AirTran Charges $15 For Exit Row Seat Assignment, Makes Customers Sad

By June 7, 2007

Nickel and dimeing your customers leads to letters like this one, from reader Kristen who writes in to share an email her friend just got from AirTran, her favorite airline:

Hi Consumerist,

My friend received this e-mail from Airtran yesterday, stating how “convenient” it is that we can now pay for emergency exit row seats ahead of time to reserve them for our upcoming flights. I fly Airtran more than any other airline and almost never had any problem getting the emergency exit row for free when I arrived at the airport. I love Airtran for their direct flight from Orlando, FL to Rochester, NY, their free A+ Rewards program and affordable prices. Having to pay $15 each way to reserve my usually free emergency exit row could very well bump their prices above the competition, adding $30 round trip. Airtran – I understand many discount carriers are charging for these seats, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it as well! I don’t feel that this is any more convenient and might send me to another airline for business. Please reconsider your decision.

Thanks Consumerist,
Kristen

AirTran’s email inside.

AirTran writes:

From: AirTran Airways A+ Rewards Date: June 5, 2007 8:22:53 PM EDT Subject: Now you can choose your seat and get extra leg room!

To discontinue any further A+ Rewards marketing messages from AirTran, please access this page to quickly and easily unsubscribe: Remove me.

Dear (name) A+ Member Number (number)

To start the summer season, AirTran Airways is introducing a great new feature.

Advance Exit Row Seating

We know you sometimes like a little extra room when you fly. That’s why we’re now offering exit row seats at the time of booking, so you don’t have to wait until you arrive at the airport. An exit row seat gives you 8 more inches of legroom than a standard coach seat.

Convenience

Our new seat assignment options make travel even easier.

When you book a Discount Coach or Sale fare, you can now select your seat assignments, including exit row seats, at the time of booking for $5 per passenger for standard coach seats and $15 per passenger for exit row seats (per one-way trip).

With this new feature, you can opt for extra leg room in the exit row, make sure you get the aisle or window seat of your choice, or ensure your party all sit together. Business Class and Y, B, and M coach fares will continue to offer free regular seat selection during the booking process.

Already Booked?

If you have an existing reservation booked through AirTran.com or 1-800-AIR-TRAN, visit AirTran.com now to select an exit row seat. If you did not book your ticket directly through AirTran, call 1-800-AIR-TRAN to make your exit row seat selection.

As always, you can still opt to select your seats upon check-in for no fee. Check in online to select your seats up to 24 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure.

We’re always looking for new ways to improve your travel experience on AirTran Airways, and we look forward to welcoming you on a future flight.

Sincerely,

Tad Hutcheson
Vice President of Marketing and Sales AirTran Airways, Inc.

You are receiving this email because you are an A+ Rewards member subscribed as: (e-mail)

To discontinue any further A+ Rewards marketing messages from AirTran, please access this page to quickly and easily unsubscribe: Remove me

AirTran Airways 9955 AirTran Blvd. Orlando, FL 32827

AirTran Airways 2007

Lame!—MEGHANN MARCO

(Photo: Chris1024)

Tagged With: , , , ,
«
»

Comments

  1. Buran says:
    June 8, 2007 at 1:01 pm

    @LTS!: Wow, so it’s OK with you to be nickel and dimed for stuff that you didn’t get nickel and dimed for before, and get treated with contempt by rude customer service people!!?

    What color is the sky on YOUR planet?

  2. MeOhMy says:
    June 8, 2007 at 1:09 pm

    @Buran:

    I don’t understand the hot towels reference.

    On some flights they used to give you a hot steamy towel to freshen up. I remember thinking this was really cool when I first flew on a plane in the mid-80s.

    I did get a hot towel on a flight recently. Maybe it was Virgin. International flights still seem to be somewhat decent.

  3. billhelm says:
    June 8, 2007 at 1:20 pm

    nwa has done this for a while. I’ve paid it many times. Previously, you could not reserve exit rows until you checked in at the airport. That required getting there very early. It’s worth the fee to me.

  4. cgi5877 says:
    June 8, 2007 at 2:40 pm

    @FatLynn: “Yes, rows 1-10 are now Economy Plus. They have more leg room”

    Lie–they do not have more leg room..these are the same planes they’ve always used.

  5. Funklord says:
    June 8, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    Nickel and diming indeed. Along with United’s repeated pitches to get you to pay $40 to “upgrade” to a seat with a reasonable amount of legroom, they repeatedly make announcements forbidding you from changing seats once you’re on the plane. The last (keyword, “last”) time I flew with them, the plane was full, so the point was moot. But has anyone experienced any issues with this? Will United prevent you from moving to an empty row that you didn’t pay extra for?

    The thing to remember is that one usually has choices when flying, and any airline that chooses a customer-unfriendly practice like this to make a pittance extra will lose customers to other airlines that treat their customers better.

  6. cgi5877 says:
    June 8, 2007 at 3:16 pm

    Juice by you Funklord! Couldn’t resist.

  7. FatLynn says:
    June 8, 2007 at 3:18 pm

    @cgi5877: They have removed seats from the planes to provide more legroom. I believe it is 6″ more, but don’t quote me on that. If you don’t believe me, check out seatguru.com. You will see that the United planes have fewer seats than the same model plane operated by other airlines.

    United offers these seats as a privilege to frequent fliers, or to others who pay for them. If the plane is full, you may luck out and get one for free by checking in at the last minute.

  8. cgi5877 says:
    June 8, 2007 at 3:41 pm

    Yeah, well I was on another airline–NWA. Do you represent United or something?

  9. FatLynn says:
    June 8, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    @cgi5877: Sorry, I confused two complaints. I haven’t flown NWA in years, so I don’t know what makes their first ten rows premium seats. Perhaps it is just the privilege of getting on and off the plane first. Either way, though, if people are willing to pay for them, then you shouldn’t expect to get them for free.

    And no, I don’t represent an airline. I am a frequent flier on UA and AA, and my flights are often made less pleasant by travelers who waste time arguing with ticketing and gate agents over things like seating assignments.

  10. cgi5877 says:
    June 8, 2007 at 4:39 pm

    ……………………_
    …………………..//)
    …………………././)
    …………………/..//
    ……………./ ˆ/../ˆ;,
    …………../’/../../.. …/ˆ
    …………((..(.’……..-/’..)
    ……………………../../
    ………….”…….. …._/
    ………………………(
    ………………………

  11. steinwaytony says:
    June 8, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    Dear Kristen,

    Are you 6’6″? I am. I don’t like you. Stop complaining.

  12. Michael says:
    June 11, 2007 at 7:58 am

    @Troy F.: Virgin charges US$70 (if I remember correctly) for exit row seats, and their food, seat room, and service are nothing like they used to be. Entertainment is still very good, though.

    I still recommend Virgin for international flights; they’re not as good as they once were, but they’re a hell of a lot better than the altneratives.

  13. OutandAbout says:
    May 19, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    We just went to online seat selection for an AirTran flight tomorrow, and we’re told the only way 2 can sit together is to pay the extra $20 for the “convenience” of exit-row seats. We didn’t even know about the fee until now. We don’t particularly want the seats, but we have to take them or sit several rows apart. This strikes us as a bait-and-switch tactic that defeats the purpose of flying an economy-airline. We’re complaining to AirTran and We’re complaining to Southwest — AirTran’s new owner — which ought to tell AirTran to end this practice and preserve its goodwill. It’s not illegal, it’s just shabby. We’ll look elsewhere next time.

« Older Comments