Best FF promo going - AirTran!
Aug 6, 2002 | 9:25 pm
#1
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,275
Best FF promo going - AirTran!
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on FlyerTalk (if it's out there you can yell at me), but AirTran is running a great deal to quickly rack up the free tickets on the cheap.
How to do it the most quickly for the least amount of $:
- Book heavily discounted tickets (1 credit per flight) on your Amex (1 credit bonus per flight)
- When you get to the airport, upgrade for $35 (which gives you another credit) on your Amex (yep, another credit)
That's 4 credits for a one way flight, and only 12 are needed for a freebie. You just have to fill out a special form available on their website and send in your credits.
If you do the math (and AirTran flies to your town), that's a free ticket for every 1 1/2 upgraded roundtrips.
[Actually, you get 2 vouchers for each one-way flight, but only 6 are needed for the Amex promotion]
[This message has been edited by Tino (edited 08-06-2002).]
How to do it the most quickly for the least amount of $:
- Book heavily discounted tickets (1 credit per flight) on your Amex (1 credit bonus per flight)
- When you get to the airport, upgrade for $35 (which gives you another credit) on your Amex (yep, another credit)
That's 4 credits for a one way flight, and only 12 are needed for a freebie. You just have to fill out a special form available on their website and send in your credits.
If you do the math (and AirTran flies to your town), that's a free ticket for every 1 1/2 upgraded roundtrips.
[Actually, you get 2 vouchers for each one-way flight, but only 6 are needed for the Amex promotion]
[This message has been edited by Tino (edited 08-06-2002).]
Aug 7, 2002 | 8:57 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Chicago Illinois
Programs: 1MM UA
Posts: 1,753
On the website
http://www.airtran.com/programs/aplus/amex.jsp
it says,
"Or take three roundtrips in Business Class, or six roundtrips in coach, and AirTran
Airways will buy you a free roundtrip coach ticket on any major airline to places we
don't fly in the continental U.S."
Skimming the fine print it looks like all flights are from Atlanta.
"Free Flights on Other Airlines: Two A-Plus Travel Reward Certificates (24 Flight Credit Vouchers) are required for one free coach
roundtrip ticket for travel between Atlanta (ATL) and any point in the 48 continental United States served nonstop (no connections) or direct (one-stop). You must agree to fly on one of the following carriers: American, America West, ATA, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Continental, Delta, MetroJet, Midway, Midwest Express, Northwest, TWA, United or US Airways. All flights on airlines other than AirTran Airways must originate from and return to Atlanta. Travel to/from Atlanta is the sole responsibility of the recipient. Free travel on other airlines is available only on nonstop and direct (one-stop) flights from Atlanta. Free travel on other airlines will not be issued on
routes where AirTran Airways publishes schedules and fares. On those routes, free tickets will be issued for AirTran Airways flights for one A-Plus Travel Reward Certificate (12 Flight Credit Vouchers)."
http://www.airtran.com/programs/aplus/amex.jsp
it says,
"Or take three roundtrips in Business Class, or six roundtrips in coach, and AirTran
Airways will buy you a free roundtrip coach ticket on any major airline to places we
don't fly in the continental U.S."
Skimming the fine print it looks like all flights are from Atlanta.
"Free Flights on Other Airlines: Two A-Plus Travel Reward Certificates (24 Flight Credit Vouchers) are required for one free coach
roundtrip ticket for travel between Atlanta (ATL) and any point in the 48 continental United States served nonstop (no connections) or direct (one-stop). You must agree to fly on one of the following carriers: American, America West, ATA, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Continental, Delta, MetroJet, Midway, Midwest Express, Northwest, TWA, United or US Airways. All flights on airlines other than AirTran Airways must originate from and return to Atlanta. Travel to/from Atlanta is the sole responsibility of the recipient. Free travel on other airlines is available only on nonstop and direct (one-stop) flights from Atlanta. Free travel on other airlines will not be issued on
routes where AirTran Airways publishes schedules and fares. On those routes, free tickets will be issued for AirTran Airways flights for one A-Plus Travel Reward Certificate (12 Flight Credit Vouchers)."
