Airtran-Well, you all warned me but I didn't listen

[crashbb]

Im not buying the 30 minute initial delay equals 1 hour overall as flight time would still be same length.

The PP has his own rules for math.

However, I have actually had it happen. The New York Airports increased their "cushion" time. My flight times were changed. I left 5 minutes later and arrived about 25 minutes later. It was simply due to an increase in the ATC "cushion".

On the other hand, last week (again involving NYC), I took a VDB for a flight 90 minutes later. Since the later flight ended up leaving NYC at the perfect window, whilst the earlier flight had a slight ground delay at take off and the later flight had a bigger/faster plane, our arrival time was only 60 minutes later (and I got $400 USD for my troubles).

 

[keishashadow]

The PP has his own rules for math.

However, I have actually had it happen. The New York Airports increased their "cushion" time. My flight times were changed. I left 5 minutes later and arrived about 25 minutes later. It was simply due to an increase in the ATC "cushion".

On the other hand, last week (again involving NYC), I took a VDB for a flight 90 minutes later. Since the later flight ended up leaving NYC at the perfect window, whilst the earlier flight had a slight ground delay at take off and the later flight had a bigger/faster plane, our arrival time was only 60 minutes later (and I got $400 USD for my troubles).

now you r talking

not familiar w/NYC airports other than knowing enough to avoid connecting flights thru them if possible. It's so nice to fly out of small airport (PIT) where once u leave the terminal there is no sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off

 

[Inkmahm]

jmho, being able to book a cheap connecting flight for $49, then eagerly awaiting a 5-10 minute change & requesting a seat on a $299 NS flight is a loophole that truly does cost the average (the non-in the know how the game works) consumer in the end imo.not to say i haven't done it myself (although i only book connecting flights when nothing else is offered)

Just for the record, I never book a flight through Atlanta on Airtran, ever. I always book a nonstop. For MKE, the nonstop price is often CHEAPER than the flights that connect through Atlanta, as wacky as that sounds.

I DO change back and forth between morning/afternoon/evening NS flights if I want to when there has been a few minute change in my schedule. But the price differential is never anything close to the difference between $49 and $299.

 

[DVCBELLE]

In my experience - Airtran charges the same for non-stop flights as they do for connecting flights AND the fare comes out cheaper b/c of segment fees.

Sometimes the fare may slightly differ but Airtran generally speaking starts all of their fares out at the same price and then increases the fare with demand. I have often seen a less desireable non-stop have a lower price than a layover.

Airtran's business model must work for them. It makes me a loyal customer. While some might not be able to deal with the uncertainty - I am in a market monopolized by Delta and appreciate the low fares Airtran offers - even if I am risking a flight change.

 

[keishashadow]

In my experience - Airtran charges the same for non-stop flights as they do for connecting flights AND the fare comes out cheaper b/c of segment fees.

Sometimes the fare may slightly differ but Airtran generally speaking starts all of their fares out at the same price and then increases the fare with demand. I have often seen a less desireable non-stop have a lower price than a layover.

Airtran's business model must work for them. It makes me a loyal customer. While some might not be able to deal with the uncertainty - I am in a market monopolized by Delta and appreciate the low fares Airtran offers - even if I am risking a flight change.

im going to guess u don't fly out of PIT

using the pre-tax $ figure, ive never seen dates ive checked less than double for NS, typically they are more (as in my travel to FLL end of the month where i used the $49/$299 comparison - oddly enough there were voucher fares open though?)...and do tend to rise after the travel date gets closer. Although i've gotten good last minute summer time fares in July on AT

im not sure how viable AT is in today's economyI hope they hang in there though cause once the competition dries up, the fares skyrocket

 

[Pink Flamingo]

Found this article on Most Complained About Airlines on yahoo today. Very interesting. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-34489767

Here are the top 10 most complained about airlines (in order from most to least complaints):
1. Delta
2. United
3. US Air
4. Northwest
5. American
6. Comair
7. Continental
8. AirTran
9. Frontier
10. Jet Blue

 

[Inkmahm]

Just did my periodic check of my Airtran scheduled flights and found that they moved our flight on Oct 21 from 1:40 pm to 3 pm. We'd get there too late for our ADR at Yachtsmen Steakhouse with that move so I just called and changed us to the 7:35 am flight (all of these are nonstop) without a hitch. That one is currently at $176 and I paid $85 originally.

