What would you do ? Airtran

[Zoo Keeper]

I was checking the flight status of the Airtran Flight we will be taking next Saturday out of Philadelphia. The flight was supposed to leave at 5:48 pm and actually departed for Atlanta at 10:07pm
They are now getting into Atlanta after midnight and I don't think they have any flights out to Orlando that late (or early in the morning)
If that happens to us, we will lose a night's hotel stay and probably at least a half day at the parks.
Should I be proactive and change to an earlier flight (which will cost about $300) or should I take my chances?


Thanks

 

[Kiderak]

If you already booked your flight on the earlier flight, and they changed the time, just call them and select an earlier flight. Should be able to do it without charge, as long as there are open seats

 

[Zoo Keeper]

This is the flight I originally booked. The time was changed a month ago but only by 10 minutes

I just found a flight on Southwest which would cost us $250 total.
I am leaning toward cancelling the Airtran flights and booking Southwest but I would then have an Airtran credit and I don't know when I would be traveling again.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser.]

FYI, airtran runs out of atlantic city too. i would check there...AC airport is very easy & parking is only $8/night.
hope this may help!

 

[dudspizza]

OP, are you saying you checked the status of tonights flight? Are you watching just out of curiosity looking towards next week? This is the way I read it.

If your flight happens to be late and you miss your connection, they will get you on the next AVAILABLE connection. If there are no more connections that night, you will not get out until the next morning, at the earliest. This is the chance you take when you have a connection that late at night.

That said, tonights flight is no indication of how your flight will go off next week. I think you take your chances unless you can get them to change you to an earlier flight....... I WOULD NOT pay to make a schedule change.

Best of luck.

duds

 

[mitsybella]

Airtran will change your flight for free if they changed your time, they told me you get one free change each time they make a change, just call them and take an earlier flight, they have a non stop leaving at 6:10pm try to get that one, there are still seats or you could go much earlier in the day, make the most of them switching your time... the other flights have seats too. good luck

 

[dudspizza]

OP, you still out there? I am curious how you decided to go and what your original intentions where.....

 

[Missytara]

I am curious myself; this weekend may just have been a busy travel weekend and they had flights delayed. We also had a lot of bad weather up here in the northeast this weekend, so the flight could have been delayed by bad weather.

We have been having freakishly scary lightning and thunderstorms that have produced some hail and electrical outlets.

I don't think you should gauge one weekend from the next.....

 

[Missytara]

oops, I meant outages..... not outlets.

 

[Zoo Keeper]

I caved and swtched to an earlier flight....a non stop one that leaves earlier
It did cost me more than I wanted to spend but I just kept thinking about being stuck in Atlanta...at least I will have an extra evening at WDW and we don't have to pick up our luggage, magical express will deliver them.

I did research the flight on flightstatus.com and it had a 0% on time rate and I checked the Philadelphia airport status and nothing was delayed like that

I learned a lesson...there's a reason why some flights cost much less than others.

 

[dudspizza]

I caved and swtched to an earlier flight....a non stop one that leaves earlier
It did cost me more than I wanted to spend but I just kept thinking about being stuck in Atlanta...at least I will have an extra evening at WDW and we don't have to pick up our luggage, magical express will deliver them.

I did research the flight on flightstatus.com and it had a 0% on time rate and I checked the Philadelphia airport status and nothing was delayed like that

I learned a lesson...there's a reason why some flights cost much less than others.

Glad you can have some peace of mind, albeit at a cost. I personally would have taken my chances.....