Aug 7, 2002 | 9:20 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: MUC
Posts: 412
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">"Or take three roundtrips in Business Class, or six roundtrips in coach, and AirTran
Airways will buy you a free roundtrip coach ticket on any major airline to places we
don't fly in the continental U.S."
[/B]</font>
Airways will buy you a free roundtrip coach ticket on any major airline to places we
don't fly in the continental U.S."
[/B]</font>
Aug 8, 2002 | 9:50 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: CRP
Posts: 614
I have my doubts:
Still, rather than speculate: Do any FT'ers have any experiences with credits for upgrades on AirTran?
[This message has been edited by bry99 (edited 08-08-2002).]
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Earning Credits: Flight Credit Vouchers will be issued automatically at check-in, along with your Customer Receipt and Boarding Pass at the gate of the originating city of your trip at the rate of one Credit per coach-class flight, and two Credits per Business Class flight (A-class only). For the A-Plus Rewards program, a flight is defined as a trip on AirTran Airways from an origin city to a destination city, including any intermediate stops or connections. A Business Class flight is one for which AirTran Airways' full Business Class fare has been paid; a coach-class flight is one for which any coach fare has been paid. ...</font>
[This message has been edited by bry99 (edited 08-08-2002).]
Aug 8, 2002 | 4:16 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,314
Separately, I thought $35 upgrades were only from full fare? Has that changed?
Edited to say -- apparently it has --
http://www.airtran.com/info/faq/index.jsp#inflight
But then it continues...
[This message has been edited by gleff (edited 08-08-2002).]
Edited to say -- apparently it has --
http://www.airtran.com/info/faq/index.jsp#inflight
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Business Class upgrades are available in advance for $35.00 over the full one-way coach fare for nonstop flights and for $70.00 over the full one-way fare for connecting flights. They are not available for use with discounted fares.</font>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Currently, as a special promotion, for the amounts listed above, you may upgrade from any fare class on a first come, first served basis, upon checking in for travel.</font>
Aug 8, 2002 | 4:29 pm
#7
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 3,069
They must have recently raised the upgrade fee. I only paid $25 ea at check-in to upgrade myself and 2 kids from low fares for BWI-MCO in April. No meal, but still an excellent value. Most people don't seem to be aware of these upgrades -- coach was packed but we had the front cabin almost entirely to ourselves.
Aug 8, 2002 | 10:56 pm
#8
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,275
I stand corrected. After a call to AirTran Rewards today, I got the facts:
- The Amex program requires 6 vouchers for a free ticket.
- A coach fare upgraded to business class at the gate does NOT yield an extra voucher (you may receive one, but it doesn't count)
- A business fare yields two vouchers (although you may receive more if you have a connecting flight)
It's more confusing than it should be, and that's due to them printing out duplicate and multiple vouchers. My round-trip got me 6 slips of paper that said "voucher", but only 3 are valid. Which 3? That will probably require another call.
As for the fare structure, business class tix are $35 per segment more than full-fare coach, but you get double vouchers and the ticket is refundable (up to 1 hour before the flight). All coach tickets are nonrefundable, and even the cheapest coach ticket is upgradable (at the gate only - first come, first served), but they don't yield extra vouchers.
- The Amex program requires 6 vouchers for a free ticket.
- A coach fare upgraded to business class at the gate does NOT yield an extra voucher (you may receive one, but it doesn't count)
- A business fare yields two vouchers (although you may receive more if you have a connecting flight)
It's more confusing than it should be, and that's due to them printing out duplicate and multiple vouchers. My round-trip got me 6 slips of paper that said "voucher", but only 3 are valid. Which 3? That will probably require another call.
As for the fare structure, business class tix are $35 per segment more than full-fare coach, but you get double vouchers and the ticket is refundable (up to 1 hour before the flight). All coach tickets are nonrefundable, and even the cheapest coach ticket is upgradable (at the gate only - first come, first served), but they don't yield extra vouchers.