Southwest vs. AirTran

[If U Had Wings]

I'm looking to book a flight from the CT area in late September. Right now I'm trying to make a decision between flying AirTran out of Westchester, or SouthWest out of Hartford. Both fares are the same ($99). I had been hoping for Jet Blue, but the fares from Westchester are a bit higher ($129).

I've never flown either Air Tran or Southwest before and was looking to see if anyone had any advice on either of them. I'm flying solo so I'm not really concerned with seating. Also would either of the airlines credit me if the fares drop later?

 

[ortegah]

Airtran sucks! How's that? lol

We flew from San Francisco to home(Baltimore) last year and it was horrible. First of all they claimed on their website that they had xmradio and when we got on the plane the armrests all said "XM coming soon" so they had nothing when it came to on board entertainment. No movies, no music,no nothing. And the seats were horribly small. I'm 4'11" and 120 or so lbs and I felt cramped! You can imagine how my 6'1" 300lb husband felt. Go for Southwest IMO.

 

[Glendamax]

I flew Airtran last September, and the legroom was TOO SHORT. I am 6 feet tall, and my flight was just under 2 hours - 2 hours TOO LONG! I was so miserable! So this year, I'm going fly Southwest!

 

[faindrops27]

Never flew AT. But, have been flying southwest now for awhile. There is not any entertainment on SW flights. But, that is not an issue for me. All staff are very friendly. SW has, an open seating policy. So make sure you check in online 24 hours prior to your flight. In hopes to be the earliest group (A) to board. Enjoy!:

 

[cbrfan]

We fly AirTran and we love them. I didn't find the seats cramped or lacking in legroom any more than any other airline I've flown on. They use Boeing 717's and 737's exclusively. The FA's have always been friendly and helpful. They also have a great rewards program. And now you can choose your seats at the time you book for a $5 pp fee. Or you can book online 24 hours in advance without charge.

 

[ortegah]

I flew Airtran last September, and the legroom was TOO SHORT. I am 6 feet tall, and my flight was just under 2 hours - 2 hours TOO LONG! I was so miserable! So this year, I'm going fly Southwest!

Glad I'm not the only one to notice that! Then again, I see you are from Baltimore so maybe it's just for us Baltimoreans. BTW, before I noticed it said you were in Baltimore I DID think you looked familiar. Now I'm just trying to place where I know you from. Does the name Heather Ortega(formerly Wendling) ring a bell?

 

[mika911]

I say Air Tran for this reason - You can now pick your seat for $5, or pick an exit row seat for $15 each flight. Worth it!

 

[ss0414]

Go Southwest....with SW you can change your flight to a lower fare or a different time without a penalty...with AirTran they will charge you $60.00 a ticket.....if it's the same price for the flight....I've flown both, but like the flexibility of changing flights when Dings open up with SW and then I get another flight somewhere with the savings...in my mind, I'm getting a new vacation for free (haha) since I've already paid for the 1st flight....
I've in MD around Baltimore, too, and to me, service, flights are no different, with the exception of the comedy routines performed by the SW Pilots on the loud speaker!
take care

 

[tropicalgirl]

I've flown both, SW out of Hartford and AT out of Westchester. While I like the Westchester airport better because it's smaller than Bradley, it costs $22 per day to park there and there isn't much parking. We've been able to park at Bradley airport for less than $50 per week. So I would make my decision based on how long you're going and if you'll need to park at the airport. Otherwise, I would fly Airtran because you can pick your seat for $5 and not have to wait in the A, B, C line. When we flew out of Westchester, our plane landed, we got out luggage, used the bathrooms, got the car and were on the highway within 20 minutes! It was great.

 

[mom2mek]

We fly AT all the time direct out of VA into MCO. We have never had a problem. Nice flights, airplanes, and customer service. Have flown SW before and they were fine too but more of a pain with how they do their seating.