Last month (May) I have had the worst airline experience I have ever had with Airtran. I was incorrectly charged for an oversized bag and Airtran seems to be unwilling to do anything helpful. If you are flying Airtran, beware, they look to charge you extra even if your baggage does not warrant it. Below is a copy of the correspondence I have had with Amy Baker in their customer service department about refunding the money for the oversized baggage fee. This will by my last time flying with Airtran.
"On Thursday, 5/29/08, I flew Air Tran for the first time in several years from Philadelphia to Orlando.in the past I have flown Air Tran multiple times, all with good experiences. This is why my boyfriend and I chose to drive down to Philadelphia instead of flying out of Newark, which is much closer to us. Upon arriving at the ticket counter in Philadelphia, we were greeted by a ticket agent who looked as if she would rather be anywhere than behind the counter. The first word out of her mouth was not a cheery hello, instead it was a rude, condescending comment of, "That bag is oversized." I was completely shocked. First of all the bag was behind my boyfriend and I, and was not very visible to her, and second, she hadn't even asked if we were checking it in the first place. When I finally did get a chance to put my bag up on the scale, this woman did an extremely quick measurement of the bag, not even bothering to tell me what the measurements were. She then just said, "It's oversized. It's going to cost you $29.99." Of course, I argued this. I have traveled on Air Tran, and many other airlines with this bag and have never had any problem before. The piece of luggage in question is a standard size Samsonite rolling suitcase. No other airline has even asked to measure my suitcase before, my last flight being less than three months ago. As I tried to argue my case to this woman, she became very loud, causing a scene that embarrassed my boyfriend and I tremendously. I finally demanded to see her supervisor. She called over another ticket agent, who I guess was her supervisor, but she certainly didn't act like any kind of manager or supervisor I've ever seen. This woman who looked to be in her late 40's, just looked at me and said, "Oversized is oversized, you'll have to pay", and then she walked away. I was completely shocked. She didn't even offer to remeasure my bag, and there certainly was no apology for how my boyfriend and I were being treated. At this point, we were running out of time to get to our flight. My boyfriend is on crutches and I didn't want to rush him through a busy airport. I finally just handed this woman my boyfriend's credit card and said to just charge the fee. I figured that she would just quickly add the fee and we could be on her way, but I was wrong yet again. This woman took! Her time entering in the credit card information, typing it in manually instead of swiping the card. When I advised her that we had a flight to catch, she simply said, without looking up, "That's not my problem, you should have gotten here earlier." I did not say anything further to this woman, as I knew she would just continue to give me smart answers back and no real assistance. On our return trip we arrived at the ticket counter in Orlando, which was very busy. When we explained that our flight was leaving in about an hour they extended the courtesy of allowing us to check in right away. It was actually the shift supervisor who checked in our bag. He did measure it, but he did it very carefully and then told me that my bag was fine. Needless to say there was much more inside the suitcase on the return trip. I do not see how my bag could have shrunk any, seeing as it is a hard suitcase, and upon returning home we measured the dimensions of length, width and height which added up to 60 inches. I would expect at a minimum, the fee charged to my boyfriends credit card be refunded, but since your company claims to have great customer service, I hope you will extend more to us than just the refund we deserve, as we were embarrassed for about 30 minutes by this rude woman. If you choose not to do anything, we will be taking this matter up with our credit card company, and will never fly Air Tran again as we live closer to Newark, and it is much easier to fly Jet Blue, as they offer exceptional customer service."
"Dear Ms. XXX,
I am sorry to learn your experience with AirTran Airways was less than satisfactory. All of our Crew Members are instructed to professionally perform their responsibilities while providing the highest level of Caring Customer Service. There is simply no excuse for the manner in which our ticket agent behaved toward you and your boyfriend. I have forwarded a copy of your comments to the appropriate department head for review and corrective action.
The maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 61 inches (length width height). Oversize baggage with dimensions from 62 to 70 inches will be accepted, subject to an oversize baggage charge of $29.00. Baggage measuring between 71 and 80 inches will be subject to a fee of $69. Baggage over 80 inches in dimension (with the exception of some sporting equipment) will not be accepted.
In an effort to provide consistent service to our customers and in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulation, our agents are instructed to verify the size and weight of checked luggage. Our company instruction includes the correct procedure for bag measurement and fee assessment.
While I sincerely regret any inconvenience this matter caused you, please understand that the baggage fee was applicable. Therefore, I must respectfully decline your request for reimbursement. I apologize for any disappointment this response may cause you.
Your continued support is important to us. We hope to have an opportunity in the future to serve you again and regain your confidence in our airline.
Sincerely,
Amy Baker
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways"
"Ms Baker,
After reading your reply, I am more than convinced that I will never fly with your company again and I will make sure to let everyone that I know hear about the way that your company does business. It is very obvious that this issue will not be resolved by AirTran's customer service department so I will be taking the matter up with my credit card company. I doubt they will give me the same run around that you have.
According to your baggage policy, " The maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 61 inches (length width height). Oversize baggage with dimensions from 62 to 70 inches will be accepted, subject to an oversize baggage charge of $29.00. Baggage measuring between 71 and 80 inches will be subject to a fee of $69. Baggage over 80 inches in dimension (with the exception of some sporting equipment) will not be accepted.", my bag should not have been subject to a fee as it is at the size of 60 inches (length width height).
I want to thank you very much for obviously not taking the time to carefully read my prior email. AirTran's lack of care towards their customers has truly shocked me. I would have expected a phone call at least, but instead I received a standard form letter. Your pilot summed up AirTran's customer service best when he said, "Thank you for flying AirTran where we love your money." I guess now that you have our money, you don't need to provide any level of customer service.
From now on, I will be spending the extra money to fly on JetBlue. You should really take a lesson on customer service from them. I hope you will take the time to actually read this email and take the correct steps to resolve this problem, but I won't hold my breath."
"Dear Ms. Choromanski,
I am sorry that you are disappointed with my response, please understand that this department corresponds with customers by e-mail only. Please know I did read your email and also reviewed the comments in your record. Your bag clearly states it measured at 63 inches.
I am sorry to hear that you will not be flying AirTran in the future. I hope that we can have an opportunity to better serve you so that we can prove our commitment to you.
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