I'm happier with the early morning flight anyway. It was my DH who wanted the 1:40 flight so he didn't have to get up so early! Now we get to start eating at Epcot F&W festival an afternoon earlier than planned.

 

[TaraPA]

Just did my periodic check of my Airtran scheduled flights and found that they moved our flight on Oct 21 from 1:40 pm to 3 pm. We'd get there too late for our ADR at Yachtsmen Steakhouse with that move so I just called and changed us to the 7:35 am flight (all of these are nonstop) without a hitch. That one is currently at $176 and I paid $85 originally.

I'm happier with the early morning flight anyway. It was my DH who wanted the 1:40 flight so he didn't have to get up so early! Now we get to start eating at Epcot F&W festival an afternoon earlier than planned.

Good for you! See, sometimes all the AT changes work out for the better!

 

[Hoopfamily]

I'm courious of everyone's opinion... Just this morning my AAA TA called me and told me that my 8am non stop flight to MCO on Sept 25 was cancelled!! So mind you this is NOT weather related. They "compensated" us by putting us on a 5:30AM flight with a connection in Atlanta. We told them no, as I paid for a non stop flight and am also traveling with a 3yr old. The only other flight they can give us is at 11 am is going to get us to MCO three hours later than the first flight. Not that big a deal but we are now missing time in the parks on our first day. So my question is... How can they just do that and expect people not to complain!! And now I have to worry about them changing my return flight for some no good unexplained reason!! I should have just listened to the boards and spent the extra $$ and NOT booked with AirTran!!

What you should have done is waited a bit to see if they have another change for a flight that would suit your needs better. Keep watching your airtran schedule if something that suits your needs better comes up call and see if they'll change your flight. But remember when you call an airline, car rental, hotel, "BE NICE". I have never not gotten what I want from one of them and I'M ALWAYS NICE WHEN i CALL.

 

[Hoopfamily]

I also have to add the following.
I love Airtran because they change their schedule. That's right I said it and I'll tell you why. I can book with them 6 months out based totally on price and get a great price. We got them last year for $79.00 / pp. We had connecting flights at terrible time and my flight from BOS was set up for TPA.
I was banking on them changing their time and they did by 4 minutes (or something small like that) and they gladly booked me a nonstop to MCO with no price change. Another time they bent the front leg on my daughters graco stroller (which she had outgrown and I was going to throw out soon). As compensation they gave us 3 roundtrip tickets.
The only reason I'm not flying them this time around is we were gifted tickets by my mother for our upcoming trip on Southwest.
Embrace airtran for all the things they do well and get off them for things they cannot control.

 

[ssawka]

I also have to add the following.
I love Airtran because they change their schedule. That's right I said it and I'll tell you why. I can book with them 6 months out based totally on price and get a great price. We got them last year for $79.00 / pp. We had connecting flights at terrible time and my flight from BOS was set up for TPA.
I was banking on them changing their time and they did by 4 minutes (or something small like that) and they gladly booked me a nonstop to MCO with no price change. Another time they bent the front leg on my daughters graco stroller (which she had outgrown and I was going to throw out soon). As compensation they gave us 3 roundtrip tickets.
The only reason I'm not flying them this time around is we were gifted tickets by my mother for our upcoming trip on Southwest.
Embrace airtran for all the things they do well and get off them for things they cannot control.

Yes, sometimes changes to AT flight schedules work to your advantage, but often times they do not. Everyone has to decide for themselves what is most important to them. If price is the most important factor for you then you can get great rates on AT, but if schedule is more important, I would avoid AT. For us, not having to make a connection on a 2 hour flight is very important, so I'd have to be getting a great deal to risk a connection with AT.

