Questions about Airtran

[dtuleya]

Since we are novice flyers, I have a few questions about Airtran and I want to make sure I get my info straight before I book my flight for November.

1. I understand they do not assign seats until you check in, is this correct?

2. How horrible are their lines for checkin and how early (IYHO's) should I arrive before my flight from BWI and MCO?

3. Do they have curbside check-in at either BWI or MCO?

4. Would you fly them again?

TIA!

 

[ncligs]

Here are a few answers for you below....

http://198.65.131.237/showthread.php?s=&threadid=167339

 

[dtuleya]

I read that post again before I posted and it didn't answer any of the questions I had. Thanks anyways.

 

[MulanMom]

We're flying them today out of Philly. They do not assign seats until check-in. There is no curb-side check-in at PHL. I have flown them before out of Allentown (2X) and Philly(1X). We had good experiences except for the lines in Philly. We'll see later today!

Sharon

 

[dtuleya]

bump

 

[dtuleya]

Come on, I know someone out there has flown Airtran before and can answer my questions.

 

[MulanMom]

I'm back. No major problems with AirTran. Mega one with Travelocity. AirTran employees have really gone above and beyond for me this past trip. Was injured on vacation, so the assistance they provided on the return flight was greatly appreciated.

Lines at Philly check-in were not long 2.5 hours before our flight. The MCO line was incredibly huge. I would recommend arriving at least 2.5 hrs before your flight. Though it seems they can be set up for curbside checkin, all checking in had to be done inside the airport.

BTW, the long lines are not limited to Air Tran. I've heard the same complaint about other airlines.

Hope this helps,

Sharon

 

[dtuleya]

Thanks Sharon. I do hope you are ok. What happened with Travelocity? Don't keep me in suspense.

 

[MulanMom]

Hi Denise,

I am OK! Turned my ankle on a curb and got a cracked bone and some torn ligaments. Six weeks of PT and TLC should do the trick to get me back in the pink. Thank you for asking!

As for Travelocity, I've been meaning to post a separate message thread about it, but I want to satisfy your curiousity, too! Short version...I presented my boarding passes, issued by Travelocity in Sept., to Airtran in Philly for my flight on Mar 10th and was told I was nowhere in their system. Despite a 45 minute phone call with Travelocity, they couldn't resolve it. Airtran ticketing agent was trying but Travelocity was stonewalling. I ended up purchasing tickets right there and then, figuring I would straighten the matter out upon my return. Follow-up phone call to Travelocity after returning still yielded no results. There are more irregularities on Travelocity's part. With followup, Airtran has been personable and extremely helpful whereas Travelocity has been an exercise in futility and bureaucratic red tape.

I should add that purchasing at the airport, on the day of the flight, on a Sunday in Spring Break March....was only about $350 more than the entire amount I paid back in Sept. for the same 4 tickets. I really could've been gouged by Airtran but wasn't.

It all might boil down to a bookkeeping error where one computer couldn't talk to another, and I'm not happy having paid twice for tickets and having this headache to deal with once I return home, but there's no excuse with how Travelocity is handling it. They seem to forget I paid *them* for tickets, *they* issued my boarding passes, you would think they'd do a little bit more to straighten this out rather than saying contact their consumer relations department.

Sharon

 

[dtuleya]

This reinforces my fear of booking flights on a site such as Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Expedia, etc. I have used Priceline and Expedia to book hotel rooms, but felt nervous about using them for our flight. Think I'll wait and book right through the site.

Hope you're on the mend!

 

[travelcoupons]

Airtran discounts the fares booked directly on its website by about $5 each way.... another reason to book directly on their website.

 

[dtuleya]

Just checked some rates for October and boy are they sky high!!!!! No pun intended. Anybody know from past history if they run specials frequently? I'd love to fly non-stop, but not for the prices they have listed.

 

[MulanMom]

I would've preferred to book directly with AirTran, both for the further discount on fares and for the ease of only dealing with one entity when problems such as mine occur.

Usually, I've gotten a my choice of times and rates when I've booked as soon as AirTran posted. However, for fall, I've often waited until summertime when there were airfare sales. If you haven't done so already, play around with your dates. Sometimes you'll see the savings then.

Hope you find what you need!

Sharon

 

[MICOL]

We had a flight last year from Boston to Myrtle Beach. We arrived over an hour early and was told at check in the flight was cancelled. They did not give us a reason and said someone was to call me the night before to tell us. Scrambled for over an hour and was able to get a flight to Charlotte from another carrier and had to drive the rest of the way. Never again would I use them NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!