Air Tran Complaint

[boblabontefan]

Has anyone had to deal with Air Tran airlines customer service department? My H and I just returned from a vacation and on the flight home the passengers behind us had their pet cats as carry-on luggage. No problem there, except my H is allergic to cats and they were placed directly under our seats without our knowledge.

 

I sent an e-mail to Air Tran customer service the next day and the auto reply said I should get a response within 72 hours. It has now been 24 hours longer than that - and I anticipate waiting until Sunday before attempting to contact them again.

 

Any one had any dealings with this company? Anything I should expect? Ask for? Do?

 

All help and suggestions are appreciated.

[ms_mckenna]

Sigh forget it and move on lol. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but according to our experiences it is unfortunately the truth. Our trip this summer home from Orlando was beyond bad. I actually cried because we were treated so badly by a lady at the front gate. I rarely cry. Anyway after a few months we came to wht they called a resolution. They gave us 50 bucks a piece toward a future trip on Air Tran. So in other words they gave us nothing because we have no plans to fly with them again. Best of luck to you I would just document everything. :)

[boblabontefan]

Sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. It is terrible when you get treated poorly during what should be a happy time (vacation). I really didn't expect any compensation, but I would like to get a response from the company - at least that would show me what their customer service is like. Apparently from your experience I shouldn't hold my breath until I get a response.

[mudechevy]

I'm sorry that you all have had bad experiences. I have flown Airtran several times and have not had bad experiences. I know that it is a low budget airline and you get what you pay for. They should still offer superior customer service, as any company should. Anyone can and does make mistakes. It's those that fix them correctly that win.

[Illinoismom]

Has anyone had to deal with Air Tran airlines customer service department? My H and I just returned from a vacation and on the flight home the passengers behind us had their pet cats as carry-on luggage. No problem there, except my H is allergic to cats and they were placed directly under our seats without our knowledge.

 

I sent an e-mail to Air Tran customer service the next day and the auto reply said I should get a response within 72 hours. It has now been 24 hours longer than that - and I anticipate waiting until Sunday before attempting to contact them again.

 

Any one had any dealings with this company? Anything I should expect? Ask for? Do?

 

All help and suggestions are appreciated.

When you found out about the cats did you say something to the flight staff so that they could have re-seated you away from the cats.

[boblabontefan]

My main question to their customer service department was if they have a policy to inform passengers if pets are placed below their seats. I was basically hoping for an answer back from them so that we can keep that policy in when we purchase plane tickets in the future.

 

99% of the crew and employees that we encountered during our trip were upbeat, happy and very accommodating. If it isn't policy for them to inform passengers of pets on board, then the crew did nothing wrong and we will fly another airline in the future. I have no problem with doing that and they have no obligation to me.

 

You are right Mudchevy, it comes down to customer service. So far they aren't doing well in that department by ignoring my e-mail.

[ms_mckenna]

All I wanted was an apology ... I have yet to get that.

[boblabontefan]

Illnoismom, we didn't realize that there were cats there until the plane actually touched down. It was a bumpy landing and the cats started yowling. At that point we were 5 minutes from getting off the plane and the crew couldn't have done a thing for us. Had we know sooner we would have requested to be moved to different seats (there were some empty ones available).

[boblabontefan]

ms mckenna - sometimes the big companies don't realize that the smallest gestures are what counts. You deserve an apology and it is too bad you didn't get one.

[Mommyof2]

Like Mudechevy, I have flown AirTran several times and have never had a negative experience. I always fly with my two children, which I was dreading, but all my flights with them have been problem-free. I fly AirTran because it is low-budget, which is all we can afford! LOL

 

I'm sorry about your experience with their customer service department. It makes sense that if there were pets on board, that they would say something to other passengers. Especially being in an enclosed airplane! I hope you get whatever resolution you are in search of :)

[citrixgirl]

dont want to thread jack but ... Midwest airlines is the best I have ever flown http://www.midwestairlines.com/MAWeb/

They are a small company responsible flights and prices.

when I flew with them I had a one year old and a stroller they let me keep my stroller( a big graco one) all the way up to the flight I got to pre-board and the attendants even help me with my baggage. If I ever fly with my son(s) again I would try and fly Midwest

[boblabontefan]

Midwest is my favorite too. I always look to see what their pricing is first. This time Air Tran was lowest by almost $100 per person.

