Airtran ruins last day of trip!

[PoohsGang]

DO NOT BOOK AIR TRAN UNLESS YOU WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!

AFTER SEVERAL EMAILS THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS DONE NOTHING TO KEEP A LOYAL CUSTOMER. IN A NUTSHEL THEY JUST DONT CARE THEY SEND PREWRITTEN EMAILS STATING THEY CHANGE FLIGHTS RANDOMLY FOR SAFETY REASONS. WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT? :brick:

We are BCV DVC members always booking same time of year.
We book our flights through Air Tran every Nov / Dec (Saturday after Thanksgiving for 9 daysevery year) We always book on the first available day so we can make our plans, book our seats etc. Guarantee a good price etc.

This year we booked travel NonStop Both ways paid for that, we were going to use Jet Blue but AirTrans Flight schedules allowed us to have breakfast at Crystal Palace with my god children as they will arriving the day before we leave, this was something we planned months ahead as you all know reservations are difficult.
When looking at my itinerary online the other night, I noticed my flight back had been changed it now leaves 2.5 hours earlier, we now go 1 stop not nonstop from Orlando to Ohio then to Boston. :hammer:We were never alerted of this change it was by luck I checked the site and found it. This now eliminates our chance for breakfast with the family. I immediately called AirTran after being on hold for 35 minutes I explained my situation, they told me they could give me my money back or change my flight, the flight options extended my travel day by 3 hours at the minimum or I was offered flight a day earlier or a day later. :shrug: Being DVC members so our options for rooms for an additional night were 0 (none). I asked if there was anything that could be done perhaps upgrade us to business class to keep a loyal Rewards customer happy. I got an I'm sorry which quite honestly doesn't help me one bit. If I get my money back and book new flights, today's flight are substantially more money, we booked 330 days out to guarantee a good price and flights that would fit our schedule. I will never Fly Air Tran again as there customer service has done nothing to satisfy a good repeat customer. Don't book AirTran THIS MAY HAPPEN TO YOU! :brick: What type of customer service would you call this? :veryconfu In my opinion it's terrible, I paid for one flight got confirmation then they switched us to whatever they wanted, not letting us know. That is **** poor customer service. I would highly recommend NOT FLYING AIRTRAN.

 

[The Mom]

Welcome to the wonderful world of current air travel. The days of being able to count on being somewhere on a particular DAY, never mind time, are gone. Yes, most of the time things will go as scheduled, but having last minute changes are becoming more frequent.

Jet Blue is not any better. They cancelled our flight at the last minute, and the next flight they could book us on was 3 DAYS LATER!!! We had to cancel our flights, and rebook on another airline...for the NEXT day. That was the best we could do.

So we ended up spending a night in a hotel (at rack rate) and had to pay for a cab to get there.

 

[Monty]

Any airline is like this now. Not saying it's excusable, but it is explainable.

The airlines schedule flights well over a year in advance. They attempt to schedule in such a manner and with prices that will attract enough uptake on the flight to cover their break-even cost-point. If after seat sales and special last-minute offers they still haven't sold enough seats on a given flight, they have to cancel the flight or lose money flying the aircraft. Since, like any other corporation, the airlines are answerable to their shareholders, flying aircraft at a loss is simply not acceptable. If I could find an airline that could accurately predict how many individuals will be in a financial position to fly a given route at a given time over a year in advance in these tough economic times, I'd invest heavily because that airline is going to be immensely profitable! The reality is, all the airlines are struggling to keep afloat and have to do whatever they can to avoid flying planes at a loss.

Unfortunately for travellers, the first cost-cutting done by virtually all airlines was in customer service. I know Air Canada has recently started selling what they call "On My Way" as an add-on, which basically allows you to pay for the customer service they used to provide for free:

On My Way

Introducing On My Way, Air Canada's newest à-la-carte fare option, providing travel assistance service to protect you against unexpected travel expenditures -- including any that apply to your air ticket investment -- and offers you a smooth, stress-free travel experience when unplanned disruptions affect your travel plans.

On My Way service gives you access to specially trained Air Canada customer service agents who will assist to get you on your way more quickly and smoothly by:

• Rebooking the first available flight on Air Canada, Jazz or another airline
• Arranging complimentary hotel accommodation, car rental or other ground transportation and meals

Additionally, you'll receive automatic flight information updates, by SMS text and by email, that include flight departure/arrival information, gate and connecting flight details.

So, if your flight is canceled or over-booked and you get bumped and you've paid for the extra protection, then you'll be notified by SMS text and email and they'll get you on your way quickly and smoothly...

Welcome to the new world...

 

[PoohsGang]

I cant beleive this in the time it took me to post this they moved my departure flight 2 hours later. Again, no notification!

 

[Monty]

I cant beleive this in the time it took me to post this they moved my departure flight 2 hours later. Again, no notification!

Which is probably why they didn't notify you the first time, now [if I read this correctly] you're back to half an hour from your original flight time. They may have not told you anything yet because they knew it was likely to change again. :shrug:

 

[PoohsGang]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.

Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?

 

[disney4life2008]

I am leaving in January on AirTran from Bloomington. I purchased my tickets 2 months ago - I just checked the official website and see that our flight leaving from Orlando is leaving a little earlier (about 15 mins). But that is expected, AirTran always states to check flight info early on.

 

[Nemo14]

Unfortunately this is pretty common now with all airlines.

I think you'll love the Manchester Airport, compared to Logan, and Southwest's boarding is really not bad at all. Just print up your boarding passes 24 hours ahead, and you'll be fine.

