[geeandbee71]

Below are the details of our experience on AirTran/Southwest Airlines on our way to Orlando, FL on June 23, 2013.

Our first family trip and we were headed to Disneyworld! The kids, 6 and 7, had been looking forward to the trip and got up early to make our 7:00 a.m. flight that we booked in January 2013. We decided to book a direct flight (2 hours) from Baltimore, MD to Orlando, FL. on AirTran (Flight No. 830), leaving Baltimore, MD at 7:00 a.m. and arriving in Orlando, FL at 9:05 a.m. I had drafted an itinerary for the family trip months ago, making reservations for lunch and dinner, and planning what we would do and see starting our first day in Disneyworld. We also had plans to meet another family in Disneyworld. So, we booked an early, direct flight to get an early start to our trip.

We thought we had thought of everything EXCEPT that AirTran (now merging with Southwest) had overbooked our flight and every flight thereafter to Disneyworld by 4-6 people on each flight. As we arrived to get our boarding passes, we were told that we would not be making the flight together unless some other passengers gave up their seats, because I did not have a seat. Immediately, we knew that this was not going to happen since everyone else, for the most part, were on vacation too and were trying to get an early start to their vacations. These were not business travelers during the weekday who may need or could change plans, but were families traveling to Orlando for a summer vacation over the weekend.

The children started crying because they thought there were not going to Disneyworld. We immediately asked how this could be since we had booked the flight in January 2013 and were told by AirTran/Southwest employees that this was company policy to overbook flights. So, this had become our problem. Yes, our problem because AirTran/Southwest had overbooked the flight. The staff was very nonchalant about it all and asked me to calm down or they would call security on me while our two children stood there crying. They were ready to close the doors to the flight on us as they told us the only option we had was to try to catch another flight (although they told us they were all overbooked as well) or to fly another time. As we indicated to them, these were not feasible options and that we were getting on this plane. Based on the comments of AirTran/Southwest staff, we decided that we had no choice but to split up and three of us go ahead (me and the kids) and my husband stay behind and try to get to us as soon as possible. When we decided that I should go rather than my husband, the AirTran/Southwest staff indicated that this was not possible because my husband’s name was on the ticket. My husband immediately asked them to change the name on the ticket. There was no voluntary offer to change the name on the boarding pass by the AirTran/Southwest staff.

As we approached the plane entrance, my daughter did not want to get on because we left Daddy behind. The airline stewardess, seeing her not wanting to get on the plane, asked what was the problem. As I proceeded to tell her, she cut me off and indicated to me that it was not her problem and that she only works on the plane. So, I got on the plane with two crying children only to discover that we were all split up in various sections of the plane. I explained to the other airline stewardess that we needed to sit together. The other passengers seeing the distraught children offered to move around and allow us to sit together. It took the kids about 15-20 minutes to calm down and I got sick on the plane due to the distress before getting on the plane. We eventually arrived in Disneyworld, however, with no Daddy and no idea when he was going to join us on our family vacation.

Meanwhile, AirTran/Southwest staff removed my husband from the AirTran “system” and put him into the Southwest “system.” He was never told by AirTran/Southwest staff that he would be flying standby the rest of his flights! At no time did AirTran/Southwest staff (including management) extend quality customer service and guarantee my husband on another flight or work with any other airline to ensure that my husband make it to us as soon as possible. Rather, he was told to try and get on an earlier flight if possible. So, he went to the counter to see if he could get on the Flint, MI flight. He was then booked on Southwest Flight 2060 (10:05am) through Flint, MI. To his surprise, he was able to get on the flight then to Greenville, SC with continuing service to Orlando, FL. While he thought this was great and would get him to Orlando, FL sooner, it actually turned out that he arrived much later. He was pulled off of the plane in Greenville, SC, because as it was explained to him, it is not Southwest’s policy to bump confirmed passengers for standby passengers. The Southwest manager on staff in Greenville, SC explained to my husband that she did not understand why AirTran/Southwest staff had put him on the plane because the flights out of Greenville, SC were all oversold as well and he would have to wait and see if a seat opened up on the next available flight to Nashville, TN. So, my husband was stuck in Greenville, SC for approximately 4- 5 hours waiting on the flight to Nashville, TN. He was able to fly to Nashville, TN and but was not able to leave Nashville, TN for Orlando, FL until 5:35pm on Flight 1935 (which was actually delayed). My husband did not arrive in Orlando, FL until about 9:15pm. He then had to take a taxi to the resort and did not arrive at the resort (Beach Club) until approximately 9:45 p.m. – a delay in arrival to Orlando, FL of over 12 hours.