 

I would fly Air Tran again if I knew what their pet policy was with regards to notification to other passengers.

[tokanm]

I have a coworker who flew on an airline last year and had a nearly lifethreatening

experience. Her DS is severly allergic to nuts...when she made the reservations she

made sure it would be a nut free flight etc and checked again prior to boarding. As the

flight attendants are handing out refreshments lo and behold they were offering people

nuts!! She immediately got up and went over the them and told them about her daughter

and they could have cared less. Luckily the people sitting right near her understood the

situation and refrained from the peanuts. I mean this kid can die just from "peanut dust

in the air". Mt coworker had her daughter tie a bandana around her mouth and nose

and made sure she touched nothing leaving the plane.

 

I believe she got the same treatment when she contacted the airline several times

and included documentation of the severity of the allergy etc.

 

CS is not what it used to be

[MandaJo111]

I guess I have never heard of an airline informing you if there were pets on board. Did it cause an issue that I am missing? (Not trying to be rude, just curious cause you said that you did not know till you were about to land).

 

I have had a few flights with AirTran (alone with both kids) and they were exceptional. I had no issues at all and they went out of their way to help me with the kids. I was actually expecting far less in customer service, but I was quite pleased. I even flew over the Thanksgiving holiday and still it was no issue.

 

I understand your problem with customer service. I had an issue with Leap Frog not responding to my complaint in a timely manner, but when they did they completely made up for it. Good luck to you!

[boblabontefan]

MandaJo - I can see how it would seem confusing because I didn't really say what my H was experiencing throughout the flight. Fortunately his allergic reaction to the cats wasn't life threatening like Tokanm's friend's child's nut allergy, but my H was very uncomfortable throughout the flight - sneezing, watery eyes, plugged nose, itching, etc. At first we figured he had picked up a cold, but the cats yowling under our butts told us what the real culprit was.

[Stowasser]

I personally would never of thought about allergies and pets on board. Wow, yes, I would of brought it to the attention of a flight attendant after you landed (as you were leaving or customer service outside the boarding area). With nut allergies, I had thought they stopped serving nuts because of so many people are allergic and usually severe reactions to nuts. Edited April 24, 2008 by Stowasser

[figarotigger]

Fly Southwest!!!!! A few years ago, a man was bringing his 2 small dogs on a flight and the attendents announced in the boarding area that there would be 2 dogs on the flight if there were no objections. The man held up the dog carriers and said they woukd be good-the attendents smiled and said that they would make one more anouncement prior to boarding because people have allergies!!!

Last year on a Southwest flight, a couple announced that their child was allergic to nuts just as the attendents began to pass out the pachages-the attendents picked up all packages already dispensed(and counted them) while an anouncement was made that there was a child with severe allergies on board-please do not eat anything with peanuts that the passengers may have purchased themselves, that it was lifethreatening to the child. When we were deplaning, I heard the chief attendent explaining to the couple how to have this noted when they made reservations so a differnet snack could be loaded for all of the passengers. There was also an anouncement made prior to landing thanking the passengers for their courtesy in the matter of the no peanut request.

These 2 epsiodes really impressed me-as did an attendent stopping someone from applying nail polish on another flight.

[Stowasser]

Fly Southwest!!!!! A few years ago, a man was bringing his 2 small dogs on a flight and the attendents announced in the boarding area that there would be 2 dogs on the flight if there were no objections. The man held up the dog carriers and said they woukd be good-the attendents smiled and said that they would make one more anouncement prior to boarding because people have allergies!!!

