AirTran Airways? Reliable?

[Hopkins]

We are going on a cruise with another couple and are leaving from BWI (Baltimore). Southwest has flights in the $268 range and all direct into Orlando. AirTran has flights in the $188 range. The flight down is non-stop, but the flight back has a connection in Atlanta. In your experience, do you like AirTran Airways. Are they on-time, reliable... ?

Thanks in advance.
Tina
Magic Western 10/11/03

 

[winnyis]

8/31 Magic Cruise and they were WONDERFUL... New planes, arrived early, extremely nice fight crew - so nice I actually wrote a letter commending them on the flights.

I wouldnt hesitate to fly air tran again.

 

[Hopkins]

Do you remember what times you left Baltimore and Orlando? I'd love to get your same flights. I like the newer planes. Sometimes with these discounters (we usually fly Southwest) the planes are old.

Thanks!
Tina

 

[Univfire]

I have flew on Airtran before and it was worth the savings. The flight crew was nice, but the plane I was on was small. I told my DH I was glad it was him next to me b/c I wouldn't want to touch a stranger. (We literally couldn't help touch - and we are not overweight).

I would like to suggest though that you check USAirways at www.usairways.com Go over to the reservation place on the left and put in your departing and arriving airport then click "I'm flexible". It will pull up a list of prices on the left and a calendar on the right. The available dates for the price you select will be highlighted. I found they are SOMETIMES cheaper than even airtran. We will be flying USAirways in May from DFW to MCO. PM me or email me if you'd like any further assistance.

Good Luck

 

[winnyis]

dont remember the exact times but I think it was the first flight out on the friday before the cruise.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Not only are they a good, reliable airline, but they help keep the fares low out of Atlanta... providing some competition for Delta's fortress hub here. I like to support them if only for that reason.

 

[EMT-319]

From Philadelphia to Orlando I have flown both US Airways and AirTran. US Air always left on time. However, the one time I used AirTran (a 10 am flight out of PHL on a Tuesday in August 2001) the plane was an hour late arriving from Atlanta, blew an engine when landing, and since AirTran does not have any service facilities in PHL, we had to wait for a plane to be flown in from Pittsburgh. We arrived in Orlando 5-1/2 hours late! We arrived in DW around 8 pm. Good thing that I wasn't taking a cruise. I had heard bad things about AirTran so I "tracked" this particular flight and it was on-time or arrived early every flight for a month prior to our delayed flight. That's my luck !

The AirTran flight from MCO to PHL left and arrived on-time. The planes were a "newer model". Though both times we sat in the same general area and condensation water dripped on our seats each flight.

For our March 16th (4day Wonder cruise) we will be flying out of Atlantic City on Spirit the day prior. We'll see how they do.

I was going to take the AutoTrain, but it's arrival times vary from on-time to 5 hours late - can't risk a late arrival on the day of our cruise departure.

My luck again - the price dropped $ 25 per ticket a week after I booked my non-refundable flights on Spirit. Spirit was still less than AirTran or US Air this time.

 

[inkkognito]

I know exactly what you mean, Dave...I feel the same way about ATA here in Chicago! They seem to be the only reason that we have decent Orlando fares. The others (American, United) used to match them, but not anymore, so we've been flying ATA almost exclusively now.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Doctor P]

Do not confuse AirTran and American Trans Air (ATA). ATA has an outstanding reputation. AirTran is the old Valujet and continues to have FAA/NTSB problems from what I have been told--haven't flown them since they changed names.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Originally posted by Doctor P
Do not confuse AirTran and American Trans Air (ATA). ATA has an outstanding reputation. AirTran is the old Valujet and continues to have FAA/NTSB problems from what I have been told--haven't flown them since they changed names.

AirTran was already existing when they merged/bought Valujet. I believe they even have different planes now.

 

[Doctor P]

It is true that there was a merger and they kept the AirTran name, but I can assure you that my information comes from two sources in the air safety and aeronautics industry who I trust and who have always had good information. I don't refuse to fly many airlines or many aircraft, but AirTran is one that I will likely never set foot on. I am glad that many others have had a good, and a low cost experience.

 

[padisneyfan]

Tina,

I also usually fly out of BWI on SWA, but for my May trip we are flying with AirTran. There rates were cheaper than SWA, we are flying down at 7:40pm on May 21 and returning on 6/5 @ 10am. Both are non stop flights. We were able to get the $66/one way fare for 5/21, but that was the last day of the promotion. So paying $77 for the return flight.

We are going to be on the same 10/11 Western Carribean cruise also. I am waiting for SWA fares to come out for October before we book that flight. Depending on my Air Tran experience we determine, which airline we use on the way down for 10/11. We tend to fly down on the Friday night before a cruise and take the last flights out of BWI that are direct to Baltimore.

We have a large group of DIS members going on the 10/11 cruise. Come join us on the 10/11 thread.

