not at all happy with Air Tran...need help :(

[DebbieB]

Duds,
Okay since I am confused on Airtran's policy I did some research and I never knew you had to pay more to get a advance seat assignment versus paying the lower fare and getting a seat at the 24 hour mark. This is very weird to me and I guess that is why I stick to Delta and United. Thanks for the information.

Rex

But then Delta and United keep changing your seat assignments. You see post after post on this board with people complaining that the seats were changed and they were not seated together anymore. By holding most seat assignments until 24 hours before, they don't have the issue of changing seat assignments when the schedule and aircraft type change.

 

[princess crazy]

If the OP purchased their tickets through Disney they are paper tickets and they will not get you seats ahead of time. I know because we are flying Airtran and I have already tried this. Believe me I am very upset that Disney won't do this for us because we want to sit with our DD as well. I even told them that Airtrans website says that if a travel co. books your tics for you that you can get your seats assigned ahead of time and they told me that they couldn't do this for Airtran or Spirit flights. Their system does'nt allow them to do it??? I am going to call back and try with another CM because we have always been able to do the 24 hr checkin online but with the paper tickets you can't do that either so you are just stuck.

If anyone who has purchased tics through Disney that has flown Airtran and has been able to get them to assign your seats please let us know how they did it for you. This would probably help alot of us. I'll post back here if I am able to get them to do it for our flight but I sincerely doubt it will happen.

 

[yellowfish78]

Sometimes if you give Airtran your ticket numbers (from the e-tickets that disney sends you) they might assign seats.
I have problems with this too...apparently Disney's contract with Airtran does not allow seat assignments to be made in advance.
But also think about it this way, if you can't get seat assignments, ALOT of other people can't get seat assignments too...

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you know ahead of time that you aren't seated together you should get to the airport early. By getting the cheaper tickets you are "gambling" that when it comes time for the seat assignments you will all be together.

Exactly. If I plan in advance, or pay a premium ticket price, or are assigned a desirable seat because I am an elite member of an airline's FF program, then I am not going to change seats with someone else. That is certainly my right. Feeling this way is in no way a criticism of anyone else - feel free to change seats with whomever you please.

Especially when it comes to the airlines. For some reason, they get bent out of shape when someone takes issue with or has an opinion about airlines.

Criticize airlines all you please. The point of those here with opposing opinions is that sometimes everyone in a party cannot sit together and no one should be forced to move from an assigned seat to accomodate someone else if they don't want to. This issue has nothing to do with any particular airline.

 

[slbeaute]

Just a word of advice I thought was funny. I saw someone post that this had happened to her, a man not wanting to give up his seat so she could sit with her children. She said she pointed out the air sick bags and told her kids the nice man would help them when they got sick or something like that. She let him know they both tended to get very air sick. The man was promptly out of his seat! We are flying Airtran too with DD3 from DFW. We plan on checking in 24 hours in advance and am hoping not to have any trouble. If so, I fully plan on using the air sick bag technique!

 

[keishashadow]

Just a secondary thought...if you don't mind sitting near the back of the plan, you really shouldn't have a problem getting seats together if you check-in prior to arrival.

 

[CarolA]

I used to fly every week. In all that time I can count on one hand instances where the kids were seperated from a parent. One was a non -rev (airline employee) who was thrilled just to get her kids on the plane. They were probably 7 and 9. She stuck them in those middle seats and threatened them within an inch of thier lives if they misbehaved. People volunteered to change and she said no. Those kids were angels!!! The other instances have been on SW where mom and dad came wandering onto the plane just as the slammed the door and then "rudely" expected whole rows to rearrange for them... (No, they hadn't had tight connections... they just thought they were "special" LOL!)

There are a lot of things that happen at the airport that change seating anyway. Exit row seats are released and folks move into them freeing seats. Frequent flyers are upgraded or on Airtran folks pay for the upgrade freeing up seats etc....

Now if you wander up the gate on ANY airline 5 minutes before it's pulling out ALL bets are off even if you were originally assigned seats. (And if like me you get to spend a lot of time in airports, you see a lot of this.. "We just stopped for snacks" So get there when they tell you to. I have actually seen the door closed while one man was yelling at them to "wait, I just need a few things from the gift shop" He went to the gift shop and SW took off.... He REALLY believed that shouting at them that he would be right there as he went in would get them to hold the plane for him LOL!)

 

[safetymom]

I am sorry but if someone tried that airbag thing on me I would tell the parent the child is on his own.

 

[LisaS]

My mom recently flew to MCO on AirTran. She is 86 and is not an experienced traveler and has only flown by herself one other time about seven years ago. She told me she would feel less nervous about the flight if she could sit as close to the front of the plane as possible so I paid several hundred dollars extra for her ticket just so I could select her seat at time of purchase. Reading these posts, I am feeling relieved that nobody tried the air sickness bag trick on her to try to get her to give up that seat that cost me so dearly! I had no idea people would do something like that. If people need different seat assignments, why don't they ask the airline to sort it out rather than try to intimidate their fellow passengers?

