Southwest & Airtran..same amount and same times..which would you pick? Need help ASAP

[dvcfamily41801]

We just switched our trip for April from Hilton Head to WDW and decided to fly instead of drive. I checked SW and Airtran and have the same times and it is $530.70 RT for 3 of us.

I just don't understand all the "choices" on SW. Why wouldn't everyone choose the lowest which is the promotional fare or am I missing something? I know that Airtran will not refund if price goes down, which I am pretty excited with these fares.

Just looking for opinions on which airline you would choose. I am trying to book tonight, so any info would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you!!!!

 

[CarolA]

.Are both flights non stop? If not, where do you connect? That can make a difference.


I will sometimes pick other options then the lowest if I am traveling on business and know the flight arrangements may have to change. Plus SW also shows all options and sometimes you will see not avaialble by the lowest fare so you have to go up one.

 

[palmtreegirl]

We flew AirTran this last trip and it was great. With their discount fares you don't get pre-assigned seating but you can go online 24 hours before and pick your seats and print your boarding passes, this was very convient.

My parents flew Southwest and hated the cattle call boarding, they said people were lining up at the gate a hour before just to get a good seat.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We have flown with both, and they were both fine. I am not an expert on either airline, but it seems to me SW has the best customer service, and if prices go down they will adjust accordingly. If you are flying with kids, SW should not be a problem because they allow people with young children to preboard. A plus IMO.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

I just called Southwest and checked the preboard procedure. Its 4 years and under and Matt is 5. I am just nervous about its a 7am flight so I did not know what to expect so early in the am. On the way home its a 7pm so checking in online early is much easier.

Ugh...such a decision.

 

[Traveliz]

Hmm well I only have Airtran and I like them alot - especially now that you can get your seats assigned online 24 hours in advance. I haven't bothered to do it for the return trip from Disney but I have also had no problems getting us all seated together going home.

I also like that if you connect in Atlanta all the Airtran gates are right together so its just a few steps from one flight to another and there are several bathrooms/food choices right there.

Liz

 

[rkmassa]

We also like Airtran. I think if you sign up with their frequent flyer program it takes 4 round trip tickets to earn a free flight. The people from Airtran that we have encountered have been very helpful and friendly. We flew home during the snow storm in Dec. and all the employees were as nice as could be, even with people screaming and crying about missed flights. Choosing seats 24 hours before and printing boarding passes is great too. We actually forgot to do this. I remembered only 12 hours before our flight. When I went to the web site to choose seats, all that came up were business class. The flight had been oversold, so we got to sit in business class for no extra charge. It was very nice. You can also up grade to business class at checkin for an extra 35.00 (flying out of Kansas City) on a space available basis. I saw lots of people doing this.

I have heard horror stories about the cattle call they call boarding at SW. I would not fly with them for that reason.

 

[Brian Noble]

I would fly airtran, but mainly because I *detest* SW's boarding procedures. When on vacation, I don't need the hassle of thinking about keeping my brood together, even though it is overwhelmingly likely that it will all turn out fine. Even if southwest were less expensive than comparable flights, but as we have direct flights on Spirit for the same or better fares, I never even have to worry about them.

My uncle has a vacation place in orlando, and flies flint/MCO all the time on AirTran. He recommends them.

 

[goofyforlife]

SW does have the best customer service. The will let you change flights with no penelties (up to 14 days prior). And if price goes down, will not just give you credit. (they gave us our money back on our CC).

We've checked-in online the last two trips down which gave us "A" boarding passes and we've always sat in the first 5 rows. (I travel better forward of the wings)

 

[helenk]

I've never used SW before (we have booked them for our cruise this April) but I have flown Airtran. We did get very good service, but the one thing I do not like about them is that they are constantly changing their flight times (more that Usair ever did).
You really have to watch their website, as it seems that they do not notify you until you are close to your date to leave. They changed the time for our return trip to over 2 hours earlier. I saw the change, we did not get an e-mail. They were very easy to deal with, we actually ended up changing our return trip to a day later, without a penalty fee, but it is frustrating to have them change things so often.
From what I understand about SW, is that once they have a flight posted the time does not change. Also, if the price of your tickets go down, SW will give you a credit or voucher whereas Airtran does not.

