A little scared to book with Airtran

[crazycruzer68]

We have never used this airline before, any comments whether they be good or bad would be nice!

 

Lost luggage, late flight, terrible planes what am I to expect?

[RevRodney]

We have never used this airline before, any comments whether they be good or bad would be nice!

 

Lost luggage, late flight, terrible planes what am I to expect?

I've been on airtran once before. The only thing I remember is that the planes seem older and look it, but that was when they first started. Our flight was on time, and no lost luggage. Hope that helps! By the way, Jet Blue is great! We also use United/TED/United Express! Take care!

[hdawson]

AirTran now has one of the two youngest fleets flying in the US and all Boeing. They rank second in service in the annual survey and the FAA recognizes them for having the very best baggage handling record. My line of choice. They are profitable and expanding.

[sharod]

Flew them once in 2004, loved them. Changed our flight time once, not by much. But that isn't uncommon in the industry. We arrived at our destinations ahead of schedule, attendents were pleasant. We would definitely use them again. I did just book with AA, but that was because I found a rate that would have been absolutely crazy to pass up!!!

[CruisinMatt]

I have no problems with AirTran. Last week I was on a brand new 737, the flight attendants and pilots were quite proud to be flying a new plane.

 

They offer $35-$70 business class upgrades on most flights.

[spammie]

I have flown on US Air, Delta and Air Tran. Our best experiences have been with Air Tran. On time, very friendly flight attendants and no lost or damaged luggage. We are flying AA next month for the first time and we will see how that goes. US Air is the worst!

[triplover]

we flew them for the 1st time in May and then again in July of this year. Both planes were clean and new looking. All employees we encountered were very friendly. Both trips got us to our destinations early if you can believe that! So overall we had two great experiences so far!

[janazaz]

I have flown on US Air, Delta and Air Tran. Our best experiences have been with Air Tran. On time, very friendly flight attendants and no lost or damaged luggage. We are flying AA next month for the first time and we will see how that goes. US Air is the worst!

 

I hate US Air too...they have ruined our home town airline America West. Just ain't the same since they merged.

[steve20832]

We have never used this airline before, any comments whether they be good or bad would be nice!

 

Lost luggage, late flight, terrible planes what am I to expect?

 

 

It was my 1st time flying Airtran in 2002 and I purchased a one way trip from Ft Lauderdale to Baltimore with a change of planes in Atlanta. There just happened to be a non-stop flight that left 20 minutes before mine so I asked if their were any empty seats on that plane and the attendant said yes, at that time I asked to go standby on it and the attendant told me I had to wait until the plane was boarded before she could do that. (I don't understand the theory if they know the plane isn't full) I waited and waited then she took my ticket and told me there is a $100 plane change fee and that fee was per the FAA (B.S. line) I took my ticket back after arguing about the fee and went on my scheduled flight. (after all, it would cost the airline less money to put me on a nonstop flight anyways)

I went to my scheduled flight which left on time and got to Atlanta about 30 minutes late. The monitors in Atlanta were not working and no one could tell us where to go to get our connecting flight. So we walked up the terminal looking for a sign to Baltimore and we didn't see one. (now I'm down to about 15 minutes before my connecting leaves) It just happened to be 4 people behind got off the same flight I was on also looking for the Baltimore gate. We split up and asked several employees (who I must say are not helpful at all and very rude) and no one could tell us where to go. I ran to the customer service counter and they said I have to look for a sign and they don't know. All 6 of us went running back down the terminal looking for Baltimore and no sign.....At this point we knew we were in trouble with departing time about 5 minutes away. I called Airtran on the phone and all they could say is the plane is late and keep looking for a sign for Baltimore. Well, some relief that someone knows the plane is late. Why can't Airtran tell their employees at the gates and customer service counters??? After about 45 minutes we did see a sign for Baltimore and we asked about why it was late and the attendant said the plane was delayed from Orlando for bad weather. (I just flew past Orlando and the skies were clear all the way up) OK Whatever!! We were at least told by this guy that the plane would land soon and we would board after the clean the plane. After about another 45 minutes a plane did land then I noticed they changed sign to Boston. No announcement or anything. I'm glad I looked up. The attendant told us he didn't know where the Baltimore gate was and we have to go look for it. OK, Now I'm really mad. Once again we went looking for a sign for Baltimore with no luck. All 6 of went to complain to the customer service people and they didn't even apologize and basically said there are other airlines to use if you don't like Airtran. We asked to be put on a Delta flight (Delta has a hub in Atlanta too) and Airtran wouldn't do it nor pay me back if I booked a flight on Delta. Got to love good customer service! At this point we were very frustrated after being at the airport for 3 hours and we had no idea where to go to catch a flight home. I asked for a flight to Dulles Airport (which is about an hour drive from Baltimore and I had someone picking me up anyways since my car was at home) and they once again told me there was a $100 change plane fee. WHAT A BUNCH OF GARBAGE. After walking up and down the aisle we found the Baltimore sign again and waited for the plane. The attendant told us the plane was late because of bad weather from Ft. Lauderdale. BULL, I just came from there and the weather report for the day was sunny all day. I was so mad at them just because they lie thinking they will pass something off on a customer. The monitors still were not working when we left the airport 6 hours after we landed and the captain said the plane was delayed for maintenance leaving Boston. My guess is Airtran probably didn't pay the bill or the monitor repair man was smart and found another job. As far as the customer service went, there is none. I even saw the flight attendant get mad at a customer because the attendant wanted to put a bag half the size of a carry-on bag in checked luggage. There was room in the overhead bins since the plane was only about half full. (To make it worse, the guy was handicapped and he told the attendant that.) I did get a good price on the trip, but other than that, I can say nothing good about this airline. Avoid flying them at all costs. They won't be in biz long unless they get their act together and stop lying to customers. The trip ended up taking 12 hours. I made it from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale in a moving truck in 16 hours. Driving would have been faster. That was my first and last time ever using them. That $100 fee is set by Airtran and not the FAA like they kept telling me.

