NEVER Fly Airtran, Especially through Atlanta
We are in Boston this week for business. When I booked our flights we originally booked a multi city ticket for each of us because we were heading some place else after the business trip. To get decent flight times, etc. I had to book on Airtran and go through Atlanta. I ended up changing the mutli city to just a round trip, but that is neither here nor there, we were still booked on the original Airtran flight connecting through Atlanta to Boston. Here is how things went
1) Get to airport. Check in. The screen on the kiosk says that we owe $31.00. When I ask the Airtran agent why he says EXACTLY this "Because it says you do". Now, you hopefully can see where I may have been a bit pissed off. He gave us tickets, never giving us a seating choice and we are stuck with aisle and middle the whole route. Take off on time from home.
2) Land in Atlanta, 20 minutes after we landed we get to our gate
3) While looking for something to eat during our layover (which was 1 hour and 18 minutes, which was now only 58 minutes due to our delay getting to the gate) we noticed that they switched the gate that we were supposed to fly out of. The original gate still saying it was the correct one, but the screens were saying differently
4) Go all the way to concourse D via tram that almost gave us both whiplash
5) Now have 30 minutes to get something to eat before boarding. Choose Burger King. Healthy, I know. That was an experience in itself
6) Go to gate, eat at gate, start boarding
7) They board the first 3 rows. They board the last 3 rows. The board the middle 4 rows. Now everyone else can board. Of course that was an experience since it MAKES NO F**KING sense.
8) Get into our seats. My honey's seat is broken. When I say broken I mean it was like him sitting on a hill. Sideways. We ask to move, she moves us up one row to an exit row. Bonus. More leg room.
9) Again, his seat is broken. The hill thing. He is miserable. I offer to switch, but then he would be stuck in the middle. We make due
10) Sit on the runway for AN HOUR waiting to get out of Atlanta. Take off 63 minutes late.
11) Arrive in Boston 53 minutes late. Get off plane. Go to baggage claim.
12) Still at baggage claim
13) still at baggage claim, oh wait, an announcement.... "The luggage is still being unloaded from the plane, it will be another 10 minutes."
14) Go outside to smoke a cigarette. It has now been 40 minutes since we landed.
15) Go back to baggage claim. 10 more minutes. Ohhhhh, 1 bag comes out. Now count to 4 to yourself. Ohhh another bag comes out. Now count to 4 to yourself. Ohhh another bag comes out.
16) After 45 minutes at baggage claim we finally had our piece of luggage, which we would have just carried on if we didn't have to bring, you know, necessities - toothpaste, colognes, etc.
17) Cab ride, 30 minutes late at hotel.
18) Bottle of vodka, 8 cans of soda, Monday Night Football, all is good.
Note: The not so funny thing is that one of our friends was flying Airtran through Atlanta as well yesterday. We got a text message from him at 6 p.m. saying that he was stuck in Atlanta. An hour later he was stuck until the morning. This morning, you guessed it, he is STILL in Atlanta at NOON today. Yes, Airtran + Atlanta = Drinking
K.P.