 

[bigsis1970]

i would use SW over Airtran anyday .. Airtran's Customer Service is BAD .. they don't even notify you of schedule changes !!! I am a single mom and have flown SW twice with my kids both over age 5 and it was fine .. we got seats together with an A boarding pass. yea the cattle thing is not the best thing ever done but oh well.. plus i like that they will give you $$ or credit back when they have a sale .. good luck Michelle

 

[justhat]

I would definitely choose Airtran. Their customer service with us has been nothing but excellent. We missed our return flight from Ft. Lauderdale to DC on 1/2/05 because the cruise ship we were on (ugh, Princess, never again) had trouble with customs and we weren't allowed off of the ship. They told us any flight after 10am was fine, so ours was 10:30, but we couldn't get off the ship till after 9:30 because of this customs thing so we didn't get till the airport till 10:10am so of course we missed the flight (we had checked in online and gotten seats, but we just couldnt' get the bags checked and get through security in time). This was totally not Airtran's fault but they gave us a refund for the return flight since there were no other flights out of that airport on any airline till Thursday (this was a Sunday morning). We had to rent a car and drive to Orlando for a SW flight to Baltimore the next morning and Airtran was very helpful and courteous and gave us a credit for a future flight (which we've already used for our April trip to SC, GA, and WDW!). We have had our price go down on SW many times and have gotten a credit from them, but have NEVER gotten a refund on our credit card. This has happened everytime we have booked with SW and everytime we ask for a refund and have never gotten it.

We have also used their 'upgrade to business class' option ($25 when we did it) and it was very nice. Being able to choose seats is wonderful too, as is the 24 hour check in, not just 12:01am the day of the flight. The SW flight we took from Orlando on 1/3 was at 6:30am. We stayed in that Hyatt at the airport and were checked in for our flight by 5:20am and got B boarding passes. We were right there and got that so I can only imagine that everyone else stayed up till 12:01am to check in online or got to the airport super early since all the A passes were gone 70 minutes before the flight (and the flight was only 2/3 filled). We would have checked in online but were way too tired, especially knowing we had to get up at 5, to stay up till midnight.

We had to go through special security since we bought one way tickets the day before the flight and as such we didn't get to the gate until 6:10, 20 minutes before the flight. By this time, everyone had already boarded and we were literally the last people to get on. We needed a window seat for my daughter's carseat so the only seat available was the last row of the plane, which doesn't recline and makes it tough to install the carseat. The SW flight attendant was very rude and kept telling us we should have gotten there earlier to preboard. The last time we flew SW (to Las Vegas in October because we had leftover money that was going to expire) they only allowed kids under 2 with a carseat to preboard. Not a problem for us since my daughter qualified, but if she were 3 I would have been worried about getting seats together, especially since every seat on the flight was full.

We would still use SW if they had much cheaper rates, but otherwise we choose other airlines. Oh, and Airtran has never changed our flight times. I have heard that form others on this board, but never a problem for us so don't think it will always happen.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Wow...thanks for all of your input. I am still so undecided. Eachtime I think I have my mind made up, I read something that makes me think (Airtran changing flight times...SW check in) about switching to the other.

I know this is so silly, I have heard nothing but great things about SW (besides the boarding issue) and the Airtran comments are mostly positive. I am just thinking that these 2 carriers may be our only option in the near future for direct flights from Philadelphia.

I think I should just toss a coin.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[skiwee1]

We have flown both and I would go with Airtran. They have great customer service, offering me a full refund for a 30 minute change in flight time, a full refund for a last minute cancellation, and the crew has always been friendly and on time. I love that you can chose your seats 24 in advance of your flight which is very important if you want to sit with your kids! SW is a cattle call and the planes are all much older then Airtran. Airtran has the newest planes of all the airlines now. I go with Airtran even if it were more money then SW!

