Inkmahm]

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.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2431687 JetBlue makes changes, too.

 

[toywaltz]

I'm on airtran all the time, mainly because they have a couple direct flights to my usual destinations. I'll take a direct flight on a crappy airline over a connection on most of the others. Biz-class upgrade is highly recommended.

We almost always go Southwest for Disney Cruising because I prefer them and they also have a direct to MCO. It was more expensive than Airtran but I'd rather put my family in the hands of their more experienced crews and better equipment. A few more years and Airtran's equipment will be showing age and I may avoid them all together. Talk to some old valujet pilots about their equipment and you'll know what I'm talking about.

 

[deide71]

I have no interest in flying AirTran - I'm devoted to JetBlue - but thank you for demonstrating through personal experience that AirTran IS customer-oriented.

I feel the need to stick up for Airtran too. Here inn Minnesota we have a teacher conference in October where the kids have a 4 day weekend. Needless to say it is a very popular time to travel. I am treating our family along with some friends of ours to a week in Disney, so I need to purchase 9 flights.

When Airtan came out with their October schedule they had a nonstop from MSP to MCO for $240, which is a fair price. What cinched the deal for me is the promo they were running for gift certificate purchases. For every $100 in gift certificates you purchased you get one A+ (frequent flyer) credit. Since it takes 16 credits for a round trip I purchased $1600 in gift certificates to book the tickets I needed, and used the A+ credits to book one ticket for free. Pretty slick I thought.

Unfortunately about 2 weeks later Airtran decided to suspend all nonstop service from MSP to MCO beginning in May. My flights were changed to 1 stops with poor flight times. When I called to cancel the flights (which they allow without penalty if there is a schedule change) I was informed that they could not refund the money for the $1600 gift certificate I purchased. I was expecting that, and that was the risk I took. I politely asked to speak to supervisor and once they were on the phone I explained the sutuation, my disappointment in the airlines decision to cancel all of their non-stops from MSP to MCO and asked her to please reconsider refunding the money for my gift certificate. After some time on hold while she conferred with another supervisor she informed me that in the name of good customer service they would, indeed, refund me the $1600.

I am not trying to make excuses for them, but after this experience I felt it would not be fair if I didn't give them props when others are cutting their reputation to shreds. I would not hesitate to book with them in the future.

 

[Inkmahm]

I'm on airtran all the time, mainly because they have a couple direct flights to my usual destinations. I'll take a direct flight on a crappy airline over a connection on most of the others. Biz-class upgrade is highly recommended.

We almost always go Southwest for Disney Cruising because I prefer them and they also have a direct to MCO. It was more expensive than Airtran but I'd rather put my family in the hands of their more experienced crews and better equipment. A few more years and Airtran's equipment will be showing age and I may avoid them all together. Talk to some old valujet pilots about their equipment and you'll know what I'm talking about.

And here I thought it was Southwest that was in trouble for safety issues just a couple years ago. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/04/02/southwest.faa.inspection/index.html It's one of the reasons I have NOT flown Southwest but choose Airtran instead.

 

[toywaltz]

And here I thought it was Southwest that was in trouble for safety issues just a couple years ago. It's one of the reasons I have NOT flown Southwest but choose Airtran instead.

I've been flying my own plane for years and know aircraft maintenance and the industry pretty well. The Southwest inspection issues didn't concern me much. Now if you want to scare me.....stick me on one of these regional carriers with a couple low-time pilots running on 4 hours sleep.

I would certainly hope Airtran doesn't have the same maintenance policies from their Valujet days. 100+ emergency landings, a crash, and a grounding in 12 months....well lets just say that's a record. It's still in the back of my mind as their planes age.

 

[Inkmahm]

I've been flying my own plane for years and know aircraft maintenance and the industry pretty well. The Southwest inspection issues didn't concern me much. Now if you want to scare me.....stick me on one of these regional carriers with a couple low-time pilots running on 4 hours sleep.

I would certainly hope Airtran doesn't have the same maintenance policies from their Valujet days. 100+ emergency landings, a crash, and a grounding in 12 months....well lets just say that's a record. It's still in the back of my mind as their planes age.

Really? All the SW maintenance issues don't bother you at all? Why not?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2273440

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125167359024470771.html

"The Federal Aviation Administration's discovery of a significant maintenance lapse at Southwest Airlines Co. -- unauthorized parts used for up to three years on 82 planes -- presents a vexing policy question for the agency."

It seems it's just one thing after another with Southwest and maintenance issues. A fuselage that rips open in mid-flight, a $7.5 million fine by the FAA for massively cheating on regular maintenance, and now this.

Maintenance is definitely not the type of cost cutting that should be happening!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2229298

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1745671

I am appalled...I love Southwest. I am putting myself and my child on a SWA plane tomorrow night.

http://www.cnn.com:80/2008/US/03/06/southwest.planes/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- -- Discount air carrier Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft that federal inspectors said were "unsafe" as recently as last March, according to detailed congressional documents obtained by CNN.

...The planes were "not airworthy," according to congressional air safety investigators.

...According to statements made by one of the FAA inspectors seeking whistle-blower status, a manager at the FAA "permitted the operation of these unsafe aircraft in a matter that would provide relief" to the airline, even though customers were on board.

...An FAA inspector at a Southwest Airlines maintenance facility spotted a fuselage crack on one of the airline's 737s last year, according to the congressional documents. He notified the airline and then began looking through safety records, discovering dozens of planes that had missed mandatory inspection deadlines.

According to the inspector's statement in congressional documents: "Southwest Airlines at the time of discovery did not take immediate, corrective action as required to address this unsafe condition and continued to fly the affected aircraft with paying passengers."

-- This makes me literally ill.

 

[Alexander]

I just can't believe how mean people here on Disboards are.

Okay, I'll say it.....There's no pixie dust on the transportation board!