Air Tran Ruins Last Day Of Trip

[PoohsGang]

DO NOT BOOK AIR TRAN UNLESS YOU WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!



AFTER SEVERAL EMAILS THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS DONE NOTHING TO KEEP A LOYAL CUSTOMER. IN A NUTSHEL THEY JUST DONT CARE THEY SEND PREWRITTEN EMAILS STATING THEY CHANGE FLIGHTS RANDOMLY FOR SAFETY REASONS. WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT?



We are BCV DVC members always booking same time of year.

We book our flights through Air Tran every Nov / Dec (Saturday after Thanksgiving for 9 daysevery year) We always book on the first available day so we can make our plans, book our seats etc. Guarantee a good price etc.



This year we booked travel NonStop Both ways paid for that, we were going to use Jet Blue but AirTrans Flight schedules allowed us to have breakfast at Crystal Palace with my god children as they will arriving the day before we leave, this was something we planned months ahead as you all know reservations are difficult.

When looking at my itinerary online the other night, I noticed my flight back had been changed it now leaves 2.5 hours earlier, we now go 1 stop not nonstop from Orlando to Ohio then to Boston. We were never alerted of this change it was by luck I checked the site and found it. This now eliminates our chance for breakfast with the family. I immediately called AirTran after being on hold for 35 minutes I explained my situation, they told me they could give me my money back or change my flight, the flight options extended my travel day by 3 hours at the minimum or I was offered flight a day earlier or a day later. Being DVC members so our options for rooms for an additional night were 0 (none). I asked if there was anything that could be done perhaps upgrade us to business class to keep a loyal Rewards customer happy. I got an I'm sorry which quite honestly doesn't help me one bit. If I get my money back and book new flights, today's flight are substantially more money, we booked 330 days out to guarantee a good price and flights that would fit our schedule. I will never Fly Air Tran again as there customer service has done nothing to satisfy a good repeat customer. Don't book AirTran THIS MAY HAPPEN TO YOU! What type of customer service would you call this? In my opinion it's terrible, I paid for one flight got confirmation then they switched us to whatever they wanted, not letting us know. That is poor customer service. I would highly recommend NOT FLYING AIRTRAN.

[DizneyRox]

Most airlines are doing this. I feel what they are doing is offering a wide selection of flights to appeal to more people, then as the dates approach, they consolidate them for cost savings. To me this is bait and switch, only has to happen once and I stop flying with that airline.

Right now, I only fly Southwest.

[MinnieMommie]

I am leaving for FL today on AirTran. We have never flown ArirTran before. I am really sorry to hear about how the change of flight affected your plans and that you did not receive adequate customer service. Thanks for the head's up. We will be careful to keep checking our flight times traveling up and back. Right now all is as scheduled. :mickey:

[PoohsGang]

I have previously flown them 8 times without a glitch until now.

[PoohsGang]

I cant beleive this in the time it took me to post this they moved my departure flight 2 hours later. Again, no notification!

[PetefromRI]

I really feel for you.This is happening more frequently these days especially on Delta.I wish that the government would pass some kind of law against this nonsense.As far as customer service goes,I really don't think any large corp.cares anymore.The CEO's are getting rich so they really don't care if they keep your business or not.If the execs screw up real bad they just get a golden parachute and live happily ever after.We only fly SouthWest but I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop with them to.I hate to say it but I've lost faith in our business and political ethics in this country .Now I'll get off of my :soapbox:.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Interesting post - I say "interesting" because I've been through these exact same scenarios several times with AirTran.

The two best options for my family travelling are AirTran and JetBlue. JetBlue has definitely gotten more pricey in the past 2 years, so we usually book with AirTran. The problem is that Airtran almost always changes their schedules. It is quite frustrating.

The option for us is to use JetBlue for more money, or take the risk with Airtran and save a few bucks.

