Booked on Southwest, operated by Airtran, free luggage?

[spoiledraf]

Just booked through SW but flight operated by Airtran. Do we get free 1st and 2nd bag? Can we pick our seats with 24 hour check in. Thinking this might have been a bad idea. Regular Airtran customers will pick seats at booking and we get what's left and will probably get separated. Should have thought this out first.

[Opus X]

No...Air Tran does not have the same baggage procedures...concerning fees.
We ONLY fly Southwest...yes S.W. owns Air Tran...but Air Tran is still a "separate" company if you will....so prepare to spend $$ on luggage.

Note....However, you did book through S.W. so......Id call them, that may be a gray area...

[spoiledraf]

Yea better do that. Foolish on my part. Just caused some headaches for myself. Misread a FAQ thread and thought it said if you book through SW that their baggage policy's apply. Actually said if one segment was on SW then their policy apples to all but at least one segment must be on SW. I would rather have the ability to be sure we sit together than save $25 on a bag as I don't like flying and the wife helps keep me distracted. Anywayyyy...... The end destination heals all pain!

[spoiledraf]

According to the SW rep I called, since I booked through SW we get free bags. Seats assigned by SW at checking. Win some , lose some.

[faline]

According to the SW rep I called, since I booked through SW we get free bags. Seats assigned by SW at checking. Win some , lose some.

I thought I had read that Southwest luggage rules applied when booking through Southwest.

[Opus X]

According to the SW rep I called, since I booked through SW we get free bags. Seats assigned by SW at checking. Win some , lose some.

Just check in online 24 hours prior....you will ALWAYS sit together. We have NEVER had to sit apart.
I also don't know anyone who has.
Some folks worry about that with S.W. and I think its over blown, Again, NEVER an issue.

[Fangorn]

According to the SW rep I called, since I booked through SW we get free bags. Seats assigned by SW at checking. Win some , lose some.

This is correct. The way Southwest/AirTran is handling things during the merger is that the rules apply for whichever airline you book through, even though the flight (or a segment) is on the other airline. So if you booked through the SW side, you'll get free baggage, but you don't get to select your seat - that will be assigned at check-in (so check-in at the 24hr mark). Conversely, if you were to book through AirTran, you'd get to select you seat, but you'd be subject to the AirTran baggage policy.

Fortunately, this situation shouldn't last too much longer, as the integration is well under way.

Steve

[spoiledraf]

That's a relief. It is a 6am flight but is Dec. 1st. The Sunday after Thanksgiving so it will be full. Decided to book today because over half the flights were starting to show "Sold Out". 70 days to go!

[rkmemkc]

We ONLY fly Southwest.

Just chiming in to agree! Never an issue.

[spoiledraf]

My only fear is it is an Airtran flight and seats can be selected at purchase, which we usually do. I am concerned all the seats on the two seat side will be gone. But we'll deal with it!

[spoiledraf]

New question... There are two flight numbers on my confirmation. One for SW and one for Aitran. SWJust adds a 5 to the front of the Airtran flight number. I assume when I register for MAgical Express I use the Airtran number since Disney has no idea I booked through SW, correct?

[PopPhan]

I also have flights booked through Southwest that are "Operated by AirTran"....

On the printout of the reservations it states the following:

Carry-on Items: 1 bag + 1 small personal item are free, see full details.
Checked Items: First and second bags are free, size and weight limits apply.

I think you need to use the flight number that you actually reserved -- If through Southwest, use the Southwest number. On the baggage carousel, both flight numbers will be posted, so Bags, Inc. should use the same information to pull luggage before it gets to the carousel.

I think the thing that families should consider when reserving flights like this is the following quote from the reservation printout:

Don't forget to check in for your flight(s) 24 hours before your trip on southwest.com, your mobile device, at the AirTran Ticket Counter, or Airport Kiosk.
AirTran has assigned seating. Advanced seat assignments are not available. Customers who purchase an AirTran segment on Southwest channels will be assigned a seat at the time of check in.
Once you check in, you will not be able to change your seat until arrival at the airport.

So, make sure you still check in at the 24 hour mark if you want "good" seats.

[Fangorn]

New question... There are two flight numbers on my confirmation. One for SW and one for Aitran. SWJust adds a 5 to the front of the Airtran flight number. I assume when I register for MAgical Express I use the Airtran number since Disney has no idea I booked through SW, correct?

Use the flight number for whichever Airline you say you're using. If you say you're on AirTran, use their number. You could also say you're on SW, and use the other number.

Reality is, it doesn't really matter. ME is only going to use the flight number if you don't show up - then they'll be checking to see if the flight is delayed or cancelled. It's purely for their planning purposes, and won't affect whether your bags get picked up or not. Any bag with an ME yellow tag will be pulled from any domestic flight, regardless of flight number.

ME uses the flight number of returning flights to schedule your pick-up time.

Steve

[spoiledraf]

Thanks all.

[tinkerbell04]

We took an Airtran flight in June, booked through Southwest, both ways actually. The luggage is free for the first two bags. However, when we checked in, we were all in single seats, including my daughter. When I arrived at the counter, they told me that it was a full flight and a lot of people wanted to switch seats to sit with kids and their suggestion was to switch once on board. We did manage to switch the seats so my daughter and I could sit together, so it worked out, but I did think it was a little more stressful then flying outright with SW.

[mousetrapper]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but we ran into an issue on our May/June WDW trip. I had booked with SW but the return leg of the trip was on AirTran. All was fine except when we tried to do the baggage check at our resort (CBR). They went through the entire process and then claimed they couldn't find our reservation. There was a glitch in the system, probably caused because the merger had just taken place. So we wasted a lot of time for nothing. I guess if the return leg had been SW there wouldn't have been an issue.