So, due to the uncertainty of the day, I had to cancel two reservations (lunch and dinner) in Epcot at Disneyworld as our plans kept changing because we were not sure when my husband was going to join us and I allowed the kids to decide what they would like to do to keep them happy and their mind off the fact that Daddy had not yet arrived. When my husband arrived at the room at approximately 9:45 p.m. exhausted from the day events, the kids were in bed and had just fallen asleep. This was the start to our magical vacation in Disneyworld.

For these reasons, never again will we fly AirTran/Southwest. At no time did any employee of Southwest (including a manager) recognize or apologize for the events of the day or make any attempt to rectify the situation to get my husband to us as quickly as possible by guaranteeing a seat on a plane or working with another airline to fly him to Orlando, FL. Instead, AirTran/Southwest approached the situation with a nonchalant attitude, lack of communication, and a lack of customer service. While they gave my husband a $400 check, this does not come close to compensating our family for the horrible start to our first family vacation, the distress caused to my family, my husband’s missed memories of the kids’ first day landing at Disneyworld, and the missed time together as a family. In our experience, AirTran/Southwest is not a quality airline and lacks the customer service that is required to meet such standards.

[azstar]

Overbooking flights should be illegal, but, unfortunately, it's not. The D.O.T. recently doubled the fines airlines have to pay bumped passengers, but airlines continue to overbook anyway. If your husband was "involuntarily denied boarding" he is entitled to either 4X the cost of the fare, in cash, or transportation vouchers up to 1600.00. Report it to the Dept. of Transporation if AirTran employees did not explain that to you and/or did not offer compensation on the spot.

[jimworcs]

There is no justification for over booking flights on a low cost airline. Tickets are non-refundable. It should be against the law. I am also unsure that you got the appropriate compensation. You need to file a complaint with the DOT..there is a link at the top of this page.

[geeandbee71]

Thanks for your replies. I will be sure to file a complaint with DOT as well. Thanks for the info. I agree that overbooking should be illegal. It only harms the customer, the party who the airline is supposed to serve.

[azstar]

Call AirTran and request compensation. Know your rights when you call! This is a FEDERAL law. The following information came from D.O.T. website. Do not let them dismiss your case.

Involuntary bumping
DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:
* If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
* If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $650 maximum.
* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1300 maximum).
* If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.
* You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.
* If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.
Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and exceptions:
* To be eligible for compensation, you must have a confirmed reservation. A written confirmation issued by the airline or an authorized agent or reservation service qualifies you in this regard even if the airline can't find your reservation in the computer, as long as you didn't cancel your reservation or miss a reconfirmation deadline.
* Each airline has a check-in deadline, which is the amount of time before scheduled departure that you must present yourself to the airline at the airport. For domestic flights most carriers require you to be at the departure gate between 10 minutes and 30 minutes before scheduled departure, but some deadlines can be an hour or longer. Check-in deadlines on international flights can be as much as three hours before scheduled departure time. Some airlines may simply require you to be at the ticket/baggage counter by this time; most, however, require that you get all the way to the boarding area. Some may have deadlines at both locations. If you miss the check-in deadline, you may have lost your reservation and your right to compensation if the flight is oversold.
* As noted above, no compensation is due if the airline arranges substitute transportation which is scheduled to arrive at your destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time.
* If the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn't required to pay people who are bumped as a result. In addition, on flights using aircraft with 30 through 60 passenger seats, compensation is not required if you were bumped due to safety-related aircraft weight or balance constraints.
* The rules do not apply to charter flights, or to scheduled flights operated with planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers. They don't apply to international flights inbound to the United States, although some airlines on these routes may follow them voluntarily. Also, if you are flying between two foreign cities -- from Paris to Rome, for example -- these rules will not apply. The European Commission has a rule on bumpings that occur in an EC country; ask the airline for details, or go to http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/air/air_en.htm.
Airlines set their own "boarding priorities" -- the order in which they will bump different categories of passengers in an oversale situation. When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Others bump the last passengers to check in. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline. Allow extra time; assume that the roads are backed up, the parking lot is full, and there is a long line at the check-in counter.
Airlines may offer free tickets or dollar-amount vouchers for future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However, if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you will probably lose the ability to pursue more money from the airline later on. However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint department. If this doesn't work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always free to decline the check (e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to try to obtain more compensation. DOT's denied boarding regulation spells out the airlines' minimum obligation to people they bump involuntarily. Finally, don't be a "no-show." If you are holding confirmed reservations you don't plan to use, notify the airline. If you don't, they will cancel all onward or return reservations on your trip.