 

[Pooh&Piglet too]

Ok, I can't help but pipe in here ~~~

My experience is not with travel to Disney, but it is with traveling with small children (4 and 2).

I went on-line to book my tickets and get my seat assignments. The flights to FL had connecting flights, so four legs all together, three of which our seats were separated, close but separated. For me, this wasn't acceptable at all. So I called the airline to get our seats together. They said they couldn't help and I *had* to do it at the gate.

Once I got to the gates, I didn't have any problems with my first leg and tried to get the second leg fixed. They were able to fix it for me. However, they couldn't do the two return legs. I was told I'd have to do it at check-in.

So return check-in time comes. First return leg, no problem. Second return leg had to be done at the second leg's check-in counter. When I get there, I was told they had just assigned it to someone!!! Now remember, I tried at booking on-line, I called after booking and I had asked at each check-in section prior to this leg to get the seats changed! I was told at the last leg's check-in that they hold seats for those that don't have seat assignments when they check-in!

So to all of those who say they shouldn't have to give up their seats, no you shouldn't. However, when someone is trying and has tried desparately to get seats together the airlines should do everything possible to make it happen. Especially when they have rules that no child under the age of 12 can travel without an adult.

The seats they were holding were isle seats, too!

 

[Pooh&Piglet too]

When asking someone to move how do you know that they don't have a reason for wanting that seat?

If you know ahead of time that you aren't seated together you should get to the airport early. By getting the cheaper tickets you are "gambling" that when it comes time for the seat assignments you will all be together.

*Most times*they've requested an isle seat for the leg room and this can be done with bulkhead seating, emergency row seating or for that matter FIRST CLASS seating. This *almost* always makes it so there is an empty middle seat, creating booking problems for the rest of the flying world.

In my case, see above, I tried endlessly to get our seats together. I didn't purchase the cheaper seats and I don't feel that I was "gambling" on our seat assignments. IMO it is an incorrect assumption that the cheaper seats are gambles.

 

[nurseypoo5]

wow i had no idea so many had such strong opinions

Well since we all know everything is all about me here's a question. Am i to understand that since i bought thru disney that I CAN NOT call 24 hours in advance to get my seat assignment? Am i at the mercy of whats left over when i get to the airport? My flight leaves at 5:30 and i cant imagine having to get there any earlier than 3:30....surely the airport is less crowded during those hours anyway.

any imput?

 

[keishashadow]

If the stars are alligned properly you might make your flight .

Seriously, are you driving a rental back to airport (need to drop off car whether QS/EA or other quick return programs - otherwise it's off to the counter for you)?

Do you have to check your own luggage?

You would not believe the security line @ MCO - scary long. Only time it's been decent was after 6:00 p.m. - late a.m./early p.m. seems the worst to me.

We get there early & grab a bite to eat. I keep teasing DH that I can't wait to use ME because they leave later than we do. Good luck.

wow i had no idea so many had such strong opinions

Well since we all know everything is all about me here's a question. Am i to understand that since i bought thru disney that I CAN NOT call 24 hours in advance to get my seat assignment? Am i at the mercy of whats left over when i get to the airport? My flight leaves at 5:30 and i cant imagine having to get there any earlier than 3:30....surely the airport is less crowded during those hours anyway.

any imput?

 

[ameraumi]

You would not believe the security line @ MCO - scary long. Only time it's been decent was after 6:00 p.m. - late a.m./early p.m. seems the worst to me.

We had no line what so ever for our 8:30 pm flight. ME got us there 2 hours before the flight, so around 6:30pm. Checked right in with Airtran, took a whole 2 minutes to get our bags checked (no line there). Walked right to security, and they were fighting over who would take us. I keep hearing about how bad he lines are, but I guess it depends on who you fly with and what side the gate is on.

 

[CarolA]

The last few times I have had early morning flights out of MCO they have been a nightmare.

Safetymom and Ducklite who fly out of there almost weekly have both reported HORRID security lines at ALL days/times. There is NOT a ryhme or reason that the TSA has chosen to share with us as to WHEN they will decide to not be fully staffed or when they will just be running INCREDIBLY slow...

There are SUPPOSE to be changes being implemented that will address this mess. However, since they couldn't handle mid week crowds on non holiday weeks at MCO I am very afraid that the summer crowds may just bring them to thier knees. If you are traveling at prime business travel time (Sunday pm/Monday am/ Thur PM/Fri PM) or prime cruise change over time (Sun AM) give yourself LOTS of time. (SunPM is also prime time for vaction folks "streching" those last few hours)

I actually think as a general rule the AirTran end of the terminal will be better. The big carriers there are SW and DL. If you are flying them plan on LINES!!!