Nowadays, we just book Jetblue. It's worth it as they do NOT change their schedules as often as Airtran. JetBlue does make changes, but not to the extent that Airtran does.

I made the mistake of booking Airtran for this coming January - marathon weekend. By the time I was informed of their "flight schedule changes," I was out a few hundred bucks (by booking with JetBlue).

Bye-bye Airtran. Hello to the more expensive JetBlue.

[Tinkerbella16]

I agree.. I never had problems with AirTran until this year. We booked AirTran going to Orlando in November. Our flight leaving Philly was at 1pm...well one day I just happened to check, and found out that our flight was moved to 6:30pm!!!!! I was livid...no email, no nothing. If I hadn't looked, I would've never known. So we got on the phone with AirTran and the guy was nice enough to put us on a different flight with no problems...actually an earlier flight than our original scheduled time...so now we leave at 11:28am.

Its just the fact of the matter. They moved our flight 5 1/2 hours later...that would have been a whole first day wasted just traveling. And they didn't even notify us about it, thats what makes me mad! :mad:

[5 Mousekteers]

Same problems, different airline. This has happened to us in the past also, flying Spirit. They had the same bad customer service and notification. We switched to flying Airtran, and thank heavens haven't had any problems for the last few years. Sorry about your expierence. Poor customer service seems to be rampant amongst all the airlines.

[PoohsGang]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.



Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am so confused.
2) You complain about the flight schedule changes.
3) But, the airline would accommodate you with a later flight.
4) You now get to have a meal with god daughter.
5) You also said that being upgraded would make you happy.
6) I simply do not understand the problem or why you are upset.
7) Also, as DVC members, I don't understand the extra day problem.
8) You could use points for another day or pay OOP elsewhere if wait-listed.
9) The airline tried to help, but you would accept only the original flight times.

NOTE: Airlines change flights frequently to better match flights with people. It sounds like the airline in the case tried to satisfy you in several different manners - including a refund. I think the airline did go out of their way to rectify your perceived problem.

[PoohsGang]

1) I am so confused.
2) You complain about the flight schedule changes.
3) But, the airline would accommodate you with a later flight.
4) You now get to have a meal with god daughter.
5) You also said that being upgraded would make you happy.
6) I simply do not understand the problem or why you are upset.
7) Also, as DVC members, I don't understand the extra day problem.
8) You could use points for another day or pay OOP elsewhere if wait-listed.
9) The airline tried to help, but you would accept only the original flight times.

NOTE: Airlines change flights frequently to better match flights with people. It sounds like the airline in the case tried to satisfy you in several different manners - including a refund. I think the airline did go out of their way to rectify your perceived problem.

I'll make this real simple for you

1 no BCV Rooms for extra day, or points for that matter.

2 Flight was nonstop, now a layover travel day is now 2 hours earler and 3 hours longer.

3 and 4 address how they would accomadate me.

3 Flight changes they offered that had the same times no stop were a day earlier which would cause us to loose a day.

4 Other flight option was day after, with no more DVC points available, or rooms for that day, that doesnt quite work, comprable room is around 570.00 a night if a cash res could be made.

I ask is that accomadateing????

I hope I have made this real easy for you to see my frustration. I also hope this clears up your confusion.

[PoohRules]

We booked our flight through AirTran. Originally it was a direct flight and we would get in early enough to enjoy the afternoon. While they did notify us, via email, all the sudden they wanted to route us through Atlanta and add hours to our flight. The change was not just our flight, but no more flights went direct to Orlando from our airport on Airtran. They did give us a refund, but I ended up paying more to go with another airline so late in the game. I know a lot of airlines are doing this, but it does appear that AirTran holds the award for most unreliable.

[ElenitaB]

Ever since our family's very first encounter with AirTran back in 1996, I've steered clear of them. Once with disastrous customer service and no communication re: flight changes, was enough!

But don't think that JetBlue is exempt from flight changes. Our flights in both directions for our December vacation have been changed.

