US Air or Air Tran and why

[PhillyPooh]

I have found airfare for August with both that is around the same price. Which would you choose and why? I only flew Air Tran once and liked their service. US Air has really gone down hill in the past few years but if something happens with our flights, they offer more flights than Air Tran.

 

[helenk]

Just keep in mind that AirTran does not give you a credit or refund if their prices go down.
Have you tried Southwest, their fares have been pretty good, and they do have good flight times out of Phila.

 

[zurgswife]

I'd pick Southwest...even open sitting..I like the fact that if anything happens I can get a credit and don't lose my money...or I can change my flight with out penalty...

 

[mep319]

I don't like Airtran...as someone mentioned you do not get a credit if fares drop and they really don't offer that many direct flights (a lot of them link out of Atlanta). Plus I can't get over they are really just Valujet! I like USair b/c they do offer a credit...I actually got a refund for August, seats are assigned (a plus for someone w/ a child & who is a bit paranoid as myself) and they offer MANY more times than the SW and all/most are direct.

 

[wdwmom2]

I have never flown AirTran but will be in less than 2 weeks. This is my experience. First, I made a mistake when I booked online. I chose a p.m. flight instead of an a.m. flight. I called the next day to correct my mistake. They could have charged me $50 a ticket to change, but they didn't. Next, a month or so later, I saw that they had added an earlier nonstop flight. I wanted this one and was willing to pay the fee. Also, this flight was less expensive. Not only did they not charge me the fee, they credited me the difference, approximately $200, to be used within a year. This all is for my family of 4. I will probably not use my credit as we do not fly that often. But I am very impressed with their customer service. Everyone that I spoke with was very pleasant and helpful.

Now, I have flown US Air before and had no problems with them either. So I would probably choose the one whose schedule suits me the best.

Hope this helps!!!

Sharon

 

[wdwmom2]

Oops, just remembered, on my 2nd flight change, they charged me fees for 2 of the 4 tickets, $100. But I still have a $200 credit with them.

Sorry, I just forgot!!!

Sharon

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

We have had pretty good experiences with Air Tran.

I would worry about whether US Airways would still be flying in the future. They are having a LOT of money problems and with Southwest coming to Philly US Air is going to lose a lot of business.

 

[blanq]

My family flew AirTran for the first time this past Jan, from MSP to MCO, with a plane change in Atlanta, on our flight from MSP. Since MSP is a NWA hub, we generally fly NWA, but I was able to snag such a great fare on AirTran that we decided to give them a try. I have to say we had an excellent experience. AirTran has the youngest fleet of planes in the business and we found their service to be superior. Finally, if business class seats are available on the day you fly, you can score an upgrade for only $35, which we did on all three legs of our trip. I would not hesitate to fly with AirTran again, and would recommend to anyone.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

I have flown both, and personally, I prefer Air Tran out of PIT (Southwest not an option yet for PIT). Air Tran planes are in excellent condition, and I have found their employees to be more, well personable. I have had good experiences with US Air's gate/check-in employees, however the flight staff just seem rude to me. However, US AIR usually offers better times, and sometimes matches AIR TRAN's rates. For our trip, I chose a one way USAIR flight down, and an AIR TRAN flight back. If all things (mainly cost and times) were equal though, I would go with AIR TRAN. It's sad how a few rude employees can turn you against a whole airline, but it's true, especially when there is competition out there who treat you right.

And as far as USAIR not charging fees, I fly them for business related trips often, and get charged the change fee everytime a change is made. Don't know about the rate decreasing, because every time I check a flight, the rate has gone up and not down.