[legalwife]

Love Air Tran!

 

We fly them whenever we can and if the price is the same between

Air Tran and another line? AIR TRAN! Great service, friendly people, new planes, all good for us so far! We fly again October with Air Tran.

 

Keep an eye out for their sales, but as I said, we would fly them over many others we have flown if prices we comparable.

[AuntieBon]

I've flown them several times over the past few years and have two flights booked in the next few months. Never had an issue with them but have with several of the legacy airlines. Don't let Steve's account scare you off. I look at Airtran when planning a trip and have found them to be the best value and a great experience!

[JJPNYC]

My only "complaint" about AirTran is that their seat pitch leaves something to be desired. They have only 30" of pitch compared to 31"-33" on other airlines. You may say it's not a big deal but when you're like me and 6'1", you need all the leg room you can get.

[just4kixx]

LOVE AIRTRAN! Even carry an Airtran Credit card to accumulate free flights! ;)

 

Personally I have had terrible experiences on most of the major airlines... Delta, US Air, and American come to mind, but Airtran has always been reliable in my book!

 

Go for it!

A~

[Hollyhawk]

We started using AirTran out of Flint Mi. instead of the dealing with the madness at Detroit Metro. Love this airline. It is our first choice!

[Grandpp]

I normally use Southwest from Ft. Lauderdale to Baltimore since they have a lot of direct flights. One time, I used Airtran based on my ta's recommendation. It was ok but there was a lot of noise and "shaking."

[cruisingdawn]

I live in ATL and have traveled quite a bit for work over the last 2 years. I prefer to book with Airtran over the other airlines. Airtran was on time or early for most of my flights, friendly crews and offered the best deals for volunteer bumps I've ever heard when they were overbooked. Sign up for their APlus Rewards program and earn yourself some free flights quicker than most other airlines.

[suebear37]

My neighbor's daughter-in-law (and 2 young daughters) were supposed to fly from LaGuardia to Atlanta yesterday afternoon during all the bombing plot chaos. They boarded the flight & sat on the runway for an hour and a half before the plane was sent back to the terminal & they were told that the flight was cancelled and they were on their own for finding other flights.

 

She eventually got home around 6:30 this morning on another airline, not sure which one.

 

I realize that yesterday was terribly chaotic & disorganized, but shouldn't Air Tran have made some effort to find their passengers another flight?

 

Just saying, "Oh well, you're on your own" is totally unacceptable in my book, especially in the case of someone flying with 2 children.

[FlyerTalker]

AirTran was within their rights, according to the Contract of Carriage (LINKED HERE) that they have (page 16):

RIGHT OF THE AIR CARRIER AND LIMITS ON LIABILITY FOR DELAY OR FAILURE TO PERFORM SERVICE, INCLUDING SCHEDULE CHANGES, SUBSTITUTION OF ALTERNATE AIRCRAFT AND REROUTING

 

A. AirTran will endeavor to transport the passenger and baggage with reasonable dispatch, but times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract.

 

B. The agreed stopping places are those places shown in AirTran’ timetables as scheduled stopping places on the route. AirTran may, without notice, substitute alternative carriers or aircraft and, if necessary, may alter or omit stopping places shown on the timetable.

 

C. Schedules are subject to change without notice. AirTran is not responsible or liable for failure to make connections or for failure to operate any flight according to schedule, or for a change to the schedule of any flight. Under no circumstances shall AirTran be liable for any special,

incidental or consequential damages arising from the foregoing (including the carriage of baggage) whether or not AirTran had knowledge that such damages might be incurred.

 

D. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, AirTran cannot guarantee that the passenger's baggage will be carried on the flight if sufficient space is not available based on the sole determination of AirTran.

 

E. AirTran will not provide or reimburse passengers for expenses incurred due to delays or cancellations of flights.

 

Now, all airlines have a CoC available on their website. Since deregulation, this has been the operative law for an airline's responsibilities. After the Detroit fiasco that prompted Congress to consider a Passenger Bill of Rights (PBOR), the Big6 airlines got Congress to back off by putting many passenger rights into their CoC's. However, the LowCostCarriers (LCC's) such as Southwest and AirTran flew under the radar and often did not put such language into their CoC's.

 

Since I travel a lot, I have the CoC for the airlines I travel downloaded to my laptop. I can easily reference them, and to see what I am, and am not protected against. AirTran has a very customer-unfriendly CoC.

 

My opinion (and only opinion) is that AirTran agents often give customers the benefit of the doubt and extend courtesies not required in the CoC. However, when push comes to shove, the CoC clearly allows AirTran to give the customer nothing when a flight is cancelled.

[Globaliser]

However, when push comes to shove, the CoC clearly allows AirTran to give the customer nothing when a flight is cancelled.

Are you sure about that? The way I read it, AirTran has no liability for incidental/consequential expenses, but it doesn't absolve them of the contractual responsibility for getting the pax to their destination. One reading of "they were on their own for finding other flights" suggests that AirTran were not even going to reaccommodate them. However, I find that hard to believe, in the same way that I find it hard to believe that AirTran could legally refuse to reaccommodate them. Hotels and meals, of course, would (correctly) not be reimbursable under the CoC.