AirTran and General Airline Question

[poeticeclipse]

If I book a flight now for April/May through AirTran and I find that the rate goes down before then, can I get reimbursed for the difference or am I locked into the price that I purchased the flights at?

It will be roundtrip from Detroit into Orlando International if that makes a difference.

[Mater]

In most cases, no, you will not be reimbursed if the fare lowers before you travel. The big exception is Southwest Airlines. They will let you rebook at a lower fare without a fee, then keep the difference as a credit for future travel.

[LandFan]

I just called airTran to take my Mom off our reservation next week due to my grandpop's ill health. They credited the money and I have to use it before it expires (one year from purchase date of tickets).

I also stated that the fares had gone down somewhat from when I had bought them. She looked into it and the difference after taxes was only about $10 so I didn't do it but she seemed perfectly willing to do so and credit it to the account. You just have to call them and do it over the phone rather than SW's super easy way of doing it online.

I do prefer SW, but I think you can get credits from AirTran - they just don't advertise it.

JMHO

[Maleficent's Dad]

If I book a flight now for April/May through AirTran and I find that the rate goes down before then, can I get reimbursed for the difference or am I locked into the price that I purchased the flights at?
The answer is complicated with Airtran - it's a yes and no.

Yes - you will be credited the difference in price. They only do this if YOU find the reduction in price and call them up. The credit goes into an "Airtran Account" under YOUR name. Only YOU can use it within 12 months of when the flight was booked. This is true for each person. Even if YOU book 5 seats, each person gets a credit in their names. You get credit for only your seat.

I'll give you an example to help clarify.
Let's say you book online, and purchase 4 seats at $200 each. You buy one for you, one for your significant other, one for mom, one for dad.
Next month, you find the same flight with seats for $100.
That is when you call Airtran. Each person will receive an Airtran credit for $100 to be used within 12 months of original booking date. You do not get the $400 credit. :(

This is the current policy with Airtran and JetBlue. The older airlines (ie: United, American, & Delta) used to have liberal policies and would credit you the $$$. Nowadays, they do no such thing.

[tink179]

My DH just got off the phone with AirTran a little while ago. I check our flight info daily and make sure the times haven't changed. After reading the original post I thought I would check and see what flights were now for the exact same flight I had. They had dropped quite a bit. It was 104 each way. Now, it was $86 one way and $63 the way back. We bought 5 tickets. When my DH got home I told him to call to see if we would a credit. Here's what they did. They gave us a $270 credit, but towards another flight. That was fine. When we got our e-mail confirmation our seats that we had originally picked online when we originally booked were gone, and now we also had a booking fee of $75. ($15 for each ticket) When DH called back he asked about the $75 and they said whenever they need to change the tickets even though it wasn't changing the flight or time, etc they charge a booking fee. So, that kinda stank. Also, the lady said we would have to pick our seats again and that the $6 for each seat each way would apply again. So, instead of a $270 credit it ended up being only $210 credit, because I used $60 of it for booking our seats. :( It kinda made me mad, but I guess we still ended up with a credit we can use for another trip within 12mos from our original booking date. So, we have to use this credit by Aug of 09'. We're thinking maybe towards another Disney trip. :thumbsup:

[GeminiAngel]

The answer is complicated with Airtran - it's a yes and no.

Yes - you will be credited the difference in price. They only do this if YOU find the reduction in price and call them up. The credit goes into an "Airtran Account" under YOUR name. Only YOU can use it within 12 months of when the flight was booked. This is true for each person. Even if YOU book 5 seats, each person gets a credit in their names. You get credit for only your seat.

I'll give you an example to help clarify.
Let's say you book online, and purchase 4 seats at $200 each. You buy one for you, one for your significant other, one for mom, one for dad.
Next month, you find the same flight with seats for $100.
That is when you call Airtran. Each person will receive an Airtran credit for $100 to be used within 12 months of original booking date. You do not get the $400 credit. :(

This is the current policy with Airtran and JetBlue. The older airlines (ie: United, American, & Delta) used to have liberal policies and would credit you the $$$. Nowadays, they do no such thing.

I transfered mine to my friend in AZ. You CAN transfer the difference you save from finding a cheaper price. I bought 5 tickets in 5 different names, then the fare went down.
I got a credit of over $400!!! My friend in AZ wanted to go with us this Feb. but was having a little trouble comming up with the cash. I did not see me using the credit within the 12 month period so I gave it to her.
Now she is comming!!!!:thumbsup:

[wdwnomad]

I agree with previous posters. AirTran is kind of like calling Disney. One person tells you one thing then another tells you something else. I have gotten credits for the price going down. Sometimes the agent will give you the credit but then charge you the fee for calling them. Other agents won't do it. Now when calling them I always make sure the price drops enough to cover the fees. If the agent doesn't add them on then it is a bonus.

[henry.james.s]

If I book a flight now for April/May through AirTran and I find that the rate goes down before then, can I get reimbursed for the difference or am I locked into the price that I purchased the flights at?

It will be roundtrip from Detroit into Orlando International if that makes a difference.

If you happen to be in a northern suburb you should look into flying Airtran out of Bishop Airport in Flint.
They have morning non-stops to Orlando everyday and is less of a hassle than Metro Airport.
I've been doing this for years and it's GREAT.

[spoiledraf]

Well I think we blew our shot. 86 dollars each way from Akron Canton seemed great to me. BUT my daughter (who lives in Atlanta) wanted to rethink whether to come back to Ohio for a couple weeks or just go home. Well since then the price doubled. Anybody think they may come back down? Or am I stuck. Thats what I get for letting my wife and daughter do ANY planning.

[angie12210]

You know.....This thread is starting to remind me of some of the DVC sights where people are renting/trading points.
Seems to me like if someone ended up with credits they could either use them or sell them.:secret::cool::thumbsup: