Nearly a decade has passed since travelers sued Delta Air Lines and AirTran, alleging that the carriers colluded in creating their fees for checked bags. In that time, the AirTran has vanished and Delta had to pay millions of dollars in sanctions for being a stubborn defendant. Now, less than a year after the court finally granted class-action status in the case, it has been dismissed. [More]
airtran
Judge Grants Class-Action Status In Case Over Delta, AirTran Original Checked Bag Fees
By 7.14.16
A lawsuit that stretches back to all the way to 2009 and the early days of baggage fees accusing Delta Air Lines and AirTran of colluding to implement their original fees for passengers’ first checked bags has finally achieved class-action certification. [More]
Spirit Airlines Replaces Loudmouth CEO Ben Baldanza
By 1.5.16
For the last decade, Ben Baldanza has been the outspoken, often crass leader of Spirit Airlines, the bottom-dollar carrier that was easily the most complained-about airline in the U.S., but which Big Ben declared was the country’s “most consumer-friendly” carrier. It looks like Spirit has fallen out of love with Baldanza, who has stepped down from his gig as CEO. [More]
Delta Hit With Another $2.7M In Sanctions In Years-Old Baggage-Fee Collusion Case
By 8.6.15
A still-pending class-action lawsuit that dates back to the dawn of the baggage-fee era alleges that Delta and AirTran colluded to implement their original fees for passengers’ first checked bags. But Delta has apparently not been terribly forthcoming with all the documentation sought by plaintiffs and has already been sanctioned millions of dollars by the court, including a $2.7 million slap on the wrist handed down earlier this week. [More]
Fewer Airlines Does Not Mean Fewer Flight Delays
By 5.13.15
Airlines merge because it makes them more efficient: at least, that’s what they say. Does all of that cost-cutting behind the scenes translate to efficiencies on the runways and in getting planes in the air in a timely fashion? Well…no, not really. Sometimes two airlines merging has meant that they end up with a lower percentage of on-time flights than each of the two airlines originally did together. [More]
Which Airlines Have The Most Comfortable Coach Seats?
By 10.3.14
“Oh, goodie! I get to sit in coach for X amount of hours! I can’t wait to stretch out and relax,” said no one ever before flying, because in economy class, luxurious leg room and a sweet ratio of cushion to rump comfort is not what you’re paying for. That being said, some airlines are better at pleasing our behinds than others, according to a new poll released this week. [More]
Final AirTran Flight Scheduled To Depart On Dec. 28
By 5.23.14
It’s been three years since Southwest Airlines acquired budget carrier AirTran, but the two airlines’ fleets have yet to be fully integrated. Southwest has finally put a Dec. 28 date on the ultimate AirTran-branded flight. [More]
Going South Of The Border: Southwest Announces First International Routes
By 1.27.14
Pack your bags for the sunny Caribbean (maybe not for a cruise, though) because bags are flying there for free now, along with passengers of course. Southwest Airlines just announced one of the most anticipated integration aspects of their 2011 merger with AirTran — international travel. [More]
Which Airlines Have The Most WiFi-Enabled Flights?
By 6.25.13
By now, most of us are used to having Internet access wherever we go, but a majority of flights by the major U.S. airlines still don’t offer in-flight WiFi access to passengers. And your likelihood of finding WiFi on a plane all depends on which airline you’re flying on that day. [More]
AirTran Kicks 101 High School Seniors Off Flight For Acting Like Teenagers
By 6.4.13
A heated dispute is brewing between AirTran and an entire high school, after the airline booted 101 students and their eight chaperones off a flight heading to Atlanta for their senior trip. The airline claims a group of “non-compliant passengers” wouldn’t stay seated, and some were using mobile devices despite being asked not to. Meanwhile, the students and their chaperones say things were blown way out of proportion. [More]
Southwest And AirTran Now Holding Hands: Flights Can Finally Be Booked Together
By 3.20.13
Even though Southwest and AirTran got hitched back during their 2011 merger, the two have barely seemed like they were going steady, much less married. But now it appears they’re ready to let the whole world know they’re moving on to holding hands: all flights on either airline can now be booked together as one itinerary. [More]
Southwest Raising Bag Fees, Will Start Charging For No-Shows
By 12.14.12
Hours after announcing a $29 million settlement over its drink voucher program, Southwest Airlines revealed plans to add $300 million in new and increased fees, along with a policy change that will certainly irk some frequent Southwest travelers. [More]
Do You Get More Satisfaction From Cheap Airlines Than Legacy Carriers Because You Expect Less?
By 6.13.12
When it comes to being satisfied with our flying experiences, it turns out we’d rather opt for low-cost carriers like JetBlue, over old legacy airlines like US Airways, according to a new study that rated customer satisfaction. [More]
Survey Finds Best & Worst Airlines For Redeeming Rewards Miles
By 5.17.12
It’s incredibly easy to pile up airline miles. I think I just earned 400 miles for merely mentioning this fact. But as you may have already discovered, it’s not always so simple to actually redeem those miles. A new survey looked at dozens of domestic and international carriers to find which ones were more likely to have seats available for rewards travel. [More]
Couples Sues Airtran For $100,000, Alleging Cockroaches Infested Their Flight
By 11.14.11
A couple is suing Airtran for $100,000 after they saw cockroaches on their flight, and they say they have to pictures to prove it. [More]
AirTran To Require Some Overweight Passengers To Buy Second Seat
By 10.12.11
Now that AirTran is a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines, it looks like the carrier will be adopting Southwest’s controversial policy of requiring that “customers of size” purchase a second seat. [More]
DOJ Gives Thumbs Up To Southwest's Purchase Of AirTran
By 4.27.11
Seems like it was just seven months ago that we first wrote about the proposed sale of AirTran to Southwest Airlines for $1.4 billion. Now that deal is all but done after it passed the Justice Department’s antitrust review yesterday. [More]
Sale Of AirTran To Southwest One Step Closer To Being A Done Deal
By 3.25.11
Overshadowed by last year’s relatively rapid merger of United and Continental was the sale of AirTran to Southwest. That sale is now one big step away from completion after AirTran shareholders approved the deal earlier this week. [More]
