B+

Pros

Ease of elite membership and good benefits: It's relatively easy to become an elite member, and the automatic upgrades and free baggage check-in are great benefits.

Good information on expiration of award credits: Although the one-year expiration is unusually restrictive, the web site is very good about notifying you when any of your credits are about to expire. And, as pointed out in previous messages, there are workarounds for extending the expiration date.

Good airline. As with a previous message, I realize this isn't really award-related, but AirTran is a good airline. At least they're trying, in a competitive environment that doesn't reward good customer service (R.I.P., MaxJet and Independence Air).

Cons

Limited award availability: Award seats to prime travel locations such as Orlando and Cancun are frequently fully booked many months in advance, even though open seats remain.

Limited usability of the 4 credit business class upgrade: The 4 credit business class upgrade award can be booked no earlier than the day before the flight...

Poor web site information: ...which wasn't clear from the information provided in the web site. Frankly, I don't see this mentioned anywhere on the site, and only found out about this restriction after I contacted their customer service desk.