Stupid AirTran

Ash and I were supposed to be on our way to Memphis right now, ready to spend some quality time with family. Where are we now? Beautiful LaGuardia Airport. Smack dab in the middle of the baggage claim elevators and some odd candy stand. We're both so used to flying out of the brand new JetBlue Terminal (Terminal 5 at JFK), this place seems like...well...you know.

We won't be flying AirTran anytime again soon.

So here's what happened:
- We arrive at the airport 90 minutes prior to our flight to Atlanta on AirTran
- We stand in line, patiently, minding our own business, as there are only about 6 people in front of us
- We start to get irritated when we haven't moved for about 20 minutes
- We momentarily begin moving when a second customer service rep starts checking people in
- We come to a standstill again when he leaves after checking in half a person (yes, he couldn't even complete one)
- We've now been standing in line for 40 minutes, and I start to worry, as we have to check a bag
- I momentarily relax as AirTran's policy is you only have to check a bag 30 minutes prior to departure--we're still good
- 15 minutes later, we're still in the same place

What...the....???

The best part was, when we finally did get to the counter, it took the rep 40 minutes just to check us in. 40 MINUTES!

Now, I'm a very patient person, and I work for an airline so I am usually sympathetic to the airline's side of the story. This was absolutely ridiculous. By the time we got to the counter, it was about 35 minutes before our flight took off. However, we learned that we weren't going to get on the flight, as all flights today were oversold, and we got bumped involuntarily. The long wait was caused by having to give everyone denied boarding vouchers, but in the process, they were making others miss their flights. If they had flights to Florida at the time I would've led people by the hand to the JetBlue counter. If I didn't love my in-laws so much, I probably would have made a run for it myself.

In any case, long story short, absolutely horrendous customer service, no organization, and the planes aren't all that great either. No TVs, no legroom, no cool snacks, no friendly people....blah. A little customer service goes a long way. Ash and I have determined we'll always pay more for a JetBlue ticket--this is all ridiculous. For Memphis, I think we'll stick to Northwest.

So what was our compensation? Two free round-trip tickets anywhere AirTran flies. You'd think we'd be excited, but not so much. The thought of walking up to the counter again is enough for me to throw the voucher away. (I won't, but you get the idea.) It's not getting bumped that frustrates me-- I understand the economics of filling planes, and so I won't fault AirTran for that. However, what I will fault them for is having to stand in line at the counter for over an hour, with only 6 people in front of us. No announcements being made, so everyone is still nervous about being late for a flight. Then, absolutely no apologies, remorse, or any sense of feeling when denying us boarding. If they had told me up front, at least I could have stopped worrying about making the flight.

Stupid AirTran.