AirTran Airways Consumer Reviews - Page 4

My family and I (four of us total) traveled with AirTran from Phoenix to Tampa. First, my fiancé's luggage was sent to Jacksonville by mistake. While the luggage did finally reach us before we needed to board a cruise ship the next day, the “customer service” I encountered in response to the error made by the airline, was not simply lacking – it was non-existent. I can unequivocally say that every single employee of AirTran that I dealt with regarding the misrouted luggage was rude and unprofessional. That wasn't even the worst of it - during our return trip from Tampa to Phoenix, with a stop in Atlanta.

Our first flight was scheduled to leave Tampa at 6:50 p.m. going to Atlanta. As instructed by most all airlines, we arrived at the airport two hours in advance of our flight in order to do what WE could to make air travel as efficient as possible. Now, I'm fully aware that delays are definitely NOT uncommon. However, I DO expect an airline, to which I have paid a substantial amount of money, at least give me the courtesy of keeping me adequately apprised of any delays there may be.

When 7:00 p.m. (ten minutes past our scheduled departure time) came and passed without an airplane at our gate, AND WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION OR NOTIFICATION OF A DELAY, we started to wonder what was going on. No representative of the airline made ANY prior announcement that the flight was going to be delayed, why it was delayed, or how long a delay was expected. There were scores of people waiting in line to ask much the same questions we had: Where's the plane? Do we know when it might be expected?, etc.

Because we weren't getting any voluntary information from AirTran, my fiancé actually stood in line, waiting to ask these simple questions, until approximately 8:30 p.m. before we were told, AT THE COUNTER, our plane was stuck in Philadelphia due to ice. Why did we have to wait in line to get this information? As a result of the delay, we obviously missed our connecting flight out of Atlanta to Phoenix.

The person at the gate in Tampa informed us that we couldn't get on any other flights out of Tampa for THREE days after our originally scheduled departure. And, even if we had made it to Atlanta, but still missed our connecting flight, we couldn't get any flights out of Atlanta until TWO days after our originally scheduled departure. They said we could have gotten our money back for this one way but it would take 24-48 hours to get it – a tactic I believe the company uses to deter its “stranded” passengers from flying other airlines.

Finally, at 9:00 p.m. (TWO full hours AFTER we should have already departed) a representative made an announcement explaining the situation and stated that they were “hopeful” our plane would get to us by 10:30 p.m. Well, imagine my frustration when, at 9:30 pm another representative announced that the plane was coming, but that there was no crew to fly to Atlanta!!!

There were at least two single mothers, with their little babies, waiting for this plane. As tired, angry and frustrated as I was, I can't imagine how bad it must have been for them! We were all stranded there, thousands of miles from home, and the airline did not do anything to help any of us. The only "nice" thing they offered was a can of soda and crackers at 10:00 p.m. That was like giving a waitress a penny for a tip. While I understand that it was Spring Break and air travel was extremely heavy (for any airline), and I certainly don't expect anyone to control the weather, a modicum of respect, understanding and assistance during this time was not too much to ask.

When we were finally boarded on a flight out of Tampa, the inept clerks they have chosen to employ assigned us to sit in an emergency row. I have a 7-year-old daughter. Thus, the flight attendant explained we weren't allowed to sit there. We even offered to break our family up, just moving my daughter and I to other seats. The only thing I requested the flight attendant do was to try to find a window seat. She walked three aisles down and asked a person in a middle seat and an aisle seat to switch with us. She made no effort to even ask anyone in a window seat to switch with us.

This may seem trivial, but after all of the mistreatment, apathy, and total disregard we had sustained from AirTran throughout our trip, this was another slap in the face. My family and I had to delve into our savings to be able to stay in Tampa for the three nights, just waiting for a flight home. Those less fortunate literally had to live at the airport.

I am almost 40 years old and I have NEVER been treated so horrendously by an airline. We chose AirTran, and to fly to Tampa, in order to save about $400, an amount that means a great deal to the average person. In the end, we ended up spending an additional $1,200 due to being stuck in Tampa for an additional three days. Not to mention the additional two (2) days of work I missed, UNPAID. With regard to AirTran, I firmly believe there is truth in the old adage: “you get what you pay for”. Don't EVER use them.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- I flew AirTran yesterday and I will NEVER use their airline again. I arrived an hour in advance and they put me through a completely unnecessary "random security check" and allowed the plane to leave without me. (I suspect racial profiling, although of course that will be extremely difficult to substantiate! But I do happen to be of darker skin and sometimes mistaken for middle eastern, and wearing a scarf around my head, which I suppose could be misinterpreted for a sari).