 

[sflinch]

I have a sister that is physically disabled, she is in a wheelchair. I know how SW is, with folks with disabilites (very helpful). Can anyone give me feedback on Airtran for passengers with disabilities. We are flying the end of March, and right now, the better fare is with Airtran. My sister needs her wheelchair, to get to her seat. So being up front of the plane is most preferred for her.
Thanks.

 

[DebbieB]

A coworker and his wife flew from Pittsburgh to San Francisco (via Atlanta) on Air Tran last year. They used free tickets from a trip to Miami that they got bumped on. On the return trip from SFO, Air Tran had to cancel the flight and put them on United through Chicago and got home about the same time. Air Tran sent them 2 more free tickets!

 

[Taja]

All things being equal (non-stop or stops with no changes), it really is a matter of personal preference. I haven't had the opportunity to fly AirTran, but I've heard a lot of good things about it.

I am a frequent flyer on Southwest, since PHX (Phoenix Sky Harbor International) is one of their hubs. It is bare bones. There is no entertainment. On my five-hour fllights to MCO, we were served drinks and snacks twice (they provide that information online). Snacks usually are a tiny bag of peanuts. Soft drinks, juice, coffee (not sure if tea is available, but probably is) and water is served at no cost. There is a charge for alcoholic beverages. They encourage you to bring your own food on board. For a long flight, I bring some snacks that aren't messy. Not necessarily healthy, but not messy!

The plus side: I have had to reschedule and even cancel flights so many times and they never have charged a fee for it. If you change your flight and there is a difference in fare, they will charge you or refund the difference (refund up to 14 days prior to the flight, SWA credit thereafter). If you cancel, you will receive a Southwest credit that must be used within one year from the date the flight was booked, unless it's a refundable fare.

You can obtain your boarding pass online at 12:01 a.m. on the day of your flight. If you do that, you probably will be in the first boarding group. All of the WDW resorts have a small room with internet access where you can check in online. Ask when you check in, or call the front desk during your stay.

 

[zurgswife]

Hey Neighbor....I've flown both out of Philly and I prefer SW (even with the cattle call boarding). I find the people friendlier. As far as an early AM flight I would definately get my boarding passes online at 12:01am just to make sure you have A's

But I've had a few bad expereinces with Airtran from Philly over the years and I'm glad there is now another low cost option....

 

[Beca]

I am a former SWA flight attendant...so, you KNOW which one I am going to pick

But, seriously...what is most important is safety. SWA has the SAFEST record of any US carrier.

The boarding process is NOT that bad. And, if you do print your boarding pass early, you can get in the "A" group and you WILL get together...no problems. Also, if something were to happen (like you got there after boarding had started). Just mention to the f/a at the front of the plane that you need seats together for your child, and she will call the f/a in the back and have her hold any available row for you. I did it ALL the time. And, the last time we flew to MCO, we got to the airport late. By the time I entered the plane, the f/a said, "Maam, we heard from the ops agent you were coming. We're holding seats for your family to sit together in the back." She had NO idea I was a former f/a...it's just the kind of thing SWA people do to make you happy.

SWA is a wonderful airline...and, you are VERY lucky to have them FINALLY come to PA.



Beca

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't remember if we ever flew Air Tran with my DD who uses a wheelchair, but there are certain things the airlines are all required to do for passengers with disabilities. One is to allow you to select seating at the time that you make your reservation (that was actually the only mention I could find on Air Tran's website about their services for people with disabilities. They also have to provide an aisle chair (a narrow wheelchair that the person with a disability can transfer to and then actually ride down the aisle into the airplane) and to allow preboarding for people with disabilities (sometimes this is automatic, sometimes you have to ask). And they have to allow you to bring adaptive equipment (like wheelchairs) onto the airplane without any additional charge. If you can safely stow your equipment inside the cabin, you must be allowed to do that.