Complain about a product or service

Air Tran

Emily of Miami FL (06/19/08)
On a recent flight from Baltimore to Seattle I encountered a horrendous flight attendant. My cousin and I were comfortably in our seats with our luggage already stowed in the upper compartments. A large group of teens (8 to be exact) were traveling with their parents --who happened to be sitting nice and far away in first class. Most of the kids had taken their seats when three of them started complaining they're in our seats without confronting anyone in particular. Hearing this, and knowing that several of them had just taken seats in the two rows behind us, my cousin and I looked down at our tickets. The woman sitting next to us did the same. We each verified that we were in the correct seats. After a few minutes the commotion and complaints continued from the group behind us. A flight attendant appeared with some sort of passenger print-out and asked to see the teens' tickets. She quickly looked over the list and said ok, so you're sitting there... and you're sitting there pointing to my seat and my cousin's seat.

My cousin and I showed the woman our tickets, which showed the exact same seats. DOUBLE BOOKED! At this point we were all standing in the aisle, waiting to see who would get the seats and where else there would be available seats. My cousin kindly patted the flight attendant's shoulder and said don't worry, its not a problem we can move. The flight attendant rudely exlaimed Just sit somewhere! Seeing an empty seat nearby I asked can you tell me if this one is available? And instead of looking at her list she rudely told me to sit and change seats later. My cousin had to walk several rows up (about 10 rows away from me) to find a seat. Meanwhile, the woman and her dog who was sitting with us in the first seats had to be moved toward the back of the plane. After everyone was finally seated, and before we began taxiing I noticed an empty seat two rows behind me. Since the flight was 6 hours, and I had my cousin's ipod and other items in my possession, I asked the flight attendant if my cousin could move back to be closer to me. She rolled her eyes at me, and told me that no one could be out of their seats and that she (my cousin) would have to move later.

Not two minutes later, the woman gave that empty seat to another passenger who complained about sitting next to the woman with the dog. The flight attendant could have easily moved my cousin back to the empty seat, and put the complaining man in my cousin's seat. There was no kindness or effort of any kind of the flight attendant's part. Even the teens who took my seat exclaimed oh my god she doesn't listen! and my new neighbor on the plane (even though I didn't start the conversation because of my frustration,) said I can't believe she made you move! You were already sitting down. Here's the best part: We then sat on the runway for 2 hours during a thunderstorm!

What a horrible way to start my vacation! This was the 2nd leg of my trip and after already traveling 5 hours I just wanted to be comfortable and relaxed.

Jose of Alpharetta GA (05/19/08)
I booked an Airtran flight online and was transferred to a web page that asked how many bags I wished to check. It stated that up to two bags could be checked free so I checked two bags.

When I got to the terminal, the ticket agent wanted to charge me $20 for one bag because it was now their policy. I complained about the charge and an argument ensued. I asked to speak with a manager and was told that there were none available. I insisted and the two ticket agents left and returned with a guy named Vern. While actively arguing my point with Vern - which was that at the time I booked the flight they did not charge me for the bag and my flight was confirmed and paid for and that their policy took effect after I booked my flight so it did not apply to me - I mentioned the word damn. At that point I was threatened with being thrown off the flight and they also called the cops.

I had to check the second bag because I had toiletries that would have been thrown away that were worth more than the $20 being charged. I filed a complaint via their customer service department and was basically told that they would handle it, however, I would not be made aware of the outcome - it would remain internal. They also refunded me $10. My concern is this - I had a right to complain because I was getting ripped off ( which was my point - the amount of $20 was not the issue) and I think the threats and calling the cops were too much and that they went far overboard in doing so.

Jaime of Atlanta GA (05/13/08)
I am writing to express my frustration I encountered with Airtran Airways Inc. on April 25, 2008 leaving from Atlanta to Puerto Rico. The departure time reflected on the ticket was 11:15am. My friend and I checked in at the kiosk and went through security. We arrived at our terminal 1 hour early. When we arrived at our gate at 11:05am the door at the terminal in the airport to the plane was closed, however, the plane was still there. Please understand that we arrived exactly 10 minutes prior to 11:15am. I asked an Airtran agent at another counter if he could help me as the plane had not even left nor had it moved from the gate. Nobody did anything! Why did Airtran not call our names if they knew we checked in also the flight left early.

