AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 22 July 2008 : by Charles Smith

Customer Rating : 2/5

ATL to Niagra Falls, NY to ATL. The trip is about what I have become to expect from Air Tran, slow service from agents that really don't care if you fly or not. I printed out my boarding pass on- line, but it still takes a hour just to check one bag. The plane back from NY to ATL had to be left over from the first purchase ever. It was old, dirty and torn up. The guy in the seat next to me saw an allen head bolt work loose on the engine housing during the course of the flight and told the flight attendant, who did not care. I guess air travel is just going to be miserable from here on out.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 16 July 2008 : by Steve Gibbs

Customer Rating : 1/5

BWI-DAY. Truly appalling experience. A 1¾-hour wait to check in meant we - and many others - missed the necessary 45-minute "luggage deadline" and thus the 10.25am flight was closed to us. We were told we would be booked on the much later afternoon flight, only to be informed at the departure gate several hours later we were actually assigned as standby passengers only. That flight was oversold, as was the 9pm flight - leaving us with no chance of getting back. From morning until early evening (when we eventually rented a car and drove 500 miles back) NO-one apologized, NO-one from AirTran offered help or assistance. Despite being lied to, our arguments were glossed over or met with glassy-eyed stares representing "why would we care?". The manager/supervisor actually REFUSED to come down and talk to ANY of the passengers about the problems, and went as far as ordering that staff should not give his/her name to any customer requesting it. At one point a gate agent, frustrated with the flak he was getting, shouted out "I've had enough of this, I'm leaving, someone call security" which seemed to somehow define the entire AirTran BWI set-up. I wouldn't recommend AirTran to my worst enemy.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 19 June 2008 : by Cristiano Miro

Customer Rating : 3/5

FLL-BWI $165.00 return including fees and taxes on the dates and times I wanted. Staff the typical mediocre american service, but professional and pleasant enough. Planes both ways new. Flight on- time both ways. Pilot informative without being over-bearing. When checking in online 24 hours prior to my outbound flight, I were given a window-bulkhead seat. It is as good as it gets nowadays on a US airline in coach.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 4 June 2008 : by J Williams

Customer Rating : 4/5

AirTran from Richmond Va (through Atlanta) to Phoenix AZ for the second time. I'm 6'5" tall/235 lbs. Bought a "business class" seat - worth the extra $. Cheerful, competent cabin service; friendly service crew; comfortable, clean aircraft and unlike my experience in "first class" to the same destination on United last year, my luggage arrived when I did.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 31 May 2008 : by T Samples

Customer Rating : 3/5

The flights we took 5/19 and 5/27 were fine with one exception. I have a fear of using the restrooms on airplanes, as I was stuck in a restroom on a US Air flight many years ago. Our flight 707 from Las Vegas to Dayton with layovers in Milwaukee and Atlanta had been delayed leaving Las Vegas, which was not a problem. We arrived in Milwaukee, and didn't have a lay over since we were late. I needed to use the restroom and flight attendant jumped down my throat when I requested to run to the restroom in the airport - according to her we would be leading the next group of passengers in 2 minutes. She would not let me explain why I needed to leave the plane for a few minutes. Approx. 30 minutes later after the cleaning crew etc had gone through the plane we finally loaded. She was not only rude to me, but to other passengers as well during this flight. This is the first time in 30 years of flying I have witnessed such a nasty flight attendant. I work with the public for the Government and I have to deal with a number of personalities, if I ever responded to a customer in this manner I would no longer have a job.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 19 May 2008 : by S Schwarz

Customer Rating : 5/5

IAD-MCO, the service was very friendly, planes neat and on time. With taxes and all possible fees, three tickets cost US$300 roundtrip. We will be definitely flying with them again, you can't beat the value.

AIRTRAN AIRWAYS review : 30 April 2008 : by P Clark

Customer Rating : 5/5

Denver to Atlanta. Long line at check-in. Desk personnel remained pleasant and efficient and managed to get everyone's luggage tagged and remained in communications with AirTran baggage, while reassuring all of us in line. In addition, AirTran continued to communicate re: number of people trying to get through security and run to the gate. They managed to get everyone onboard before take-off time. Easy to upgrade to business class at the gate if desired. Have been using this airline for about 10 years.

AirTran Airways review  - by A Levit

16 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BWI-ATL. I was very pleased with my first Airtran experience. I like the fact that their planes are newer, and were comfortable. The Stewardesses were very friendly, and the service was fine.