They told me to take off my jacket, take off my blazer (so all I had on was a tank top with my bra straps showing), spread my arms, put my feet in an outline while they waved a metal detector all over me, patted me down, and ran all of my luggage through, rummaging through my belongings. Once they were finally satisfied, I raced down to the gate, only to find that they had let the plane leave at its departure time, which was 4 minutes before I was able to make it to the gate.

No call to hold the plane for me, no nothing, even though I had purchased non-refundable tickets through Expedia.com for this airline over 2 weeks prior and THEY had been responsible for my missed flight. I was on stand-by and forced to sit, uncalled, as a couple of their flights left, until they finally let me on a plane to Atlanta, GA. That's when the real trouble started. The customer service there was completely horrible. I asked that my stand-by flight in Atlanta be upgraded to confirmed because I had 3 children at home and their limited amount of flights would force me to wait until 9 pm that night, and if this flight didn't work out, til 11:30 am the next day.

I also asked that the airline provide some kind of discount for making me miss my flight. The employee (John **) stated very rudely that it was MY fault for missing the flight, because the agreement "clearly states" that "my responsibility as a customer" was to arrive 2 hours ahead of my flight time, not 1. I called his manager "Shannon" to speak with me, who was just as rude and told me there would be no possibility for a refund or discount for the trouble they had caused me. He said I was treating him with disrespect and he didn't have to do anything I asked of him. He blatantly refused to give me his own supervisor's name, or to go get his supervisor, as I asked him to.

I was paying his salary by booking my flight with their airline, and he was treating me like a welfare recipient asking him for handouts. Finally, I was able to get on a flight home at 8 pm- when my original flight from Atlanta was supposed to have been at 10:30 AM. I will NEVER fly this airline again, I talked to several other people that night having problems with them in Atlanta, not because of their flight service per se, but their lousy customer service. There was a ridiculous amount of passengers (more than I've ever seen on any flight before, and I travel fairly regularly) who had been placed on stand-by because they overbook flights so severely.

They are the most unprofessional outfit I have ever seen. I've sent an email to the company regarding this matter and I do expect the full names of these employees, an apology from the airlines AND from these employees, and some sort of reparations for the amount of time and suffering wasted to their incompetent service. If I get no response, or another response to insult my intelligence, I will be pursuing the matter further.

My experience with AirTran on March 12, 2010 closely resembles others posted here. My husband and I were flying from Columbus Ohio to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to get on a cruise ship that was leaving the next day (evening of Saturday March 13). We had scheduled our flight out for late afternoon (5 PM) and booked a room in Ft. Lauderdale so we would not miss our cruise. When we checked in for our flight at 3:30 PM, the ticket agent was unpleasant and complained about working. She also did not tell us the flight was already delayed 4+ hours. We learned that upon arriving at the gate.

There was one gate agent who assured me we would make our connection in Atlanta, and then told me he was off duty for the day and grateful he would not have to put up with the hassle delays created. When the next agent arrived, I stood in a very long line to again inquire about connections and advise him we were heading to a cruise so if we were NOT going to get to Florida tonight, please let me know so we could find other options. This type of dialogue continued throughout the evening until approximately 9:30 PM when they cancelled the flight.

By that time, all of the other flights from Columbus to Florida had either departed or were sold out. What was particularly frustrating was that they kept telling us the delays were due to weather and we kept pointing out that other airlines traveling the same routes were operating with modest delays. In retrospect, we should have recognized that they were lying to us and found an alternative. We missed our ship and had to cancel the cruise. None of the AirTran staff was even sympathetic to our plight, and at times, they were downright rude. When they cancelled the flight, they gave us an alternative itinerary that did not get us to Ft. Lauderdale until Monday.

