Air Tran Airways...?

[sandheichert]

Has anyone flown Air Tran. Looking at booking for our December trip for a great price but have never heard of them before.

 

[tigsmom]

I have just flown with them last weekend.
Flight up was crowded and uncomfortable.
You have an option to upgrade to busniess class for 69 when your checking in if there is any room.

Flying back was perfect. it was a 737 and it was not packed.

both flights the crew were great.
bring your own headphones, they have free XM radio....they just dont sell headphones.

Always upgrade if you can, it makes life much easier. Most flights are packed, I've rarely seen them with empty seats.
No, they don't sell headphones, but you do get a cheap pair for free (better to bring your own).

 

[Nordo]

Same story, I guess... Everything was fine except, EVERYTIME we get a non-stop, it gets changed to layover in Atlanta. Oh, and flight time always change once, twice, and even up to three times times without warning. (Including when we tried to check in 24 hours in advance and found out our flight now took off 10 hours later) Anyway, they are super great at working with you, I just wish I didn't have to work with them so much.

Oh, and in Atlanta, I've had to from one terminal to another, but usually they are pretty close together.

I will still fly Air-Tran, but I think I'm an optimist because I still book the non-stops. (they are so cheap!) But I guess I'm a realist, too... I know they'll change it a layover.

 

[wdwCC]

Stay away from Airtran! On way back right now. Out of three flight, we sat togeather 0 times. There are 25 stand bys for our flight back to Minneapolis. The agents in Orlando at least tried to change our seats togeather, in Atlanta THEY JUST DON'T CARE and are extremely rude. We plan on calling Disney travel and complaining about Airtran. Any other airline but Airtran.

 

[tigsmom]

With discount airlines it is always the best bet to pay the extra money and pick a seat, you cannot fault the airline for that. It's first come, first serve.

 

[vegasbnd]

Just flew home last night with Airtran, this was our first experience with them. I was glad we did spend the money in advance for our seat assignments, most families who waited till they got to the airport were split. We were given free headphones for the XM radio. Flight was good no issues, we would use them again.

 

[bears163]

we just used them last month. only problem i had was the charging you to pick your seats. we did not. we have 4 kids in our family & they sat them alone & one is 2 years old. thats the only problem i had. besides that is was just fine. probably will use them again.

 

[JeffC]

Probably changed when they were taken over right? :hammer:

EDIT: Nope, they are still headquartered in Orlando. From Wiki....

AirTran Airways is a low-cost airline that is a Delaware corporation with headquarters in Orlando, Florida, USA and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. AirTran operates over 750 daily flights throughout the eastern USA and the Midwest, including over 270 daily departures from Atlanta. It is the world's largest Boeing 717 operator. AirTran's principal hub is at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and the airline's parent company, AirTran Holdings, is headquartered at Orlando International Airport, where AirTran also maintains a secondary hub.

based and headquartered , six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Aah. I guess the "hub" is what got me thinking they were out of Atlanta. I just figured since all (well most) flights go through Atlanta, I thought....well nevermind, you know what I mean.
Thanks for clarifying - just in case I have that on a trivia question.

 

[sandheichert]

Stay away from Airtran! On way back right now. Out of three flight, we sat togeather 0 times. There are 25 stand bys for our flight back to Minneapolis. The agents in Orlando at least tried to change our seats togeather, in Atlanta THEY JUST DON'T CARE and are extremely rude. We plan on calling Disney travel and complaining about Airtran. Any other airline but Airtran.

Did you not pay for your seat assignments?

 

[tigsmom]

Did you not pay for your seat assignments?

Obviously not or I am sure they would have chosen seats together. :shrug:

 

[kimmychad]

we just used them last month. only problem i had was the charging you to pick your seats. we did not. we have 4 kids in our family & they sat them alone & one is 2 years old. thats the only problem i had. besides that is was just fine. probably will use them again.

that's ridiculous, noone should be charged to sit with their infant child.

 

[tigsmom]

that's ridiculous, no one should be charged to sit with their infant child.