[tink179]

We have Airtran booked and have had them booked since July. Our trip is not till January and there hasn't been any changes yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Honestly though,my family and I plan nothing on the day we arrive or the day that we leave, because you never know what may come up. We travel in January so you never know when a flight will be delayed due to weather. That's why I did not make any ADR's on the day we arrive or the day we leave. I'd hate to plan something special and wait till the last minute for things and have them canceled.I know you pay a certain amount for a certain time, but with the way all the airlines are today it's never really certain on any of them anymore.

[Insanity Clause]

I hope this doesn't happen when we go. I booked AirTran about a month ago and now we are at the 196 mark...My nightmare is that things get all messed up with the travel. We are meeting some friends of mine there who are coming in for another trip.

[BigRedDad]

This is an issue you booked with an airline that frequently alters flights to reduce their cost. This is perfectly legal with your ticketing policy. You can avoid this by not paying the absolute lowest fare. Book first class or business class and you are less likely to encounter these problems. If you are looking to save a dollar flying, the airlines are going to walk all over you. They only have to offer you or switch you to another flight. You are lucky they even offered a refund.

People should not be upset with the airlines directly.

[PoohsGang]

This is an issue you booked with an airline that frequently alters flights to reduce their cost. This is perfectly legal with your ticketing policy. You can avoid this by not paying the absolute lowest fare. Book first class or business class and you are less likely to encounter these problems. If you are looking to save a dollar flying, the airlines are going to walk all over you. They only have to offer you or switch you to another flight. You are lucky they even offered a refund.

People should not be upset with the airlines directly.

"People should not be upset with the airlines directly."

So your saying we should be happy not upset that they can walk all over us, boy I should have thought of that. I'm happier now!:ack:

[Ed]

Just got off the phone with AirTran, cancelled the flights booked Nonstop, Manchester NH (20 minutes from our home vs Boston 45 plus with traffic) to Orlando round trip $488.00 on Southwest, Airtran refunded 678.00 dollars, better flights non stop and almost 200.00 saved.

Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?

I fly Southwest almost 100% of the time, and haven't had a bad experience yet. Their flights are almost always on time (in fact, they often arrive at the destination early), and delays are almost always due to weather, over which they have no control.

Southwest has "open seating", which means that there are no reserved seats. You can check in online 24 hours before your scheduled departure time and get your boarding passes. The boarding passes will have a big letter A, B or C and a number. There are some exceptions that are too much to explain here, but essentially after passengers with physical disabilities are boarded, the person holding A1 boards, followed by A2, etc. Then the B group, then C. When you get on the plane, you pick your seats, and you're good to go. It sounds a little confusing, but I've always found that the boarding goes smoothly and quickly.

[thumperbug]

I have flown SW almost exclusively over the last 4 years or so with the exception of using Jetblue twice.

I have always found that SW departs on time on my way down and since our flights home are always the last in the day have generally been delayed but every time has been due to weather and let me tell you...when that plane gets the gate to let the folks off and get you on...they can turn that plane around in about 20 minutes.

I;ve been given complimentary drinks due to the delay (even though not their fault) and never had any luggage lost or a bad flight.

The 2 times I have flown with Jetblue were uneventful and 1 flight time did get changed a month before but only by about 10 minutes and I got email notification.

I have never had a schedule change or cancellation with SW. I am a bit nervous though b/c SW plans to cut out one of the daily flights from the airport I fly from to MCO,starting in January but haven't announced which flight.

My planned flight for Feb 09 is the first flight out in the AM and sold out in 2 weeks so I am hoping the flight canceled will be one of the afternoon ones.

[tink179]

"People should not be upset with the airlines directly."