Have a great trip, and don't let this spoil your fun.

 

[mousefan1972]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.

Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?

I am sorry this happened to you. I had a very similar experience with Airtran for our upcoming Christmas trip to WDW. In short, after Airtran changed our flight times twice and then completely got rid of our nonstop from Boston to Orlando, I got a full refund and rebooked with Jetblue.

I have flown Southwest 3 or 4 times from Manchester to Orlando. The SW boarding process used to be referred to as a "cattle call" because it was pretty much a free for all when it came time to board the plane. (SW does not have assigned seating) Now the process is better. You will be assigned a boarding group, A, B or C. This depends solely on what time you check in for you flight. You can begin checking in online 24 hours before your flight departure time. So if you leave at 9 a.m. Saturday, check in online at 9 a.m. on Friday. The longer you wait, the more likely you will get group B or C. On your boarding pass, it will say the group, then a number. So if you are A 27, you will be the 27th person who can board the plane. This is important because since SW does not have assigned seats, whoever is on first gets their pick of seats. Those who board last will end up with whatever is left. I have had nothing but good experiences with SW. The only negative is that they do not participate in Resort Check In (not to be confused with Magical Express), which means that you can't check your bags at your Disney resort upon departure. You have to take them with you to the airport. If you've never flown from Manchester, you will be in for a treat. Soooo much better than Logan. Small, very easy to navigate, and much cheaper parking.

Have a great trip!

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?

Southwest is not that bad. I would highly recommend checking in on line 24 hrs before. You won't have any problems if you are in either the A or B group. C group is another story.

 

[mkt]

I've said this many times over: You get what you pay for.

 

[Bug715]

I LOVE southwest. I always fly it because its cheapest and they have nonstop from Louisville. I'm usually in the B boarding section and have no problem finding a seat. Plus you can take two checked bags for free! Other than a 3 hour delay flying back from Orlando 3 years ago due to weather I have had no problems with them! I'll be flying with them in 4 days!

 

[mroman]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.

Pooh, thank you so much for bringing this up!!!! I remembered that AirTran screwed me too. I originally had 2 non-stop flights right after Thanksgiving and they switch my return flight to a stop over without notice. I just called them asking if I can get refunded the total price $964 (4 adults) and immediately found nonstop flights on American Airlines for $772.
I wouldn't have known this was possible if it wasn't for you, you just saved me almost $200!!!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[BigB911]

On your boarding pass, it will say the group, then a number. So if you are A 27, you will be the 27th person who can board the plane.

The boarding pass might say A-27, but that doesn't mean you have to be (or will be) the 27th person on the plane. SW doesn't check to make sure that the passengers are in line correctly, for one. And, there may also be a gaggle of elderly wheelchair bound passengers that they will get on the plane first.

OK...I forgot to mention that I absolutely love love love SW Airlines and will never fly on anything but a SW plane. With that said, here's what happened to us:

Checking in online and getting our boarding passes for family of 3, I was A-19, wife was A-20, and our DD (4) was A-22! Called SW and they said pay no nevermind to that, of course we can board as a family.

Getting in line at PIT, there was seriously about 20 elderly, wheelchair bound individuals that got on board first. No big...completely understand.

Now, waiting to board at MCO, we are in "B" group, 10-12, and get in line. The woman in front of us-her number was 25 or something like that. I politely said to her that she should be back farther. She ignored us, and SW didn't check and didn't care. Really didn't matter since we got a seat anyway.

Once on the plane, things were lickity-split fast! Stow your carry-ons, sit down, buckle up, and the plane is taking off. Loved it!

Good for you getting your $$$ from Airtran and SAVING money on SW!!!

 

[palmage]

Now, waiting to board at MCO, we are in "B" group, 10-12, and get in line. The woman in front of us-her number was 25 or something like that. I politely said to her that she should be back farther. She ignored us, and SW didn't check and didn't care. Really didn't matter since we got a seat anyway.

We just flew Southwest from Tampa to Portland.
They were very particular about the boarding process.
They turned away several people who were in the wrong order.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.

What will you do if Southwest does the same thing that Airtran did? Its possible with ANY airline.

 

[bobjl527]

We just used AirTran for the first time this past week. We have only flown SW and ATA before. We booked through Travelocity. About a month before our departure, we received an email from Travelocity that our non-stop flight from Chicago Midway had been changed to a lay over in Atlanta. According to Travelocity, AirTran is notorious for doing things like this. We put up a stink, and we were rebooked on one of the remaining two non stop flights that day.
Other than that problem, everything was fine. The planes were clean, the flight crew very friendly and the boarding process was a breeze. We will fly them again.

 

[disneygirl1024]

We have never had a problem with Airtran. In fact, we love them. I have always received an email stating a flight change and I also check daily up until our departure with Airtran regarding changes, etc. I think all airlines can have "something wrong" with them that we don't agree with or ticks us off. I'm really sorry that it ruined your get together with your family. I can understand why you would be upset.

 

[wdwCC]

We flew Airtran for the first time on our trip in October. Flight down was fine except for not sitting togeather. On way home, connecting flight out of Atlanta was over sold by 25! The people in the lines at gate counter did not look happy!

 

[disney4life2008]

We flew Airtran for the first time on our trip in October. Flight down was fine except for not sitting togeather. On way home, connecting flight out of Atlanta was over sold by 25! The people in the lines at gate counter did not look happy!

I am flying AirTran for the 1st time in January and am looking forward to it.