Southwest/AirTran shared flight ???

[natt]

Booked our flights with Southwest and using Magical Express roundtrip for our stay this October. Going home, our flight is a SW flight number (but operated by AirTran).

My question is, which terminal do we tell the ME bus to drop us at;
AND will be have to pay AirTran's baggage fee on the return flight?

We've always flown SW roundtrip, so this is a new situation for me.
Has anyone else had experience with how this works? Thanks.

 

[N365PA]

AirTran was bought by Southwest about 2 years ago, still working out the kinks and forming it into one airline. They operate from the same gates at MCO. Here is their policy;

"The Marketing Carrier's fees will apply to all aspects of the travel with one exception. 1st and 2nd checked bag fees will be waived for any itinerary purchased through an AirTran channel that includes a Southwest segment (weight and size restrictions still apply)."

So the way I read that, you bought through Southwest, the "Marketing Carrier" so no, no baggage fee.

 

[georgina]

We have the same issue with our return flight. The SW FAQs say checked bags are free if you booked through SW, but to go to the Airtran counter to check the bags, since they are the operating carrier of the flight. I haven't been in the Orlando airport in years, N365PA said they use the same gates, but are the SW and Airtran ticket counters still separate?

The bad part seems to be that we won't get assigned seats until check-in, so they probably won't be together. It says we may be able to change them at the airport.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Go to Southwest's website. There is a clear explanation for how everything works booking AirTran through Southwest (baggage, check-in, seat assignment, etc.).