So your saying we should be happy not upset that they can walk all over us, boy I should have thought of that. I'm happier now!:ack:

No, BigRedDad was trying to explain to you that you get what you pay for. I don't think any airline says once you have booked with us we will not change your flight. It's true what he says...that's how Airtran keeps their costs down and makes flights cheaper. I'm not sure why you're still upset by all of this. Didn't you cancel your tickets, got your money back, and saved $200 on a different flight on another airline anyway??? I say move on!

[thumperbug]

its getting to whether you risk a low fair airline that could make so many changes that end up getting to your destination a day late and leaving a day earlier.

I book with the airline that I feel is reliable and keeps me from losing sleep. I am paying a few $ more for this comfort...but it is worth it

[scootch713]

They do usually let you know when it is completely comfirmed. I have had this on USAirways too. Why not stay an extra night at a value resort???

[massachusetts]

I always use SW. Customer service is wonderful .

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I can sympathize. I know 2 people who went through the exact same thing. Although they were not offered a refund, I am sure they would have jumped at the offer. My sisters flight was changed 3 times without notice before she left.

You will love SW. Just remember to check in 24 hours before yoiur departure. You will get the best space in line to board. It's no longer a cattle call like it was, it's well organized and it goes quickly. We just got back last night and used SW both ways and enjoyed every minute of our flight. The attendants are absolutely accomodating and funny to boot. I think once you see what they are like you will never fly with anyone else. Also remember to bring you confirmation with you where ever you will be the last day before you leave to check in and print a boarding pass. Your resort will do it, guest relations will do it or if you have internet access you can do it on your phone and get the boarding passes at the airport.

[Ian]

Now could people explain The cattle seating or whatever they call it with SouthWest, also any comments about Southwest? Good or bad?Actually here's all you need to know ... exactly 24 hours before your flight (and I do mean exactly) go online and check in for your flight and print boarding passes.

You'll be fine if you do that.


I fly Southwest almost 100% of the time, and haven't had a bad experience yet.I'm with Ed ... I've switched to exclusively flying Southwest and I've never had a single bad experience.

Until they prove me wrong, I'm 100% committed to always flying Southwest.

[BigRedDad]

So your saying we should be happy not upset that they can walk all over us, boy I should have thought of that. I'm happier now!:ack:

What I am referring to is that you made a choice to fly an airline that will cancel flights if they cannot at least break even on the cost. Not only the cost of your flight, but the flight that is supposed to get your plane to your airport. Next, you chose the cheapest fare which will provide you with little leverage when working with agents on a canceled flight. If you purchase 1st Class tickets, then you have priorities that Coach class passengers do not. This is a personal choice and it is completely up to you.

The recommendation I have is to use an airline that does not have these issues. Just on these boards, neighbors, and people I work with, it is easy to find that Delta, United, Northwest, and AirTran do this. I am sure many others do as well. This is where Southwest excels. They have regional routes only and they maintain those routes very well. I have never experienced a canceled flight on SWA and I do not recall reading any instances here. I did encounter a 2 hour delay from MCO to RDU on our retunr flight in April. This was not entirely unexpected because of the major storms in the Midwest and our plane was coming from Chicago and got held up there.

[Katzateer]

We have flown AirTran out of Indianapolis about 8 times and haven't had any problems-no big schedule changes.

This year we are driving. I was worried this would be the year we would have a problem-I always time our flights for when we need to leave and only fly non-stop.

Sorry to hear you had problems-it is frustrating.

[Magic Smiles]

Many airlines change flights. We have actually missed connecting flights on return flights when the times were changed while on vacation, to return home to messages informing us of the changes.
This is the small stuff I say. What is 5 hours when you still get to visit WDW?