 

[keishashadow]

Yes, sometimes changes to AT flight schedules work to your advantage, but often times they do not. Everyone has to decide for themselves what is most important to them. If price is the most important factor for you then you can get great rates on AT, but if schedule is more important, I would avoid AT. For us, not having to make a connection on a 2 hour flight is very important, so I'd have to be getting a great deal to risk a connection with AT.

we've had to jog & change terminals to make a connecting flight in ATL more times than i care to remember.

however, i'll defend AT as to connection efforts. twice their personnel (who met our incoming flight that was delayed by weather) told us they'd hold the connecting plane @ the gate if we made it there in X amount of timeand we did, despite having to navigate a terminal change. Im sure it depends on how busy the airport is, still it was much appreciated not to have to spend the night as we'd have missed the last flight home.

 

[ssawka]

we've had to jog & change terminals to make a connecting flight in ATL more times than i care to remember.

however, i'll defend AT as to connection efforts. twice their personnel (who met our incoming flight that was delayed by weather) told us they'd hold the connecting plane @ the gate if we made it there in X amount of timeand we did, despite having to navigate a terminal change. Im sure it depends on how busy the airport is, still it was much appreciated not to have to spend the night as we'd have missed the last flight home.

Yes, however what I was getting at was we don't want a connection at all. For us, it just doesn't make sense to have a connection on such a short trip, and we are happy to pay more to avoid it. With AT and their flight changes, you may buy what you think is a non-stop flight only to find you have a connection when your travel date arrives. Can this happen with other airlines? Sure! But I would bet that it happens much less frequently than it does with AT, though I don't have any statistics to back it up.

 

[kaytieeldr]

With AT and their flight changes, you may buy what you think is a non-stop flight only to find you have a connection when your travel date arrives.

Respectfully, one would have to be a very inexperienced or uninformed or unconnected - by ANY type of technology, including phone (or who chose to not provide the airline with correct information) to not be unaware of changes to one's flight until the travel date.

 

[ssawka]

Respectfully, one would have to be a very inexperienced or uninformed or unconnected - by ANY type of technology, including phone (or who chose to not provide the airline with correct information) to not be unaware of changes to one's flight until the travel date.

Ok, so maybe I exagerated. What I am trying to say is you do not wind up with what you purchased! When you book the flight it is non-stop, but then flights change and non-stop is no longer available unless you switch airlines.

 

[Inkmahm]

Ok, so maybe I exagerated. What I am trying to say is you do not wind up with what you purchased! When you book the flight it is non-stop, but then flights change and non-stop is no longer available unless you switch airlines.

When my nonstop Airtran flights have been changed to connecting flights, I've always been able to call and switch to another nonstop flight at no charge. There are at least 3 nonstop flights to and from MCO for us each day.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes, however what I was getting at was we don't want a connection at all. For us, it just doesn't make sense to have a connection on such a short trip, and we are happy to pay more to avoid it. With AT and their flight changes, you may buy what you think is a non-stop flight only to find you have a connection when your travel date arrives. Can this happen with other airlines? Sure! But I would bet that it happens much less frequently than it does with AT, though I don't have any statistics to back it up.

Just happened to me in April with Delta. My non-stop flight home was changed to one with a 40 minute connection. I looked up the flights available, called, and was changed to a much later one (read, more park time!) that had an hour and a half layover thru Atlanta. And that was just about the perfect amount of time to get to my gate, get a munchie, and get on the plane.

 

[keishashadow]

Yes, however what I was getting at was we don't want a connection at all. For us, it just doesn't make sense to have a connection on such a short trip, and we are happy to pay more to avoid it. With AT and their flight changes, you may buy what you think is a non-stop flight only to find you have a connection when your travel date arrives. Can this happen with other airlines? Sure! But I would bet that it happens much less frequently than it does with AT, though I don't have any statistics to back it up.

me too, just can't always get what i want

certainly nice to to have choices, albiet more costly ones

 

[ssawka]

When my nonstop Airtran flights have been changed to connecting flights, I've always been able to call and switch to another nonstop flight at no charge. There are at least 3 nonstop flights to and from MCO for us each day.

We looked, on the particulair day of the flight change, they were not flying any non-stop flights back to our originating airport.

 

[ssawka]

me too, just can't always get what i want

certainly nice to to have choices, albiet more costly ones

Yes, it is nice to have choices! I have only been telling my experience with AT so others may make informed decisions. I am not saying not to use AT, I'm just letting others know what they are likely to encounter. For some of us, price is not the only deciding factor!