Because of this, we missed our flight to Puerto Rico and had to fly American Airlines and buy a one- way ticket in the amount of $233.00 to PR. One thing that really CONCERNS ME is the baggage situation. At the Atlanta airport after our plane left us, an Airtran agent told us our baggage would be waiting for us at the San Juan airport upon are arrival. When we arrived in San Juan, no one was to be found in the airport that worked for Airtran. Needless to say, we did not receive our luggage until the day before we left. How is it possible that our luggage was on the plane but we were not. For security reasons and since 9/11, I would think that would be a perfect way for a terrorist to place an explosive on the plane. Airtran should have let us on the plane, or give us our luggage back. Is this not against regulations? I contacted wrote a letter to the CEO, Robert Fornaro. After days of not receiving a response, I finally called Customer Relations. The representative gave me 2 $25 vouchers for the inconvenience for our luggage not being able to obtain our luggage until the day before we left. This is the standard practice for Airtran when it comes to misplacing consumers luggage.

Subsequently, after I spoke with customer relations, I received a response from Ms. Elizabeth Rector from Airtran Airways Administrative Affairs department. However, she was unwilling to do anything to compensate us for the inconvenience. I am asking that me and my friend be compensated for the inconvenience. I am requesting that we be refunded for the one way ticket we had to buy from American Airlines or be given a credit in the amount of $233.00. This is one of the worst experiences I have ever had in my life with an airline. My trip was completely ruined because 1) the gate closed early and 2) our luggage was lost for until the day before we left.

Tammy of Loganville GA (05/09/08)
This is a GOOD REPORT! I wanted to report that a year and a half ago my mother flew from Minneapolis to Atlanta and AirTran was wonderful with helping her get around. I called and talked with a customer service rep after I booked her flight on line and arranged for them to meet her with a wheelchair after to take her to the gate and help her get on the flight.

They let her board the flight first and also mades sure that we got a seat with extra leg room. In Atlanta they were waiting for her with a wheelchair at the gate when my mom got off the airplane and took her through the whole airport and helped her get into our car. This was also the case when my mother went back to Minneapolis from Atlanta. My husband and I also got permission to go with her to the gate until she got on the flight as well as meet her at the gate when she came to Atlanta. We just had to get clearance at the check in counter.

AirTran Airways was very accomidating for my mother when she flew. My mom can not walk very far without a wheelchair and has trouble with her breathing. They were great!

Rick of Salina KS (05/08/08)
On Saturday May 3rd I made flight reservations for 4 from Wichita to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise leaving Dec. 7th. Flight dates that I arranged were from Dec. 6th to return Dec 13th. On Sunday, May 4th I realized that I had entered the wrong return date. We, in fact needed to return on Dec. 14th.

I called AirTran to change reservations because I simply had no choice. Their response, no problem, for $85 per ticket they were glad to change the reservations. I won't deny that their policy does state this fee however, it does appear exhorbitant and you would think they would make some exceptions. I guess it was a stupid tax on my part.

Deborah of Atlanta GA (04/14/08)
I booked a flight with Air Tran from Atlanta to Jacksonville for my husband and I for departure on Saturday, April 5, 2008 and return on Tuesday, April 8 We had a round trip fare that worked out to be $293 each after adding fees and costs (including advanced seat selection).

First, Air Tran cancelled our return flight and booked us on an earlier flight (thus shortening our stay considerably). Nevertheless, I checked us in online and printed out boarding passes. When we arrived at the Atlanta airport at approximately 10:30 am for our 11:48 am flight, we were happy to find a relatively short line at the baggage check-in near the public transportation we used to get to the airport. The line was moving very slowly, however, and had no separate check-in for those needing boarding passes, so I checked other Air Tran counters and the outdoor baggage check. The lines were unbelievable, so we stayed in our relatively shorter line. (We heard that Air Tran had cancelled a number of flights due to weather, but cannot verify this. Surely other airlines would have been affected, but none had the line Air Tran did, including Delta.)