AirTran Airways review  - by Carolyn Verhage

16 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My husband and I (and my daughters and their families) have flown AirTran repeatedly over the last few years to and from Milwaukee and Florida, sometimes non-stop or usually with hops through Atlanta. Two recent trips during this year's very wintery weather exemplified your excellent service: in December, 2007 when we were returning from Tampa to Milwaukee when there was very bad weather up north. When checking in at Tampa, the AirTran desk manager absolutely refused to let us fly into Atlanta because of the likelihood that we would not be able to get a flight on to Milwaukee. She simply insisted (very cordially) that we take advantage of a shuttle to a nearby gulf-side hotel resort offered at a significantly discounted rate that day & night and guaranteed she would get us on the first flight the next morning and safely back to Milwaukee. We had a lovely day at the Tampa resort and flew out the next morning to Milwaukee thanks to her wisdom. The second example was in February, 2008, when my daughter and family were flying back from Milwaukee to Tampa. Again bad weather was hampering flights: my son-in-law was flying back to Tampa a day ahead of his family, but when my daughter called to inquire on the likelihood of his plane getting off, the AirTran agent suggest delaying his flight (at no cost) so he could fly the next day safely with the family, which again happened successfully. The only problems we have encountered are some delays, but if circumstances indicate difficulty catching our connecting flights, satisfactory arrangements have been offered by very cooperative agents and once a smashed piece of luggage. The online check- in process is great and the AirTran Rewards program has provided us with several upgrades for our daughters travelling with babies. The coach seats aren't bad; I even travelled 2 months after a knee replacement and was quite comfortable as long as I sat in an aisle seat. Flight prices are very reasonable and have allowed us to fly frequently to see our daughter and her family.

AirTran Airways review  - by M Effron

8 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Rountrip BWI-MIA in Business Class. Excellent price for a comfortable seat and friendly staff - both check-in and FAs. I use Business/First Class for comfort of the larger seat and am not looking to be waited on, or fed - AirTran did not disappoint. Boarding was handled efficiently and flights were on time.

AirTran Airways review  - by S Yochum

1 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

On our trip back from Las Vegas we decided to up grade to first class. A big waste of money! The only thing the stewardess did was sit and visit with each other. Coach had better service than we did.

AirTran Airways review  - by M Beckley

28 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Our experiences on AirTran have been consistently very positive. We fly the PHF-FLL flights which are nonstop. They have been punctual, and the service is friendly and attentive. When pricing other airlines, AirTran is the most competitive for our needs.

AirTran Airways review  - by D Dever

26 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

No meals, but who wants to pay 100 dollars more for a TV dinner. My family and I have flown Airtran over 30 times in the last 5-6 yrs and never had a bad experience. They have one of the most modern fleet of B-717 aircraft. Yes it is a little cramped, but at 5'11" the only seats I find uncomfortable are the last row. No window and they don't recline. If you need more leg room get an exit row. I fly CAK-MCO direct frequently and at 2:40 bring a book and you're there quickly. We once diverted to Pittsburgh coming in to CAK due to thunderstorms. They put us up in a very nice hotel with an indoor pool and bused us to CAK the next day.

AirTran Airways review  - by C Ostir

12 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

After waiting in line for nearly 1 hr 45 minutes at ticket counter in Orlando, we had to be expedited through security to make our flight. Had it not been delayed, I am sure we would not have made it. We then sat on the airplane for about 30-40 minutes waiting to depart. We had to connect in Atlanta to continue to Chicago. We were obviously late for our connection. By the time we made it to the gate, our seats had been reassigned. They knew we were on the incoming flight-why reassign our seats?. We were given 4 seats nowhere near each other - common sense says not to do this to a 2 year old. I asked the FA for help and she told me to have everyone sit in their assigned seat and she would deal with it later or I could start asking people to switch. I refused to do this with my children. I sat in one of the seats with my 2 year old on my lap and my 9 year old daughter next to me. It was not my responsibility to rearrange her airplane with a tired 2 year old when I had booked 4 seats together. They had created the problem, they could fix it. The only reason we were late was because of airtran already. She just stood there and glared at me while others were taking their seats. She finally asked me what I wanted to do. I said find 2 sets of 2 seats together or 3 seats together and 1 alone. Young children should not be seated alone. She went to get another employee - I am assuming some kind of manager - who told me I would either split us or wait for the next flight. She began to ask people in a loud and obnoxious manner to move so "this lady will stop complaining". After we finally arrived in Chicago, big surprise, our luggage is lost - all 5 pieces.