Two is not considered an infant. I feel sorry for the poster, but if you are traveling with small children pay the extra and get confirmed seating.
It would have been nice if somebody offered to change seats, but if they paid extra for their seat... :shrug:

 

[kimmychad]

Two is not considered an infant. I feel sorry for the poster, but if you are traveling with small children pay the extra and get confirmed seating.
It would have been nice if somebody offered to change seats, but if they paid extra for their seat... :shrug:

the child is still a baby, usually unable to talk very much and ask for what he/she wants.

they did pay for their seat, in the form of an airline ticket. i'm sure if airtran would have tried they could have found a single person that wouldn't have minded moving, i know i would have moved. it's just another way to make a profit, just like the checked bag fee, a non-alcoholic beverage fee, the curbside check-in fee, or a fuel surchage.
and now american airlines is charging for an aisle seat? everytime i fly i'm thankful i fly southwest and if they start this nonsense i'll add 4 days to my vacation and drive down.

 

[markc]

Just say "no" to AirTran! lol - unless you are flying between major hubs on AirTran...dont waste your time with them. They are incapable of dealing with major issues like other airlines can - when bad weather strikes, they are crippled far more heavily than other air carriers as they lack the infrastructure to take care of it. I've had too many problems with them cancelling flights due to poor weather, and then being stuck in that city for two days because they don't have an adequate flight selection to cover those whose flights were cancelled.

 

[tigsmom]

the child is still a baby, usually unable to talk very much and ask for what he/she wants.

they did pay for their seat, in the form of an airline ticket. i'm sure if airtran would have tried they could have found a single person that wouldn't have minded moving, i know i would have moved. it's just another way to make a profit, just like the checked bag fee, a non-alcoholic beverage fee, the curbside check-in fee, or a fuel surchage.
and now american airlines is charging for an aisle seat? everytime i fly i'm thankful i fly southwest and if they start this nonsense i'll add 4 days to my vacation and drive down.

Not sure of your experience with kids, but at 2 years of age my kids could hold conversations with adults, and a 2 y/o is more than capable of making their needs known. I never said the did not pay for a seat, I said they did not pay for assigned seating. On the discount airlines that is the only way to make sure that you will sit together. AirTran seats Business Class first, then they go by zones (or seat rows). If you are not first in line then you really have no choice of where you will sit. Yes, it would have been nice if somebody had changes seats (as I stated), but if they paid the extra for their preferred seat then I can understand why they did not give it up. Not saying it's the right thing to do, but that is they way of life.
We usually drive to Florida, but this past August we flew (on AirTran) and had no problems whatsoever. Yep, they had 3 standbys and they had to stay behind, but that is the risk you take when you fly standby. :shrug:

 

[jjgoo]

Not sure of your experience with kids, but at 2 years of age my kids could hold conversations with adults, and a 2 y/o is more than capable of making their needs known. I never said the did not pay for a seat, I said they did not pay for assigned seating. On the discount airlines that is the only way to make sure that you will sit together. AirTran seats Business Class first, then they go by zones (or seat rows). If you are not first in line then you really have no choice of where you will sit. Yes, it would have been nice if somebody had changes seats (as I stated), but if they paid the extra for their preferred seat then I can understand why they did not give it up. Not saying it's the right thing to do, but that is they way of life.
We usually drive to Florida, but this past August we flew (on AirTran) and had no problems whatsoever. Yep, they had 3 standbys and they had to stay behind, but that is the risk you take when you fly standby. :shrug:

I have seen this argument before in other threads about Airtran actually. I don't know if this is true, but I believe someone wrote in and said that if you have a minor child under a certain age (it may have been 10 or 13) the airline is required by law to sit the child by at least one parent. That is even if you do not pay for a seat assignment.

I would suggest anyone who might be in that situation to know your rights before hand and be ready to complain if they do not accomodate.

On a personal note I think it is insane to sit any minor child by themself. Never mind their personal care (bathroom, food, drink) they could not necessarily take care of themselves in an emergency. That's just dangerous and stupid.

 

[mousefan1972]

I have seen this argument before in other threads about Airtran actually. I don't know if this is true, but I believe someone wrote in and said that if you have a minor child under a certain age (it may have been 10 or 13) the airline is required by law to sit the child by at least one parent. That is even if you do not pay for a seat assignment.

I would suggest anyone who might be in that situation to know your rights before hand and be ready to complain if they do not accomodate.