While we were waiting in line, I tried to verify our flights again at the computer stations prior to the 11:00 am cutoff, and could not get a confirmation to come up. It took as an hour to reach the front of our line to check bags, by which time our 45-minute window for baggage check was past. Our option was to go stand-by on a 3:00 PM flight, with no guarantee of getting that flight. We opted to drive instead. As we did not accept the offer for standby, we were deemed a no-show.

The problem is, we had an almost identical experience with Air Tran in Mid-December, 2005 for a trip to New York. Air Tran seems to have a policy of extreme overbooking, so if something happens (bad weather, for example), everything backs up. The approach seems to be to create delays so that Air Tran will not have to compensate the customer for missed flights due to overbooking. We are NEVER flying Air Tran again, and did not even try to claim a credit toward future flights. I would really like to know how overbooking is dealt with, and whether airlines are required to be transparent about these policies.

Patrick of Fletcher, NC (03/30/08)
My girlfriend and I live in separate states and fly on long weekends and vacations to be together. We have used Airtran a couple times in the past and have had nothing but problems from delayed flights due to computer problems, flights canceled for no given reason, missed connections due to a number of reasons.

Today is the last straw and we will never use Airtran again.  My girlfriend sat on the runway for over an hour.  The passengers were told the delay was due to bad weather in Atlanta, so she text messaged me this information.  I looked at the weather doppler radar for the south east and found no weather within 1500 miles of Atlanta. She missed her connection in Atlanta due to this and we still do not know the real reason the flight was delayed.

My girlfriend will miss work tomorrow, have to sleep in the airport and wait for another flight in the morning.

Gustavo of Pinellas Park FL (03/01/08)
We flew on Air Tran sometime last year, and after landing we were offered an Air Tran Visa credit card and a free 3-month's subscription to a magazine. After the three months we canceled the subs and closed the account. We have been receiving statements from Air Tran Visa monthly charging us for service charges and late fees. We contacted them on the phone on Jan 8, 2008, and talked to Sarah (no last name given) who recognized the error and said that the only amount we owed was $21.38. We paid that right away. We are still receiving statements as indicated above, and the balance of course keeps escalating. These people are taking advantage of us been senior citizens, and they believe we will continue paying. We are requesting your help to resolve this problem that could ruin our A+ credit rate history. Thanks in advance for your help.

Has not caused any damage so far but could ruin our credit history if ignored.

Kristopher of Akron OH (02/27/08)
My daughter bought three Airtran tickets at $109 each (total $327) through Travelocity. Somewhere along the line, the credit card transaction was doctored, and she was billed an unauthorized $2070 by Airtran. Airtran and Travelocity both blame one another for the problem, but AirTran has pocketed the money and will not refund it.

$1728 in fraudulent credit charges, time spent in trying to get someone to take responsibility and fix the problem. Extreme emotional distress since the trip was to see a dying relative.

Kristopher of Akron, OH (02/27/08)
My daughter bought three Airtran tickets at $109 each (total $327) through Travelocity. Somewhere along the line, the credit card transaction was doctored and she was billed an unauthorized $2070 by Airtran.

Airtran and Travelocity both blame one another for the problem, but AirTran has pocketed the money and will not refund it.

Marc of Ocoee FL (02/25/07)
I was bumped from my flight. The gate agent said the flight was overbooked and there was no seat available.
No one offered to help me or find an alternative made.

Hanson of Atlanta GA (05/17/06)
Web site and email adverstising is a 2 day sale for Atlanta-Chicago at $39 one way from May31 to Oct4 for travel on Tuesday and Wednesday only. Having checked the web site for all Tue/Wed travel there is no $39 fare listed only the $89 one way which is normally available on other days. I do not think any $39 fares are or have been loaded to the web site. I started looking on May 15.

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