AirTran Airways review  - by K Smith

2 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Nice planes, crews, and handling of delays from Fort Myers to Detroit on 2-22-08. But I prepaid for assigned seats, had them listed on my confirmation email, and did not receive them when I got my boarding passes. When I called AirTran they said they could not refund the $25 I paid for the 5 seats and gave me a credit through Dec. 2008 in the amount of $25. They could not even explain why this happened. Next time I would not pay for the seat assignments and it appears to be irrelevant anyway.

AirTran Airways review  - by C Chan

21 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

ATL-LAX. First time on AirTran. The flight was delayed by almost 3 hours because of heavy snowfall in Atlanta, but I am overall very impressed with the cabin service. I learned that the airlines in America/Canada have a similar no-frill airline business model, so I didn't expect snacks to be served on the flight. The staff were attentive and friendly, aircraft was clean, although the seats and the lavatory were rather small. The captain and cabin crew were very professional in handling an obnoxious passenger. Won't mind flying with them again.

AirTran Airways review  - by Patricia Matlock

21 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Miami Int to Atlanta - our party of 7 had to wait more than 1 hour and 45 minutes to check in! This was because there were only 2 employees to check in more than 200-300 passengers for several flights. When the supervisor was called in, he didn't seem to be concerned about the situation at all! When we boarded our flight the plane was filthy - papers, crumbs, cups, magazines all over the seats! We will not travel with them again.

AirTran Airways review -- by N Adams

21 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

STL-SRQ on a newer 717. Check-in quick on the kiosk; offered $60 upgrade, however I refused as my ticket only cost $59 o/w! Boarding quick as there were only 34 people on the plane. Flight attendants not the friendliest, however they got the job done (and had a lot of free time to sit in business class and talk). Beverage service decent; good selection of beverages and pretzels served, with frequent passes for refills and extras. XM radio was wonderful. This non-stop flight is great for me, however I hope that don't pull it as it saves me a lot of time in ATL. Overall very satisfied.

AirTran Airways review  - by K Worth

8 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My family flew Orlando to Rochester with a stop over in Baltimore. The first leg of the flight was uneventful and unimpressive (little leg room, uncomfortable seats). FAs and ground crew were not very friendly and a little cold to begin with. We landed in Baltimore where many passengers departed and many new passengers boarded the flight. Due to the short layover, we were not allowed to leave the plane. I understand the reason for this. Just as we were about to take off for the second leg of the flight, our three year old was asking for some apple juice and the use the bathroom. We told her that the plane was taking off and we could not do this and so she waited very for the seatbelt light to turn off. As soon as it did, the flight attendants began to serve drinks from the back of the plane. As we were seated in row 11, we knew it would be a while for a drink so my husband asked the flight attendent if we may have some apple juice for our child. He was flatly refused. After a few minutes, my husband asked the other two flight attendants for a drink of apple juice for our young daughter. Again he was flatly refused. I realize that not every passenger can go up to the flight attendants and ask for a drink, however, under the circumstances of her age and the length of the time on the plane, I do think an exception should have been made here! I think that a simple glass of apple juice is a much smaller request! I do realize that First Class/Business passengers do pay more, but a three year old should have been able to get a glass of juice!

AirTran Airways review  - by Mike Blood

16 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I've flown BUF-ATL-JAX and back several times with AirTran, and I can't find any complaints besides not having enough leg room, and that my XM radio in the seat wasn't working correctly, but for a flight that short - not too concerned about that. Service was excellent, flights on time, and good ground service as well.

AirTran Airways review  - by T Cannold

26 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I regularly fly HPN-MCO on B717, in economy & business. Bright, clean planes. FAs vary from warm to jaded. Good company spirit, XM radio is a plus. Economy gets peanuts; business medium sized bags of potato chips, etc. All beverages are free in business; non-alcoholic free in economy. Best economy seats are 10A,C (extra leg room, below-seat storage of business seat ahead [curtain separator].) Exit row seats do have extra lag room, but seat backs are less comfortable (I've had a metal bar dig into my back in these seats.) The rest of the economy seats have very little leg room (30" pitch) and are pretty narrow. 2-3 configuration offers happy option for those not wanting a middle seat. All in all, a fine low-cost carrier - better than Southwest or Spirit, not as good as Jetblue.

