Airtran
 

Has anybody flown this airline? They have some great fares sometimes but I don't know if they're crop dusters or legit. Thanks.

I have flown them, but quit because they didn't give assigned seats and boarding was too much pushing and shoving for me. Also their gates are usually at the most distant terminal in ATL. For those who check a bag, the lines are long and sloooow at the ticket counter, and sale fares are difficult to find on their web site.

If you get a corporate account you can select your seats.Getting first class for $25 more than their lowest fare is great. Their planes are generally better than Delta's.

On May 11, 1996, a ValuJet Airlines DC-9 plunged into the Everglades near Miami, killing all 110 people on board.

Today the company, which was written off by most analysts and even by the airline industry, has seen a spectacular turnaround.

AirTran Airways Inc., which grew out of the former ValuJet and struggled to survive in 1997 and 1998, has reported profits for five consecutive quarters after Joe Leonard took over as CEO in January 1999.

AirTran does give assigned seats, just not until you check in. A delay in their system can have a more devastating effect than with most other airlines, so that's probably the major downside. They're very lean on gates at most of the distant outposts, so this again affects delays. If one plane is late at a given gate, then the next plane behind it might be late because they have no other gate to park at. Otherwise these days they have mostly new Boeing 717s. Customer service is typically pretty mediocre. I would fly them if I had to, which would be if every other airline cost significantly more. The person posting the crash history might try making an actual point.


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--Greg

Posted by CrazyOne:

The point is: I don't fly Airtran!
Why did they change their name from ValueJet to Airtran? They want us to forget this horrible crash.

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.....the hazardous oxygen generators blamed for the cargo hold fire that caused the Everglades crash 11 minutes after takeoff, killing all 110 people aboard May 11, 1996.....
.....The case revolved around 144 oxygen generators removed by SabreTech from other ValuJet planes. The canisters are usually installed over seats to supply oxygen to masks that drop when a passenger cabin loses pressure.

Five cartons of the generators, which resemble shaving cream cans, were delivered to the ill-fated flight even though ValuJet was not allowed to carry hazardous cargo.

Crash investigators blamed the generators for starting a 2,200-degree fire that spread to the jet's cabin and melted aluminum seat tracks and plastic tray tables.

Why do we need to immediately get snippy? I'm a simple peddlar and I understood that printing reports on plane crashes did in fact have a message - the airline is unsafe.

Airtran was an industry joke and frequent punch line for a long time for frequent travelers.

Their service and maintainance record was reviled by all. The horrible crashes also involved illegal cargo I seem to recall that increased the risk of fatalities in the event of a mishap.

I flew them once from Atlanta to Orlando. I remember being nervous the whole way.

Who's getting snippy? I looked at a post that showed only highlighted a crash and a name change. This does not indicate anything nor does it make a compelling point. Should I highlight crashes and name changes of US Airways and infer that you shouldn't fly them? American had 3 crashes within the last 6 months, better not fly them either. United had 2. And on and on. You can twist the data any way you like. The fact that there was a crash at this airline 6 years ago doesn't indicate anything about today's level of service. Thus my problems with the first post. Further details about the situation may give one pause, but given the scrutiny the airline has been under since, I find it no less safe than any other. Using "crashes" is just plain lying, since there was just one.

All that said, I wouldn't recommend AirTran as a first choice for anyone, but I have flown a few times on it, and it's not because I have a death wish.



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--Greg

CrazyOne:

It was not my intention to bash Airtran. I just wanted to give Babaloo (1 post!) the information that Airtran was Valuejet and had a fatal crash. That's all I wanted. I don't have a problem if and when you and others fly Airtran ... and I wish you/all, Aitran all the best.

Well call me a dare devil, but I have to go to a wedding in Williamsburg, VA on the 4th of July weekend. And since I have no desire whatsover of driving from Manhattan http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif, I decided to fly. The aifares I found were outrageous (including my own CO).....except for Airtran. They have a nonstop from LGA to PHF for $96 roundtrip.....so I bought the ticket.

Colleagues in my firm have flown Airtran and said that it was fine so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

And if crashes were a huge issue, I don't think I could fly AA anytime soon. I'm not talking about Sept 11 but the time an AA flight crashed just over Belle Haven, NY because of some kind of aircraft problem.

My new company is a cheapo. On the MIA trips in Feb. They have put me on Airtran via DFW-ATL-MIA.

Connecting in ATL wasn't too bad but I merely missed the connection cus I only had 30mins of layover! Also the check-in line at DFW was unreal. 40+ with 1 agent at the desk. And since my company bought me 1-way tkt...i was a prime suspect. They literally tore up my suitcase in DFW....sure glad that I'm a light packer, even for a 3 week trip!

I posted the return somewhere in Airtran's forum...i forget...and with my superfast 28k modem...i think i'll pass on searching the thread. Basically the trip took over 7 hours... MIA-TPA-TLH-DFW ( i didn't know that Airtran actually make a small stop at TPA, and of course the folks at MIA's tkt counter and gate couldn't speak English)

Since i get paid for traveling...i don't mind it at all...

Afang, your problem is not with AirTran, it's MIA. MIA may as well be another country. Long check-in lines and missed connections do exist on other airlines, you know.

Overall,I find the first class seats and service of Airtran much better than ASA. They are what they are, a discount airline.But with the full fare airlines (especiall Delta) delivering less and less benefits,they make a nice alternative in some markets. After their unfortuate accident they are one of the best maintained with many new planes.

We will never ever fly AirTran again. We showed up an hour early for a flight to Orlando several years ago. To our dismay, our flight had already flown out minutes before we arrived, and they claimed they had contacted us! We live just 20 min. from the airport, and could have been there in time, if they had only called us! They had never contacted us and refused to put us on another flight on another airline that day. There weren't anymore flights that day, so we lost a day of our vacation and were billed for our hotel in Orlando that night! We felt like crying! Pleading and calling the National Headquarters was no help. The Airtran desk was empty except for 1 girl that was answering phones. We flew out the next day, and had to fight with them, so they wouldn't charge us a $35 fee for changing our flight time!!! Practically ruined the spirit of our vacation! As far as I'm concerned, they are villains. They were gone for a year or so from our DSM airport. Now they seem to be back again. I pity the poor people that fly with them!

I have always gotten a kick out of the joke I thought of one day walking on the streets of Miami Beach with my brother and my wife:

Did you hear that Airtran is changing its advertising slogan?

The new slogan is: "We'll get you there or die trying!!"