This airline may be OK if you are just looking for a weekend jaunt and getting there late or not at all is not important, but I would NEVER depend on them for a critical arrival date. They are insensitive to their customers' needs and ill equipped to handle even the slightest weather delays. It was an expensive lesson for us, and one I hope you do not have to experience.

Last Sunday I was to return to Flint from Fort Myers, Florida. I tried to use the on-line check in service the night before, but could not check in for my flight. I tried for several hours with no luck. I tried again the next morning with still no luck.

With my flight scheduled to depart at 6:30 pm, I arrived at the airport at 4 pm. The agent at the counter looked at me and said "I have bad news. There is no way that you are going to get home tonight." When I asked why, he explained that the plane coming from D.C. had mechanical problems and would not arrive until 9 pm. That would mean I would miss my connecting flight in Atlanta, and it is the last flight for the day going from Atlanta to Flint.

When I asked him what my alternatives were, he said that the only thing I could do was come back the next day to take the same flight. That meant a 24-hour delay. I told him that was unacceptable and that he needed to work out something else. The only other option was to take my delayed flight to Atlanta, spend the night there and fly home the next day.

They did offer to put me up for the night in Atlanta, but here is where they added insult to injury. When we boarded the plane to go to Atlanta, the pilot came on the intercom and announced that due to the missed flight situation, everyone would receive a round trip ticket anywhere that AirTran flies. That announcement brought cheers from the passengers.

However, when I called the Customer Relations Dept to arrange for the ticket, I was told that it would only be a one-way ticket. The person informed me that the pilot was not authorized to make awards as compensation. It seems to me that he is an employee of the airlines, so when he speaks, he is speaking for the company.

What really is annoying is that they knew the plane was delayed and yet they couldn't send me an email at 2 pm to tell me that. They let me check out of my room, turn in my rental car, get to the airport, and then tell me. In fact, when I finally got to the boarding gate at 4:45 pm, they still had that flight posted as being on time and leaving at the scheduled time of 6:30 pm. They did not update the delay on any of the airport signage until after 5:30 pm. This is a very poorly run airline that does not communicate to its customers, or for that matter, its employees. I will avoid flying them at all costs in the future.

I was on a flight from Boston to Atlanta. AirTran had overbooked the flight and announced that anyone who would volunteer to give their seat up would receive a free round trip from AirTran. Great for me; I had flexible plans. I gave up my seat, got a voucher, sat around the airport for an extra 8 or so hours.

Fast forward 9 months. I'm trying to redeem the voucher for another Boston-Atlanta round trip (typically <$200 value). AirTran refuses to honor my voucher because they say "There's no record of you receiving a voucher." Their records show that I was booked for the earlier flight, got a boarding pass, surrendered the boarding pass, got a boarding pass for a later flight and took the later flight. But they simply will not accept that they gave me a voucher. After 2 hours on the phone with them, they finally offer to let me redeem my voucher for a free one-way trip.

This is just outright fraud, outright lying on the part of AirTran. And their phone agents want to yell at me when I tell them about it. If I ever fly AirTran again, and they try to offer vouchers for people to give up their seats, I will tell every living soul in my vicinity how AirTran issues these vouchers and then refuses, quite abruptly, to honor them.

And then, you have to wonder about AirTran's overall integrity. You trust airlines to do small things right, and big things right. Small things would be: give you good pretzels, be at least pleasant when they talk to you, not abuse your checked-in bags. Big things would be: keep the planes in good working order, not let terrorists on the plane, and ***HONOR THEIR WORD AND THE WRITTEN DOCUMENTS THEY ISSUE***.

In my opinion, once they've demonstrated that they are not able or willing to fulfill any of their major obligations, then it seems like you'd have to worry about how well they fulfill the rest. In other words, if AirTran is going to be this cavalier about reneging on bedrock issues of solvency, I absolutely cannot trust them to safely maintain a fleet of planes.