AirTran Airways review -- by M Briggs

11 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

On a recent Airtran flight from San Francisco to Atlanta - 4.5 hour flight - I was seated between a mother holding an 18 month old child and her six-year-old son. She refused to move to the middle seat to be near her son, leaving me crunched in between - with her talking and passing things over me like I was not there. I asked the flight attendant for assistance but he said the plane was full and there was nothing he could do. All I wanted to do was read my book and drink the coffee I had brought on board! Couldn't do either. No FA's cared about the inappropriate seating arrangement until the six- year-old spilled his soda (who gives a six-year-old a soda at 7:00 am?) all over my lap. I had to change clothes. Fortunately a couple was being upgraded to first class so I could then move and finally sit with my husband - whom I could not seem to get seated with on the previous two flights that got us to San Francisco. Why on earth would an airline not insist that a parent sit in a contiguous seat to a young child - and then seat a stranger in between her and that child - on a cross-country flight? And why was I not able to be seated with my traveling companion on any but the last leg of our journey? Only sat with him on the long flight because of the circumstances-not because of seat assignments? What is Airtran thinking? I paid the same amount of money as the next person and should not have to bully my way to a reasonable seat - or wait until I am soaked in Sprite! In spite of low fares and on time, I would prefer not to ride on Airtran again.

AirTran Airways review -- by T Lynn

5 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We have taken the HPN-MCO flight several times- always on time, if not early, nice flight attendants, clean planes and very good fares; what more could you want?

AirTran Airways review -- by David Rabe

11 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

TPA to PHL Business. My partner and I upgraded when we checked in at the airport using the self service kiosk for $60.00 each. The flight left on time and the flight attendants offered drinks before takeup. Once aloft we were offered a snack from a basket (chips, biskoff, pretzels etc). All the flight attendants seem to work the entire plane, so don't expect any pampering! The seat size was much better than economy and it was nice getting off the plane first. All in all it's probably worth upgrading, but you would be wasting your money if you buy a full fare business class ticket on this airline.

AirTran Airways review  - by J Freund

28 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We found the flight attendants, and those at the gate desk to be rude and uncommunicative and unhelpful during both ends of our summer flight from SFO to White Plains, NY. We had a 6 hour delay - arriving past midnight with the double whammy of something I am apparently not permitted to state - according to the rules of this website - but smart readers can fill in the blanks. Then on our return trip, our 4 yr. old daughter cut her arm on the rough underneath edges of the passenger seat arm. Since her arm bled a bit, and the scratches were long, I took her up to the front cabin area where 3 flight attendants were standing, and politely asked for a band-aid and ointment, as I showed them my daughter's arm. At first, I got blank stares. Then the youngest FA very bruskly stated, "We'd have to make an emergency medical landing to take care of that! We don't have any band-aids!" I was speechless. Finally, an older attendant found a bandage, and wrapped my daughter's arm up. When I gently suggested they might want to look into the matter to prevent further instances, the FA was the first to object by saying, "We'd have to change all the seats on this plane!" (No kidding, I thought to myself - but let's let AirTran figure that out themselves.

AirTran Airways review  - by A Levintlov

15 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Since this is a low-fare carrier, I don't expect luxury. Occasionally I do get row 10, which does have loads of leg room, on both 717 and 737. I prefer 717 because on left side, they have only 2 seats together. Inflight service mostly okay. As they say, you get what you pay for, and my Air Tran flights have all been well worth the price.

AirTran Airways review -- by J Aaron

31 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

PHL-ATL-PHL. Business Class on a new 737. The seats were nice and comfortable Recaro. FA's were pleasant. Drinks offered twice, snacks once. On return, I upgraded again. The designated "bag-check" lines were actually taking customers of all sorts and were slow. My flight showed a 1-hour delay at check-in. Another look at the monitors a few minutes later revealed a 2-hour delay. At the gate, around boarding time, we were informed the plane was going through a routine maintenance check, but we waited another hour with few announcements about what was happening. Aboard the 717, the seats were a bit older, but comfortable and very nice. F/A's on this flight were fantastic, and worked hard to make up for other ways the carrier was lacking.

AirTran Airways review  - by D Hendler

22 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LAX-ATL in Business Class. Upgraded using Elite Status from B class ticket. This is not "Business Class" However, that being said, the 737 aircraft was spotlessly clean, the toilets worked, I had a nice, wide seat, very comfortable with decent leg/knee room. The front cabin of the plane has 3 rows of 2-2 seating, so there was plenty of space for hand held luggage. Dinner service included decent booze, on the house, but served in a plastic cup. I didn't bother listening to the XSM inflight radio, but glancing through the inflight magazine, there seemed to be about 50 or so different channels. I think there was a $2 charge for headsets in the back, they were complementary up front. Our flight left LAX on time, we got to Atlanta on time. Attentive staff, although one of the women had a chip on her shoulder (long working hours?). Final verdict: for what I got, I would not pay a full fare ticket. However, the cost difference between their lowest discounted economy ticket, and the cheapest of their upgradable economy tickets was worth the price. I will be perfectly happy to fly AirTran again under the same circumstances. Good flight, good seat on a 4 hour flight, but no real amenities on board.

