AirTran

[chrissyw14]

Has anyone here flown AirTran before?

you have to pay extra to pick what seats you want? How does it work when you get there, there;s two of us so will we be able to sit together if I don't pay extra to choose my seats?

 

[nepalostparks]

Has anyone here flown AirTran before?

you have to pay extra to pick what seats you want? How does it work when you get there, there;s two of us so will we be able to sit together if I don't pay extra to choose my seats?

I've flown them before once, flight was on time and everything went smoothly.

Yes, you can pay extra to choose your seats. Otherwise on your flight day, you will be assigned based on what is left. Unless you have a minor child with you, the seats may be on opposite ends of the plane, all depends on how many seats are already booked and reserved.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I LOVE flying AirTran and will almost always choose it over Delta when flying down from Detroit...

1) The planes are new and in very good condition
2) The employees really like working for the company (they get kickbacks) so they are really accomodating and friendly
3) The seats you pay for up front are as cheap as 6 dollars and as expensive as 15 dollars --- but you are generally paying about 70 - 80 dollars LESS overall than any other major airline flying down there, so it makes up for it
4) On the day prior to flying, if First Class is not full, you can upgrade for about 35.00....I do that every time....SO, in essence, every trip I have taken to WDW on AirTran I have paid less than Delta, AND had First Class seats at less than the economy class cost on Delta.

Highly recommend this airline.

 

[journ116]

My family and I have flown AirTran over a dozen times (always a non-stop flight) and have had nothing but good experiences. I'm just going to add a couple more things to the previous poster's list:

1. Watch your flight times, because AirTran is notorious for changing times. Typically they send an e-mail when a flight does change, so long as you provided an e-mail at the time of booking. If the new flight time conflicts with your plans, I believe you can contact customer service, state your case, and get moved to a new time WITHOUT paying the $75 change fee. However, if you change departure or arrival days, you'll incur the fee.

2. Watch the prices even AFTER you've booked. I'm like a hawk when it comes to "airfare watching." On almost every flight I've booked with them, the prices came down AFTER booking (especially if they're running "specials"). The great thing about AirTran is that they'll issue you a credit that can be used to pay for luggage, seat upgrades or future flights (good for 1 year from day of credit issue). You will not incur a fee for this.
All you do: call the customer service number with your confirmation# and say you noticed that the prices went down. As long as there are enough seats at that particular price, they'll honor the difference. However, make sure the numbers add up. Once, I had a rep who gave us too much credit and later found out that she canceled the reservation, rebooked us, but forgot to add our seats back into the price. Then I had to find 4 more seats, but was separated from my DH and one DD because our previous seats were assigned to other passengers The kind rep at the other end offered to give us the first row behind Business Class, but my DH would've been sitting by himself and I would've had our two DDs to contend with alone.

3. Business Class is nice with its' comfy leather chairs, extra room and complimentary snacks and beverages...however, I find it's much "louder" up front compared to the upper section of Coach.

4. I've found that many people pay for their seats at the time of booking. If you decide to "upgrade" to Business Class after you've already booked your seats, you'll just pay the difference. Also, the Business Class upgrade prices depend on the distance being traveled. For me, it's $69 (BWI-MCO). We have occasionally upgraded our seats at the gate thanks to DME getting us to the airport 2 1/2 hours early. Sometimes you just want the room.

I hope this helps just a bit and enjoy your travels:wave:

 

[chrissyw14]

Thank you everyone for all these responses!

 

[Pooh Lover]

Just tried AirTran for the first time this past Sunday coming home from a cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. Check-in, boarding and flight was just fine. No complaints and would use them again. That being said, we normally fly Southwest and appreciate their no charge for 2 checked bags. On AirTran, we had to pay $20 for first bag, $25 for the second bag. We also paid the extra minimal amount to be seated together. For about $12 total, it is completely worth it to be certain we are seated together and have assigned seats. We saw a few families struggling to have their parties seated together that did not pay the extra fee up front.

 

[kstella]

I usually fly Airtran. I'm not thrilled with all the extra charges but that's how flying goes these days. I've only ever had one problem with them when they misdirected my checked bag, but it was only one out of three that we had checked, it was on the way home, and they located it right away and I had it the next day.

 

[murphysmom]

4) On the day prior to flying, if First Class is not full, you can upgrade for about 35.00....I do that every time....SO, in essence, every trip I have taken to WDW on AirTran I have paid less than Delta, AND had First Class seats at less than the economy class cost on Delta.

Highly recommend this airline.

How exactly do you go about paying for an upgrade? Does it ask you if you want to upgrade when you go to check in for your flight? Can you do it on-line, or do you have to call?

 

[wm49rs]

How exactly do you go about paying for an upgrade? Does it ask you if you want to upgrade when you go to check in for your flight? Can you do it on-line, or do you have to call?

I've always been asked if I wanted to upgrade when I checked my bags.....

But let's all remember, before long AirTran will be no more.