Originally Posted by
nytraveller53
Considering flying AirTran for the first time, LGA-FLL during Spring Break with my family. We've never tried them before, and both ways are through ATL.
1. How much does pre-assigned seating cost, and is it worth it?
2. What kind of service onboard - drinks, snacks?
3. Should we choose a 40 min or 2 hr connection through ATL on the way there?
4. Does the XM radio use 2 prong or 1 prong jacks - we need to know what headphones to bring.
5. The "on time arrival" stats listed on the AirTran website are horrendous - 60% on-time on an ATL-FLL flight. Is this something to be concerned about?
5. Any other "quirks" about AirTran that a loyal Delta flyer wouldn't be aware of?
1. Anywhere from $6 to $20. If you don't want a middle seat then I'd say it's worth it. The fee should apply to your whole flight and not per segment.
2. Service probably will be cup of soda/water and small bag of peanuts or some other snack, not a whole lot different than Delta.
3. 40 minutes might be tight, but more because it's ATL (though I believe AirTran has gates in two different terminals, or at least in gates that are kind of far apart). I had a 30 minute connection once and it would have been very tight were it not for delays in both BOS, ATL and whatever airport my connecting plane was coming from.
4. It is a standard prong, so whatever headphones you have at home will work.
5. Although horendous, it is likely the plane you are connecting to will also be late, but this is one more reason to go with the painful 2-hour connection.
What's the difference in fare between Coach and Business Class? Business class allows you to pick your seat for free; allows 2 checked bags for free and is fully refundable should you later find something more to your liking. I have a flight booked from AUA to BOS that was $399 o/w in b/c; right now the coach fare is $339. In my case, it would be the B6 n/s flight dropping from $560 to something in the $400's.
I haven't flown Spirit, but I don't find AirTran to be too bad and from what I've heard it's not as bad as them. At the end of the day you will be spending a few hours inside a metal tube and an hour after your arrival you won't even know if you had flown them or DL. FWIW, the XM is free, which is kind of a nice feature.