Nancy

 

[Melrosgirl]

Originally posted by Doctor P
It is true that there was a merger and they kept the AirTran name, but I can assure you that my information comes from two sources in the air safety and aeronautics industry who I trust and who have always had good information. I don't refuse to fly many airlines or many aircraft, but AirTran is one that I will likely never set foot on. I am glad that many others have had a good, and a low cost experience.

Although I don't doubt you, I do think that basing information like this and"scaring" others is silly considering AirTran itself has no crash record. US Air recently crashed in Charlotte. (US Air's business partner that they used to do their charter flights that is.) AirTran to my knowledge has no history of crashes, yet USAir, United, Alaska Air, etc. - most of them do!

If the FAA knows there are safety problems with an airline and they aren't making that public knowledge, shame on them.

 

[Towncrier]

We used AirTran to fly down to Orlando last November for a 3-day cruise. Our only problem was with the return flight. The weather turned nasty and our return flight was diverted from Akron (Ohio) to Pittsburgh. We had to spend the night in a motel in Pittsburgh and take a bus back to Akron the next morning. I had a few complaints about their customer service (or lack thereof) at the Pittsburgh airport, but they did get us home safe and sound (and a day late). At least their pilots seem competent.

 

[Doctor P]

I am not trying to unnecessarily scaring people. I did a quick web investigation before I made my second post, and AirTran itself also has had some safety and accident issues according to what I could find. Everyone needs to evaluate the information that they have and make their own decision. I can assure you that the information that I have is available at least as accusations in a very cursory web search regarding AirTran (and you will get both sides of the issue very strongly stated). I have had the benefit of experts who I trust who have corroborated a lot of the bad things you will find. I'm really NOT trying to scare anyone, but rather trying to share with my fellow DISer's my concerns, a general notion of why I feel that way, and my personal decision to not deal with this airline. Others may evaluate the information differently, or have different information, or may make a different decision based on the same information. That is great, and I won't argue. Just want people to be cautious and to gather the information they need about any airline they are unfamiliar with. Good luck!

 

[atigeg]

Oops, I didn't mean to cause confusion with my post. I meant that I feel the same way about ATA as a separate airline that keeps fares low in Chicago like Air Tran does in other areas. I always forget that they have similar names and are easily confused! ATA has been around for a long time...they started off as a charter airline, then went for the mass market billing themselves as a "vacation" airline, and now they have changed their image, flight attendant outfits, etc., to have a more mainstream image. They have been flying for over 20 years, and recently they started adding lots of brand-new 757s. They are in limited markets, but for anyone who can use them, I recommend them. We've had great luck with on-time flights with ATA and I'm a paranoid flyer who likes the new aircraft. Only spooky thing is taking off at Midway Airport (home of micro-runways) in those huge 757-300 stretch planes. I always feel like flapping my arms to make sure we get off the runway in time to avoid being on Cicero Avenue!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Yes, I'm quite aware that ValuJet had a fatal crash in the Everglades. The cause of that crash, however, was improperly stored an labeled oxygen canisters which were put onboard by a third-party supplier. Criminal negligence charges were filed against that supplier.

The purchase of AirTran and the assumption of AirTran's name was more of a shift in focus than an attempt to cover up the bad association of the VJ name from the Everglades crash. They wanted to reach a broader market than just the discount vacation travelers.

The jet that crashed was an old DC-9. Since then, AirTran has been purchasing many new Boeing 717's. They have one of the youngest fleets in the industry (<b><i>far</i></b> younger than Northworst's). And, as glib as this sounds, the crash served as a coming-of-age for the airline and its staff. They take things much more seriously now.

The "major" airlines have problems too. I feel much more comfortable flying AirTran than I do a major airline that's currently in Chapter 11. (United and USAirways.)

 

[KMovies]

Even after the merger, they operated as two seperate airlines. They couldn't use each other planes and such. Our flight from Bloomington, IL to Orlando was on Airtran, and not ex-Valu Jet. Later, they stopped the direct line so you would take Airtran to Atlanta and then ex-Valu Jet to Orlando. I believe on was called Airtran Airways and the other Airtran Airlines - anyways they operated totally seperate for quite a while. Airtran had a very good record prior to the merger - and haven't heard anything bad afterwords either.

I still try to fly American to get flier miles, but half of the time fly Airtran due to the pricing.

And yes, like ATA, Airtran has many new planes. Did have to fly ATA once out of Chicago since the prices were really high locally for some reason. Down to Orlando, I rode in a plane a week old. The next week we flew they said the plane was a week old. We said, wait, a week ago they said it was a week old. Guess what - it was a different plane that had been delivered a week after the other plane. Wow!

 

[Hopkins]

Do you get an assigned seat on AirTran? On Southwest it's gab any open seat.

Tina

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You get a seat assignment when you check in. With some fares you can reserve your seat in advance. None of the free-for-all of SWA, though.