During the worst snow storm the Northeast ever experienced(December 20 2009)and after 2 cancellations I ended up at New Yorks Laguardia Airport. After a 3 hour delay Air Tran finally called the flight for boarding. I have a bag that has been on the previous 4 flights as overhead baggage with no problems. While approaching the gate I had the misfortune of meeting up with an overworked and inexperienced gate agent known as "SADE". Ms. Sade verbally abused the passenger in front of me and when I approached the gate she told me that my bag is not going in overhead and had to be checked. She told me to leave it. I then proceeded down the jetway. Halfway down the jetway Ms. Sade came after me stating that I had to have a ticket for the bag. While she was filling out the ticket I merely asked why the bag can't go in the overhead. In a fit of rage Ms. Sade stated "I won't be talked to that way and said you are off this flight and you are not going home for Christmas tonight". I then ignored her and continued with my bag to the aircraft. Ms. Sade then attempted to pull the bag from me and then claimed that I hit her. Other passengers stated that I never touched her. Ms. Sade then proceeded to the gate and said she was calling the Police. I also asked for a supervisor. When the police arrived and we were trying to determine what the problem was, Ms. Sade's fellow gate agent asked to see my ticket. This agent then ripped it up and gave away my seat. The police told me to calm down and wait for the supervisor. 30 minutes later and after the flight left the supervisor arrived. He said with glee-"the next flight we have is December 27th". I then proceeded to search for an airline that would get me home to Atlanta for Christmas. Thanks to DELTA I had to purchase a one way first class ticket for $500.00 and made it home. Air Trans customer service only offered a round trip airfare. Air Tran only has 2 gates at LGA so you have a good chance of meeting the meltdown girl from hell. Ms Sade first said I hit her then recanted to say that she pulled her arm and shoulder. I think she just needed a time out and some severe discipline from a superior. Maybe a month of lavatory cleaning might help her to make a decision on whether to look for a new job.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- So by now, everyone knows that many airlines are charging baggage fees for checked baggage. My daughter recently flew on AirTran with 2 suitcases. We paid $15 for the first and $25 for the 2nd online at time of check-in. Upon check-in at the airport, we were told that although they were both under the allowed weight, one of the suitcases would be considered "OVER-SIZED" because it was over 62 linear inches; it supposedly measured 63" (H+ W +L)..... Although I measured it at less than 62". It is a standard full size suitcase which I have flown with at least 30 times on various airlines....without any problems...including 2 days later on another major carrier.

The problem is that they stand the suitcase up against the edge of the scale and then measure from the wall of the scale all the way around to the other wall. This measurement process adds AT LEAST 3-4 inches to any suitcase meaning it is ALWAYS measures too big. I pointed all this out to the supervisor and customer service managers etc.....to no avail. In fact they were rude and condescending. I was told that this is the process that they are taught for measuring.... No doubt the most beneficial to Air Tran and the most disadvantageous to consumers.

We finally paid a $39 penalty for being "oversize." NOT A GOOD WAY FOR AIRTRAN TO BUILD A CUSTOMER BASE. SO A WARNING TO ALL: They are essentially MISLEADING customers in order to collect extra baggage fees. In addition, there is NO explanation of exactly how the measurement will be done in advance. Most normal people would assume that you would measure the three dimensions of a suitcase and simply add them together! IF YOU PLAN TO FLY AIRTRAN AGAIN, BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT EXACTLY HOW YOU MEASURE YOUR SUITCASE.... It really isn't as simple as you think!

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- On April 25, 2009, my family and I had flights booked through Expedia for flights from Minneapolis, MN to Orlando, Florida. Our flights booked on March 30th 2009 showed our entire round trip at about $200 per person. Upon check in at Minneapolis gates, we were told by AirTran employee that there was still $485 outstanding bill on our flights. We argued that the flights were paid for and we were told that we would not be able to board until we paid the outstanding balance. We did not have time to argue for we had cruise we were going on and could not take the chance of missing our flight and therefore missing the cruise.

I called Expedia right away and the representative told me "They have been doing this a lot lately. Just fax us your paperwork when you get back to Minneapolis and we will contact AirTran." Of course the AirTran Rep we spoke to blames Expedia for booking the flights incorrectly which I disagree with for I have an itemized receipt which shows our flights were paid in full. Also, when we were checking in at Minneapolis, we were told "Your bag is nice. Just make sure you don't over pack it or you'll be charged overweight fees."