Last year on a Southwest flight, a couple announced that their child was allergic to nuts just as the attendents began to pass out the pachages-the attendents picked up all packages already dispensed(and counted them) while an anouncement was made that there was a child with severe allergies on board-please do not eat anything with peanuts that the passengers may have purchased themselves, that it was lifethreatening to the child. When we were deplaning, I heard the chief attendent explaining to the couple how to have this noted when they made reservations so a differnet snack could be loaded for all of the passengers. There was also an anouncement made prior to landing thanking the passengers for their courtesy in the matter of the no peanut request.

These 2 epsiodes really impressed me-as did an attendent stopping someone from applying nail polish on another flight.

Kudos for them! Yeah, sounds like they actually care. Interesting though, what if someone objected to the dogs? Would you have to take them off. I know my parents bring their dog back and forth from MT to FL (snowbirds) but she is checked baggage and they pay as much for her as for their tickets.

 

The nail polish one reminds me of a flight we took (over 5 hours) and we were the last seats in the back and the lady in front of us, not only took off her polish with Acetate but applied nail polish to her nails twice and also for the elderly lady sitting next to her. We had two small children at the time and it reeked in the back, in fact all the people who came back there made comments to the flight crew (the bathrooms were back there) and not once did the crew stop the lady???? Of course, this was way before the 2 oz rule on liquid but I am thinking thats abit more caustic than some of the other items they don't allow.

[MandaJo111]

MandaJo - I can see how it would seem confusing because I didn't really say what my H was experiencing throughout the flight. Fortunately his allergic reaction to the cats wasn't life threatening like Tokanm's friend's child's nut allergy, but my H was very uncomfortable throughout the flight - sneezing, watery eyes, plugged nose, itching, etc. At first we figured he had picked up a cold, but the cats yowling under our butts told us what the real culprit was.

Ok, I was just curious. That clears it up. :) I wish you luck with your complaint. Maybe if nothing else it will cause them to change their policy (if it is not policy that is) and make them announce it ahead of time. I know there was one girl taking a dog on to a flight when I flew, but she was flying a different flight than we did.

[freesia39]

Fly Southwest!!!!! A few years ago, a man was bringing his 2 small dogs on a flight and the attendents announced in the boarding area that there would be 2 dogs on the flight if there were no objections. The man held up the dog carriers and said they woukd be good-the attendents smiled and said that they would make one more anouncement prior to boarding because people have allergies!!!

 

that's interesting. One time I was flying Southwest and there was a guy in front of me with the cutest kitten, and they said they had a no pets policy on the plane. This was when I was still in college, so maybe 5-6 years ago. Maybe its cats only.

 

I've only seen a dog on a plane, and he was very quiet and stayed in his bag underneath the seat the entire flight, but this was on United.

[krissy72]

I have yet to fly Air Tran but am booked for a flight through them in Aug. I booked in Feb. So far they have changed my flight times 4x. If the times don't change back again I will have to call them to get a later flight.

[tokanm]

I have a coworker who flew on an airline last year and had a nearly lifethreatening

experience. Her DS is severly allergic to nuts...when she made the reservations she

made sure it would be a nut free flight etc and checked again prior to boarding. As the

flight attendants are handing out refreshments lo and behold they were offering people

nuts!! She immediately got up and went over the them and told them about her daughter

and they could have cared less. Luckily the people sitting right near her understood the

situation and refrained from the peanuts. I mean this kid can die just from "peanut dust

in the air". Mt coworker had her daughter tie a bandana around her mouth and nose

and made sure she touched nothing leaving the plane.

 

I believe she got the same treatment when she contacted the airline several times

and included documentation of the severity of the allergy etc.

 

CS is not what it used to be

 

Ummmmm this was on a Southwest flight actually They are very paranoid about this

situation and made sure that it was a nut free flight ahead of time. I guess it was a bad

flight crew who didn't care

[boblabontefan]

Krissy,

we were warned by our travel agent that if we booked with Air Tran that they often change their flight times. Fortunately we didn't have that problem. Both flights left on time and both flights arrived at the destination airports early. I was very impressed with that.