[Tink#64]

I can completely sympathize with you PoohsGang! I'm a neurotic planner! It's what I do & I love it! But I know I would be really upset if someone else changed my plans for me!
We didn't fly this year, we drove, which I hated! It felt like the time spent driving was just wasted. But our last trip that we flew was 2 years ago & Delta changed our flight there & the return flight as well! I can't remember all of the times, but I do know that one of the flights was changed a couple of times. We were never notified, I learned of the change only because I'm completely neurotic & continue to check the flights & prices to be sure we got the best deal! :blush: Lucky for us the changes didn't interfere with any of our hard laid plans! I know that I would have felt just like you! I don't think what we pay for airfare is pocket change & I guess I feel like when I purchase something I'm going to get what I understood that I was paying for! You planned for that trip for those priceless moments & then poof! your plans go up in smoke! I'm sorry this happened to you. We've had many problems with Delta, but yes, it is the best price we've found & with 2 young DS's in tow, a mortage & tuition, I'm not going to go looking for more expensive arline tix! That would be nonsense for us & a deal breaker. I guess becuase it's all legal, it's perfectly acceptable, but I'm sure more people would be upset if it actually wrecked some of their plans! :mad:
I'm reading lots of good comments about SW here, but I've always been nervous about them, because I've heard that they typically overbook their flights & people getting bumped off is an everyday occurence! I can't imagine making all those plans, ressies & spending all that money to get bumped off my flight! :fit:

I hope the rest of your plans all work out & that you make many wonderful memories & have a magical trip! :tink:

[sillyolbear]

Count me as another dissatisfied Air Tran customer. All airlines change flight times, so I can't get to exercised over that issue.

My experience beyond changes is that they have done a poor job of informing passengers on delays. The Atlanta gate agents and customer service reps went out of their way to help, but the Orlando employees were not interested in the least at trying to help. I've never been so incensed in my life as I was at the attitude of the customer service reps in Orlando.

We now avoid Air Tran like the plague.

[Belle_0717]

The family and I are having the same issues with AirTran. We have been flying them for at least 5 years now - we can leave from the local airport Westchester County NY and get to Orlando in no time. We avoid the NYC airports and save on the limo service too!

Well DH and I booked for Sat 10/18 leaving at 8:20 am. The parents/sister's fam booked for Sun 10/19 leaving at 8:20 am. DH and I got bumped to a 3:45 flight on 10/18 and the par/sis the same on 10/19. Then they put back the 8:20 so we moved out ressies back. AGAIN they changed - this was all in June/July (we booked in April!).

So needless to say, DH and I have to stop in Atlanta on the way to Orlando lvg NY at 7:55 am and getting into Orlando around 12:25. The parents/sister's fam are now coming down on Sat 10/18 (so much for alone time with DH) lvg NY at 1:45 into Orlando non-stop at 4:35.

We probably will not be flying AirTran either after this. The crew is pleasant and we have never had a problem until now. THEY ALSO DID NOT!!!! NOTIFY US OF THE CHANGES - another BAD for them.

JetBlue has been flying out of Westchester too. I have a bad experience with them in 2007 with the Valentine's Day Snow Storm in NYC. I think I may have to give them a 2nd chance.

Good luck - going to check AIrTran site now to make sure they do not change AGAIN since we leave in less than 11 days.

[big blue and hairy]

I also much prefer Southwest. We use it to fly out of Orlando instead of in, but we love it.

The other day I was reading that Southwest has the best record on not losing luggage. You know sooner or later it has to happen. Guess who was sooner? They got it back to us pretty quickly, especially since we had flown into Ausitn and driven to San Antonio.

:sulley:

[KylesMom]

We fly either United or American out of O'Hare, usually costs us about $300 each round trip - and have had the same experience as the o/p the last several years, regardless of the carrier. We always book 6-12 months before our travel dates - the first flight out, and return on the last flight back. I can't remember the last time our flights remained as booked - we end up leaving later and coming home earlier than we expect each time. I guess we've just gotten used to the fact that they can (and will) change the flights closer to our travel time to ensure a full plane. We also love the Airline Check-In service that Disney provides, but with the price of flights for next year we may begin looking at Southwest. I'm just concerned that we won't be able to "fly" together as a family . . . had that problem on ATA once, and DH said never again - he insists on assigned seating.