[geeandbee71]

Thanks again for the info.!!

[Leatherboy2006]

Sad part is when you book on Southwest/Air Tran, they have not ticketing agreements with most the other carriers, so when they are overbooked they can not book you on another carrier. The joys of living in Dallas and having had to deal with Southwest in the past.

[geeandbee71]

Yes, we learned the hard way.

[EdnaW]

Here's a recent experience with AirTran with their overbooking problem and how they get around US DOTS ruling for IDB:

I purchased 2 airline tickets online in Oct 2013, *for Airtran nonstop flt 817 depart Dec 22 from bwi @ 9am, arrive in punta cana at 1:52pm for a family holiday vacation. I also purchased 2 seats 23C & 23A! Airtran e-mailed me Dec 19 with our new flight times changes and flight changed to FLT 133 to depart bwi @ 7:55am, arrive Atlanta 9:55am, depart Atlanta @ 4:30pm, arrive PuntA Cana @ 8:57pm!! Guess what - flt did not leave ATL until 5:40pm!! We arrived in Punta Cana hotel almost midnight!! All day of our first day family vacation wasted!
* *I also received call from Airtran after they e-mailed me on Dec 19th, the agent said our flight times changed, but the agent did not say that Airtran was involuntary removing us from our originally purchased nonstop flights. When I asked agent, why they are changing our flights, agent's response was that Airtran oversold the nonstop FLT 817! I was upset and furious, so I ended the call!
* *I called Airtran Customer Service and I was offered flights out from bwi on later dates! I informed agent that our hotel was prepaid and that later flights was unacceptable! I spoke with supervisor Heather and she offered refund of 2 one way of our fares and seat fees! I asked info about 400% for involuntary removal by Airtran from our original flight - her response was that we were not Involuntary Denied Boarding (IDB) so compensation does not apply to us!! *It is legal business practice by Airtran - overselling seats on flights - *bait and switch - and Airtran's ability *to go around US Dept of Transportation rule for IDB, Airtran involuntary removed us from the original Dec 22 flight that we paid for, and on Dec 19 moved us on different flights!! *Subsequently, we were not involuntary removed by Airtran on Dec 22, so the US Dept of Transportation Rule DID NOT apply to us; Airtran avoided compensation of 400% or maximum compensation of US$1300 per passenger for involuntary removing us from our original nonstop flight from BWI! *What is the legal definition of IDB and Involuntary Removal of paying passengers from flights?**US Dept of Transportation is reviewing my case because I need to know my rights as a consumer! *I submitted complaints to Airtran - they must explain to me *in writing as a DOTS rule why we were involuntary removed from our originally paid flight besides the issue of Airtran oversold seats on Flt 817, Dec 22. How does Airtran decide which passengers to remove involuntarily from flights? Why does Airtran oversell seats on flights in the first place? *Because it is legal and they have the right? I also submitted a complaint to the BBB.

[jimworcs]

Please let us know the outcome of the DOT investigation... You were very badly treated, let's hope they find in your favour..