On a personal note I think it is insane to sit any minor child by themself. Never mind their personal care (bathroom, food, drink) they could not necessarily take care of themselves in an emergency. That's just dangerous and stupid.

We were sitting on a Southwest plane last spring in Orlando, waiting to return to Manchester, NH. It appeared everyone was on board, when at the last minute a mother and child (about 4 years old) came racing on to the plane. The plane was full and there were only 2 single seat left. The flight attendant came on the PA and let it be known that she needed 2 seats together for the mother and her child. When no one moved, she added that the plane would not take off until they could be seated... together. At that point, a middle aged couple got up and offered their seats. (we could not because we had our own very young children with us) So, it can be done. As mentioned in the post I quoted, it is not a smart policy of any airline to allow very young kids to sit alone. And paying extra to reserve seats in advance to ensure you can sit with your very young child is just ridiculous. I have recently flown Jetblue and Delta and they do not charge to choose your seat when you buy your ticket. Just another reason to avoid Airtran like the plague.....

 

[tigsmom]

I have seen this argument before in other threads about Airtran actually. I don't know if this is true, but I believe someone wrote in and said that if you have a minor child under a certain age (it may have been 10 or 13) the airline is required by law to sit the child by at least one parent. That is even if you do not pay for a seat assignment.

I would suggest anyone who might be in that situation to know your rights before hand and be ready to complain if they do not accomodate.

On a personal note I think it is insane to sit any minor child by themself. Never mind their personal care (bathroom, food, drink) they could not necessarily take care of themselves in an emergency. That's just dangerous and stupid.

AirTran's policies...

Children and Infants

One (1) child over 14 days and under two (2) years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free of charge in the lap of a customer paying the applicable adult fare. AirTran Airways may request a birth certificate to validate the age of an infant under the age of two (2).

Nothing being said about kids with parents. Minors fly alone all of the time (though I would only send a kid alone in an extreme emergency) and they sit in whatever seat they are assigned.

Unaccompanied Minors

AirTran defines an unaccompanied minor as a child at least five (5) years of age but less than twelve (12) years of age who is not accompanied by a customer twelve (12) years of age or older. Unaccompanied minors will be accepted for travel, with limitations, based on their itinerary. A child five (5) to seven (7) years of age will be accepted only on nonstop or direct flights between their origin and destination. A child eight (8) to eleven (11) years of age will be accepted even if their itinerary involves a connecting flight, provided the connecting flight is not the last flight of the day to their destination.

A child twelve (12) to fifteen (15) years of age is not required to travel as an unaccompanied minor. However, AirTran will accept children in this age category as unaccompanied minors upon request. When a child twelve (12) to fifteen (15) years of age is accepted, their itinerary may include a connecting flight, provided the connecting flight is not the last flight of the day to their destination. All applicable fees will apply.

Unaccompanied minors will be charged a fee of $39 one-way on nonstop and direct flights or $78 roundtrip. If two (2) or more children are traveling together, only one (1) charge is applicable. When an unaccompanied minor's itinerary involves a connecting flight, a fee of $59 one-way or $118 roundtrip will be charged. If two (2) or more children are traveling together, only one (1) charge is applicable.

Please advise AirTran Airways if the reservation is for an unaccompanied minor. AirTran will need information regarding the individual designated to take custody of the unaccompanied minor at the final destination. The designated individual will be required to present positive identification and sign a release.

To ensure a pleasant travel experience, AirTran Airways asks that you have the unaccompanied child check in at the departure gate at least one (1) hour prior to scheduled departure. The child will be courtesy-boarded and identified to the Flight Attendant as an unaccompanied child. Unaccompanied children arriving after the courtesy-boarding process has been completed will be boarded last, to ensure identification to the Flight Attendant. The person escorting the unaccompanied minor to the gate must remain at the gate until the flight departs. The child will be escorted off the aircraft by a Flight Attendant and released to the designee or another designated AirTran Airways Crew Member. AirTran Airways will require the person picking up the unaccompanied child to produce positive identification and sign a release. AirTran Airways hopes you will understand these requirements are intended for the safety and well-being of your child.

Can you believe they actually have more policies regarding animals than kids? :hammer:

I could not find any law to support your the claim you stated; not saying it doesn't exist, but just saying I could not find it.

Again let me say, I don't think it was right that the family was forced to sit apart.