[mulderxcoltrane]

This happened to us while booking a January trip on Airtran as well.
They moved our flight up 6.5 hours on our return home.

I called and they moved us to another flight with no problem (since the change was so drastic).

The employee I spoke with did say (although it is just a rumor) that b/c of fuel prices she heard that many non-stop flights would be being eliminated in the future so they can pick up more passengers for profit - but again - it was just a rumor.

It's unfortunate, but it makes sense.

[rookie]

To put the customer service in perspective - assume you had a coveted ADR at CRT for breakfast at 8:00 on your DD birthday. You show up and find out that morning that they have closed CRT becuase it was only 50% full that day and they were not going to make any money at that level. Since you haven't paid anything (let's assume this is the old days when you didn't prepay) you get nothing in return, they do suggest you could go over to the Main Street Bakery to satisy your hunger.

I'm sure those that are unhappy in this thread with the airlines would be equally unhappy with Disney. Those that say you get what you pay for would probably be content with the Main Street Bakery.

In the end, I agree that it is terrible customer service to change someones flight schedule and not notify them promptly.

[mulderxcoltrane]

I cant beleive this in the time it took me to post this they moved my departure flight 2 hours later. Again, no notification!

They are not required to notify you until 4 weeks out - in case they have to make more itinerary changes.

Airlines are a business - the economy is affecting them just like everyone else.

[BigRedDad]

To put the customer service in perspective - assume you had a coveted ADR at CRT for breakfast at 8:00 on your DD birthday. You show up and find out that morning that they have closed CRT becuase it was only 50% full that day and they were not going to make any money at that level. Since you haven't paid anything (let's assume this is the old days when you didn't prepay) you get nothing in return, they do suggest you could go over to the Main Street Bakery to satisy your hunger.

I'm sure those that are unhappy in this thread with the airlines would be equally unhappy with Disney. Those that say you get what you pay for would probably be content with the Main Street Bakery.

In the end, I agree that it is terrible customer service to change someones flight schedule and not notify them promptly.

This is too unrealistic to even fathom a comparison. How can you compare a breakfast to sky-rocketing fuel costs. Lets make this a more realistic comparison with CRT Breakfast. Imagine that you book CRT Breakfast 180 days out. All of a sudden food shortages spread across the world and the price of a single piece of bread went to $3 and an egg cost $4. On top of this, a union forced the wages of anyone acting as a princess to be $500 per hour. Now, you have a $50 cheap fare breakfast scheduled and other people have a $100 breakfast scheduled with preferred seating. They can only accommodate 20 people for breakfast at most. Are they going to accommodate the 20 people that paid $50 or 10 people that paid $100? Easy, they take the 10 people, only have one princess for 30 minutes, stuff them with the cheapest food they can, and still make a profit.

This is exactly what airlines are doing. They make little or no money off bargain basement passengers. Unfortunately, that is due to their business model. They refuse to change it because they are waiting for the next gov't bail out so the Execs can clear out the liquid assets from their buyout contracts.

[rookie]

I don't disagree that the economy , price of fuel, etc is causing havoc with most of the poorly managed airlines in this country. I also don't have a problem with them trying their hardest to make changes in their business to limit losses. However would it be that hard to notify a customer if you changed plans? I too was a victim of an airtran change in plans. I cancelled and booked Southwest, got better times and a better price - so I am happy. I just think if the airlines could work on communicating better their image would improve greatly.

[BigRedDad]

You fail to see the method to their madness. They are not trying to improve their image. They are trying to operate at such a loss the gov't needs to bail them out. Once done, the execs leave with their golden parachute contracts. If they wanted to improve their image and quality of service, EVERY airline would model after Southwest. Therefore, you have to ask why they don't? It is all about padding the Execs compensation plans.

[Beast_fanatic]

This thread seems to have run its course and gotten away from the original topic. It will now be closed to further discussion.