AirTran Airways review  - by Ian Ford

4 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I have traveled 5 return flights on AirTran from Boston to Philly and one to Fort Lauderdale over the last year. The seats are a bit cramped but I managed (I am 6'0"), staff are very friendly and seem to love their jobs. Fares are usually pretty reasonable, and the XM radio on the planes is a great idea. No food, but I gave up expecting that a long time ago! Most impressive, their flights to and from Philadelphia were on time every single time except a short delay once. Compare this to the delays that US Airways has on the same route (regularly an hour or more), and it is a definite plus.

AirTran Airways review -- by Richard Zhang

3 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I have flown AirTran several times during the past year between Boston to Orlando and back Their ground services are fine, such as their electronic check-ins, transfers, etc. Boeing 717 aircraft uncomfortable seats narrow and provided little leg room. Their personnel services were quite alright and food is mediocre. However, if you don't mind compromised quality, buy AirTran because it usually has very low fares even at later reservation dates.

AirTran Airways review -  by J Morris

24 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

ATL-DTW and FNT-ATL in economy. Having flown AirTran about 6 times in the past year, each time with progressively better reviews, it is clear they are making significant improvements in their customer service and overall quality. Both flights were nearly full, but did not seem cramped at all, even with the packed 717 / 737 configurations. The 737 aircraft on the return trip seemed brand new, with a very clean, comfortable cabin and slightly wider seats than the 717 aircraft on the outbound trip. Beverage service was good and efficient, and the cabin staff was very attentive and friendly. The FAs on the ATL-DTW trip were very upbeat and witty, making the usually monotonous takeoff and landing procedures a surprising pleasure. Both flights also left on time and arrived early. My only complaint was that their complimentary headsets are of the poorest quality and break very easily. Bring your own headsets to enjoy the great XM Radio. I disagree with their classification as a "low- cost carrier," seeing that they rarely offer "low-cost" fares, compared to Delta, Northwest, and other airlines that share many flights on its routemap, but at least they make their numbers work. Also, having flown business class several times, the upgrade is only worth the $40-60 promotions they sometimes offer. Don't pay twice the value of an economy ticket for a slightly larger (but equally comfortable) seat and free drinks.

AirTran Airways review  - by Nancy Kleiman

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

What a delight it was to fly Air Tran! Staff friendly, funny - a real feeling of teamwork which was contagious. I've never felt so relaxed and content on a plane. We flew from Colonial Williamsburg to Boston on April 1st and couldn't have been more pleased. We were travelling with parents who needed assistance and it was given with genuine caring and expediency, Well done, Air Tran!

AirTran Airways - by Steve Jenney
3 March 2007

HPN-MCO/TPA-HPN very good experience. FA's very good, aircraft fine. Security line at TPA ridiculous like a 45 minute wait - uncalled for. Not AirTrans fault but beware out of TPA. Price was good, non-stop a big plus. Could use another counter or two at HPN and TPA but curbed it at TPA and that part was fine. Need to get bags quicker at HPN no excuse for a 30 minute wait with only one flight on the ground. Will definitely fly Air Tran over JetBlue out of HPN.

AirTran Airways - by Alex Capousis
29 January 2007

Baltimore to Boston (BWI-BOS) one-way in economy. Aircraft was a clean and new 737-700. I was surprised at the fact that the first boarding call was for all rows. However, when we got on board there were only 14 people (2 business, 12 economy) on a plane for 125! The service was very friendly and FA's made conversation with most passengers during the flight. They couldn't explain why flight was so under-booked, only explanation was their next flight was going to Orlando. Seat pitch and legroom were fine for a 70 minute flight. Flight left on-time and arrived 10 minutes early. We only had carry-on bags. I would happily recommend them for flights out of BWI!

AirTran Airways - by Lisa Wiener
26 January 2007

I've flown AirTran numerous times and never been sorry I did. They have made flying affordable again for those of us without six-digit salaries. My flights have always been comfortable and on time and the staff has always been cheerful and friendly. Thanks to them, since I moved to the Atlanta area I can visit family and friends more often without the long drive home to Ohio. As long as the prices stay good, my first choice will always be AirTran!

AirTran Airways - by Robert Haizlip
1 January 2007

ATL-Hou Dec. 23, gate agents at Atl not the friendliest but on board the new 717 fa's were friendly and helpful. Departed and arrived on time. Hou-Atl Dec. 30 upgraded to business (last year cost $35, this year $60) and had decent legroom and a free drink. Fa's friendly and efficient again and departure and arrival pretty much on time. Overall a good airline and fair prices.