Upon checking in at the Orlando Airport for our return flight to Minneapolis May 4th, the ticketing person, did not even greet us or make eye contact. She took out her tape measure and went to work at measuring our bags. She told us that "yes" the same "nice bag" is now not overweight but "oversized." She was the most unpleasant person to deal with and charged us extra $39 "oversize" bag fee. She left us standing at the check-in counter for 30 minutes, because of the argument I had with her and we almost missed our flight.

I still have not heard from Expedia regarding our refund. I will continue to pursue this matter with the BBB if Expedia does not respond by the end of the day May 15 2009. I just wanted to let the public know that the customer service with AirTran is the worst I have ever experience and they are making it their business to rip off other hard working people. They don't accept responsibility for their actions and it's always the customer's fault or problem.

I will NEVER fly AirTran again. I have been sharing my experiences with their company representatives/employees with my co-workers, family and friends and anyone else who will listen. Please take the time to read all the similar complaints against AirTran before booking your next flight.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- May 15, 2008 - We were to fly from Ft. Myers to Atlanta to connect to Phila. We left Ft. Myers at 5:5PM and were told we would be at the gate before our scheduled 7:40PM arrival time. At 8:00PM we were still circling Atlanta. We had to divert to Columbus, GA as we're running out of fuel. We got to Columbus. No fuel available. We sat in the plane until 10:00PM (2 hours) waiting for a fuel truck. We were fueled by 10:30. We were then told the plane had a mechanical problem and we could not get back to Atlanta. They secured 3 buses from ALABAMA to take us to Atlanta. The buses arrived after midnight. Atlanta is 95 miles away. 40 miles into the bus trip, the bus broke down.

We waited on the side of the road in Georgia at 2:00 AM for a replacement bus. The bus showed up at 3:00 AM. We were told an "official" from AirTran would meet us upon our arrival. We got to the airport at 4:00 AM. NO ONE from AirTran was there to meet us. We found the ticket counter. The ticket reps were amazingly rude and inconsiderate. We waited 4 more hours in the airport for a connecting flight to Philadelphia. We were told our luggage from the canceled flight would be sent to the new flight.

We touched down 45 minutes late in Philadelphia (14 hours after the original flight was to arrive). To no one surprise, the luggage did not arrive. AirTran does not have a luggage tracking system, so they could not tell me where my bag was but promised it would arrive today. Today is just about over, still no bags. AirTran never offered us food, water, or any type of apology for their behavior and incredibly poor decision making. More to follow as this saga continues to unfold.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- Our first AirTran flight took off 30 mins late from SAV, so I knew we would be pressed to make our connecting flight to LAX. I informed the gate agent in SAV of the tight connection and was assured we would arrive in Atlanta in time to connect with our LAX-bound flight. We landed and deplaned at Gate C2 and I walked over to Gate C1 and saw the plane sitting at the gate. I walked straight up to the gate agent, but when I tried to board I was told I was too late and that the flight was closed. I then watched the gate agents begin a process of calling people to the podium and boarding them for the LAX flight over the next 15 mins.

The explanation I was given for my denied boarding was that AirTran has a boarding policy that if you are not at the gate 10 mins. before departure the flight is closed and you are denied boarding on that basis. I was given a customer service package with a $7 food coupon and a $25 future flight purchase. Five and a half hours later we boarded our delayed flight which was scheduled to leave at 9:05 PM, then changed to 9:44 PM. We finally were seated and ready for take off at 10:30 PM. Then there was an additional one hour wait at the gate with no explanation.

Until, without any explanation again, five very hurried passengers were boarded, immediately seated and we then took off. This is outrageous! Hypocritical! Arbitrary and inconsistent boarding policy! How dare they do this to people? I am convinced that they overbooked my first LAX flight and gave away my seat to someone, and therefore I am owed compensation under the terms of the contract of carriage.

In the case of the 5 people we waited for in the plane, as this was the last flight to LAX for the night, it is obvious that they held the plane for them from a connecting flight so that AirTran would not have the expense of putting those people in a hotel until the next LAX flight in the morning. So instead, I had to pay for a hotel room in LA because by the time we arrived, it was 1AM and impossible for me to arrange ground transportation to my home over 1 1/2 hrs away in Orange County.

AirTran should be avoided at all costs, you will be at their mercy and have no recourse but to put up with how they "chose" to handle you. Stick with Delta, American, or Rent-a-Car, you'll get there quicker.