AirTran

[PrincessJadesMom]

Does anyone know if AirTran is one of the airlines that allows you to check in from your resort when you use the Magical Express?

24 Days Left Till WDW!!!

[Grace]

Our DD used Airtran when she flew from ROC. We had contact M.E. and they sent us a packet with tickets to attach to her luggage, plus a map of MCO so she could find the bus easily. She loved it!

[Piglet822]

You can do resort check in for Air Tran at certain resorts right now. It's still in the testing phase and although Air Tran is one of the airlines mentioned in the DME video we show on the buses, there are still some bugs to be ironed out.
The resorts that are currently participating are the MK resorts (Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) and Coronado Springs.
Perhaps by the time you travel they'll be on board 100%.

[pogo]

You can do resort check in for Air Tran at certain resorts right now. It's still in the testing phase and although Air Tran is one of the airlines mentioned in the DME video we show on the buses, there are still some bugs to be ironed out.
The resorts that are currently participating are the MK resorts (Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) and Coronado Springs.
Perhaps by the time you travel they'll be on board 100%.

I hope they get onboard soon. We're staying at POFQ in less than four weeks. Any chance of it being approved by then ? Come on Jeanne.... pull some strings for us, please !

[Piglet822]

Come on Jeanne.... pull some strings for us, please !

And knowing my luck it would be the string holding everything together

I'll keep checking with the BAGS people to see if it changes within the next month and let you know what I find out.

[Melanie]

.
The resorts that are currently participating are the MK resorts (Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) and Coronado Springs.

Woohoo - just what I wanted to hear for my October trip. I loved checking in and leaving my luggage at POP for HGOI when I flew Delta, but I'm flying AirTran this time.

Thanks Jeanne!

[pogo]

And knowing my luck it would be the string holding everything together

I'll keep checking with the BAGS people to see if it changes within the next month and let you know what I find out.

Thanks Jeanne.

[Dopey's Girl]

If they could pull this off before September, that would be way cool!!!

[Piglet822]

No wonder I couldn't find this thread. I was looking over in Vacation Planning
According to the BAGS people I've spoken to yesterday and today (at several different resorts) Air Tran check in is available property wide but one woman did say it can be kind of slow. Guess they're still ironing out some bugs.

[chicade88]

So how does this work them? When we're checking out, do we then just check the bags in?

[CleveRocks]

So how does this work them? When we're checking out, do we then just check the bags in?

Resort Airline Check-in is a service that allows you to check your bags with your airline at your resort, and then not see them again until they are on your home airport's baggage claim carousel. You also get your boarding passes for your flight, meaning you won't have to check in at the airport.

It has NOTHING to do with checking out of your resort. Checking out of the resort and using RAC are two completely separate transactions.

At each resort, the RAC desk is open from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. By TSA regulations, guests can't check in any earlier than 12 hours before a flight but no later than 3 hours before a flight.

RAC is a separate service from Disney's Magical Express, the free bus ride back to the airport. People can use RAC no matter how they get themselves back to the airport.

Only people flying certain airlines are eligible to use RAC. People who aren't eligible to use RAC
can still ride the DME bus, they just have to take their luggage with them to the bus (the driver will load it under the bus and unload it for you when you are dropped off at the airport).

[CanadianWDWFan]

Thanks Jeanne! I knew we could count on you to find out the real truth! Good news for us since our April trip and THE October trip are with Air Tran.

[Kim B]

Resort Airline Check-in is a service that allows you to check your bags with your airline at your resort, and then not see them again until they are on your home airport's baggage claim carousel. You also get your boarding passes for your flight, meaning you won't have to check in at the airport.

It has NOTHING to do with checking out of your resort. Checking out of the resort and using RAC are two completely separate transactions.

At each resort, the RAC desk is open from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. By TSA regulations, guests can't check in any earlier than 12 hours before a flight but no later than 3 hours before a flight.

RAC is a separate service from Disney's Magical Express, the free bus ride back to the airport. People can use RAC no matter how they get themselves back to the airport.

Only people flying certain airlines are eligible to use RAC. People who aren't eligible to use RAC
can still ride the DME bus, they just have to take their luggage with them to the bus (the driver will load it under the bus and unload it for you when you are dropped off at the airport).

Hello everyone,
Here's a question for you that I have not seen the answer to. We will have a rental car and will not be taking DME. However, could we get boarding passes at our resort (AKL) but still take our own luggage to check at the airport? Would this save time, or pretty much be the same if we were to get boarding passes when we checked our luggage at the airport?
Thanks!