 

I hope you aren't out any money if you have to switch.

[MandaJo111]

Krissy,

we were warned by our travel agent that if we booked with Air Tran that they often change their flight times. Fortunately we didn't have that problem. Both flights left on time and both flights arrived at the destination airports early. I was very impressed with that.

 

I hope you aren't out any money if you have to switch.

They changed my flights several times, but it was nothing major. They were pretty much within a ten minute window, but they have to notify you even if it is changed by one minute -- and yes we did get a notification like that.

[katiesmommy01]

wow. I've had terrible customer service w/both Southwest and AirTran, but nothing lifethreatening! I'm really allergic to both dogs and cats, so i can feel your DH's pain...plus now i'll def. ask about it when I fly! (I think i've been lucky in my flights thus far)...if nothing else you have brought the issue up in our (Gottadealers) minds, so thanks!

[phillygirl44]

Unfortunately being a travel agent I know that all airlines accept a certain amount of pets on flights on board and in cargo. Unfortunatley they are not required as far as I know to announce this. SOme may do it as a courtesy but it is not a requirement. Just FYI! :)

[figarotigger]

"Fly Southwest!!!!! A few years ago, a man was bringing his 2 small dogs on a flight and the attendents announced in the boarding area that there would be 2 dogs on the flight if there were no objections. The man held up the dog carriers and said they woukd be good-the attendents smiled and said that they would make one more anouncement prior to boarding because people have allergies"

 

The discussion was that if anyone objected to the dogs, they would either fly as cargo or the man could wait until another flight. The man was protesting and stating how small and good the 2 little dogs were, but the flight attendents were adamant. The man was very relieved that no one objected. As an allegic asthmatic who has had only 1 major problem in over 60 flights, I was impressed.

[boblabontefan]

UPDATE....

 

I finally received an e-mail back from a representative at AirTran. They were requesting more information. I e-mailed them back the info requested and I am in wait mode again.

 

I give them kudos for CS on apologizing for the delay in their response and for their response in general. Hopefully I will hear back from them again soon.

 

 

Phillygirl - thanks for the info from the agent pov. I don't object to small animals on planes. In fact the cats were very quiet until our landing. I am just wondering if airlines post their policy regarding infoming passengers of animals or if it is up to the passengers to inform the airlines of all their allergies/medical conditions? I can see that it should be an almost 50/50 partnership in this notification.

[JayR]

I've spoken with AirTram CS before. It was over a mileage credit issue. I called and spoke with one rep who said I needed to speak directly with the manager. I called back when I was directed to and the manager still wasn't there, however the CS rep was more than accommodating. She wrote up the issue in detail for the manager to see when she returned and asked me to call back at a specific time. I did and the manager already had the issue cleared up and was awaiting my call to let me know.

 

If you get a sloppy rep, call another time. There are some good and caring ones.

[AndreaInNC]

Southwest no longer allows pets in the cabin unless they are a service animal.

 

I've been on a flight before with an animal and the animal whimpered and cried the entire 2 hour flight. The flight attendants were helpful in moving me away from the animal as I was in tears as I could not stand listening to the poor dog.

 

The airlines are not mandated to tell you about pets in the cabin. Some do, but not all. And with summer upon us, most airlines will not allow pets in cargo from May 1 to Sep 30 (dates might be incorrect) but smaller pets are allowed in the cabin.

 

All airlines tweek their schedules at the first of every month - not just Air Tran. Sometimes they take a flight out of operation alltogether. If the change is not convenient for you - you do not have to accept it. That's the downside of booking months in advance, the flights you booked are more than likely not going to be the flights you booked and paid for.

 

I'm glad you got some type of a reply from the airline. Most of them do not have their customer service reps for past dated travel work on the weekends so sometimes 72 hours isn't really realistic.