[Kim B]

Hello everyone,
Here's a question for you that I have not seen the answer to. We will have a rental car and will not be taking DME. However, could we get boarding passes at our resort (AKL) but still take our own luggage to check at the airport? Would this save time, or pretty much be the same if we were to get boarding passes when we checked our luggage at the airport?
Thanks!

anyone?

[CleveRocks]

Hello everyone,
Here's a question for you that I have not seen the answer to. We will have a rental car and will not be taking DME. However, could we get boarding passes at our resort (AKL) but still take our own luggage to check at the airport? Would this save time, or pretty much be the same if we were to get boarding passes when we checked our luggage at the airport?
Thanks!

Resort Airline Check-in is completely independent of DME. They are not linked. You CAN do one and not the other. So you can go ahead and get your boarding passes and then drive to the airport.

I can't figure out why you wouldn't want to check-in your luggage at the resort (if you're flying a participating airline). Why drag it around if you don't have to? You are checking it in exactly as you would at the airport. It is an extension of curbside check-in, really. They put the official airline tags on your bags -- you know, the ones with the 3-letter airport code on them.

If you use RAC to get your boarding passes and then use your airline's ticket counter or curbside check-in to check your bags, you will be waiting in 2 separate lines. Sounds pretty inefficient to me, when you can do it all in one step either at RAC or at the airport.

BAGS Inc. is the company that operates this service. They have experience doing this in other cities (e.g., Las Vegas) and have been doing it on Disney turf for 23 months now. They are approved by TSA to run this service.

[pogo]

Hello everyone,
Here's a question for you that I have not seen the answer to. We will have a rental car and will not be taking DME. However, could we get boarding passes at our resort (AKL) but still take our own luggage to check at the airport? Would this save time, or pretty much be the same if we were to get boarding passes when we checked our luggage at the airport?
Thanks!

Hi Kim, I believe you can get your boarding pass at AKL and carry your luggage with you to the airport. Just ask at the desk when you check in. You can also get your BP at Guest Services in the parks. Have a great trip

[Kim B]

Hi Kim, I believe you can get your boarding pass at AKL and carry your luggage with you to the airport. Just ask at the desk when you check in. You can also get your BP at Guest Services in the parks. Have a great trip

Resort Airline Check-in is completely independent of DME. They are not linked. You CAN do one and not the other. So you can go ahead and get your boarding passes and then drive to the airport.

I can't figure out why you wouldn't want to check-in your luggage at the resort (if you're flying a participating airline). Why drag it around if you don't have to? You are checking it in exactly as you would at the airport. It is an extension of curbside check-in, really. They put the official airline tags on your bags -- you know, the ones with the 3-letter airport code on them.

If you use RAC to get your boarding passes and then use your airline's ticket counter or curbside check-in to check your bags, you will be waiting in 2 separate lines. Sounds pretty inefficient to me, when you can do it all in one step either at RAC or at the airport.

BAGS Inc. is the company that operates this service. They have experience doing this in other cities (e.g., Las Vegas) and have been doing it on Disney turf for 23 months now. They are approved by TSA to run this service.

Thanks for the respones everyone. I should have stated myself more clearly. We are not on a participating airline. We are flying AirTran, and have a rental car. So, I knew we couldn't take DME, or put our bags on without our bodies being there But I was hoping we could still get BP at our resort. I just thought it might be one less step to do at the airport, just not sure if you can do that with AirTran.

[CleveRocks]

Thanks for the respones everyone. I should have stated myself more clearly. We are not on a participating airline. We are flying AirTran, and have a rental car. So, I knew we couldn't take DME, or put our bags on without our bodies being there But I was hoping we could still get BP at our resort. I just thought it might be one less step to do at the airport, just not sure if you can do that with AirTran.

Yes, as pogo stated, you can do online check-in pretty much anywhere. [I've never heard of getting BOARDING PASSES printed elsewhere, I've only heard of doing online check-in for the purpose of seat assignment, but that's a different subject ....]

But just to clarify a potentially confusing situation ...

On the way BACK TO thr airport, if you are on a "participating airline" you can check your luggage in with RAC regardless of how you get your body to the airport.

This is the OPPOSITE of the way it is when you first arrive in Orlando. When you arrive at Orlando International Airport, you MUST ride the DME bus in order to have your luggage automatically delivered to your resort room. If you don't ride the bus, your luggage doesn't get delivered.

But on the way home, it doesn't work this way. On the way home, recall that RAC and DME are 2 different things that are UNRELATED. Disney lets you check your luggage in (if you are flying a "participating airline" and then doesn't care how you get yourself back to the airport.

I hope this makes sense to everyone.