'A' is for AirTran

It wasn't quite an inaugural journey, but when we boarded AirTran flight 1504 to LaGuardia in New York City on Dec. 15, it was only the fourth day the low-cost carrier had been offering service out of Pittsburgh.

For the last three years, the airline once known as Value-Jet has steadily expanded the slate of cities it serves out of its Atlanta hub. The recent addition of Pittsburgh brings the number to 34.

AirTran is offering three daily flights to LaGuardia (7 a.m., 1:35 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.) three to Chicago/Midway (10:10 a.m., 6:35 p.m. and 9 p.m.) with connections to Minneapolis, and two flights to Atlanta (7:40 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.), with connections to 18 other, mostly Eastern Sunbelt, destinations.

Bucking stiff competitive winds, AirTran is hoping to coax area travelers onto its planes with one-way fares to New York as low as $37, if bought on the Internet with two weeks' notice or $81 for a so-called walk-up fare. Chicago fares range from $37 to $119, and $51 to $119 for Atlanta.

Even doubling these prices for a non-obligatory round trip, they compare very favorably with the very lowest, restriction-riddled rates offered by US Airways. When I checked the US Airways Web site for one way, walk-up fares for flights, I was quoted $598 to Atlanta, $535 to Chicago and $413 to New York.

There are other permutations in AirTran's fare structure. There's a business class section on every plane, obviously at higher rates. If business class seats are available at the time of departure, economy class passengers can upgrade for $25 more. Economy passengers earn a free round trip with just 12 flights (6 round trips). Clearly, for most travelers, AirTran is a much less expensive way to fly.

But that savings comes at what sacrifice of comfort, convenience, on-time performance or safety?

The good news is that, based on the two flights I took, flying AirTran involves little or no sacrifice at all.

The bad news is that when it comes to flying into gridlocked airports such as LaGuardia, there's no good way to get there, especially when winter weather is raging.

As far as airport proximity, AirTran is certainly convenient; its Pittsburgh flights depart from gates 52 and 54 in Air Concourse C, making them the closest departure point to the main escalators. (Was it coincidence that the AirTran gate at LaGuardia was also the first one in Concourse C?)

It was raining as we checked in about 45 minutes before the flight. We'd made our reservations on the AirTran Web site (www.airtran.com) and arrived at the airport with only a confirmation number as proof. No problem. In fact, since we had only carry-on luggage, we were advised to check in and get our seat assignments at the gate, which was accomplished without incident. We were advised our flight would be delayed half an hour, as the incoming aircraft was late leaving Chicago, where the weather was worse. Surprisingly, the flight arrived, Pittsburgh-bound passengers deplaned, we were boarded and took off within that window of time.

Our 45-minute flight on the Boeing 737 was straightforward, with the main event being the cabin service, which consisted of the same soft drink and bag of party mix offered on most short flights these days. Our economy-class seats seemed to offer the same width and pitch as those on US Airways flights, though my son thought they were perhaps a bit less bouncy.

We were still only half an hour behind schedule when our flight landed at LaGuardia. That's where the traffic congestion took over. Because of an excess of aircraft and a shortage of landing gates, our plane sat idling on the tarmac for an hour and a half before we were able to actually get off. Our pilot expressed profuse apologies for the delay during our wait and amazement at the gridlock that gripped LaGuardia.

As it turned out, two hours late wasn't that bad at all.

Our return on Sunday was scheduled for 6:05 p.m., but rainy weather, which was forecast to change to snow, put a damper on our planned activities in New York. Checking AirTran's schedule, I noticed a flight at 3:40 p.m. A call to the airline confirmed the earlier flight still had 39 empty seats and, if we were willing to take a chance on stand-by, there'd be no charge to change our reservation.

When we loaded our luggage into a cab, the driver advised us not to worry, that departing flights from LaGuardia were already running two hours late. We arrived about 3 to find airport chaos. The word was that US Airways had canceled many of its flights, and people were scrambling to make alternate arrangements.

A long line of anxious travelers stood at the AirTran desk. It was nearly 3:30 p.m. by the time we worked our way to the front of the line, where we were assigned the last three empty seats on the flight, which, by the way, was still in Pittsburgh awaiting clearance for a LaGuardia landing spot. Rather than dragging our bags around during what seemed would be a long delay, we decided to check them.

To shorten a lengthening tale of woe, our incoming flight finally arrived at 4:30 p.m., only to be kept out on the runway for nearly two hours, while we circled the crowded, overheated concourse looking for empty seats and fresh air. Passenger tempers were growing short. Indeed, we witnessed irate travelers being escorted off two different planes by airport police.

It was after 7 p.m. by the time we were boarded and rolling down the runway toward home. Every seat was occupied and the head winds intense, which made for a bumpy, nervous ride. The cabin attendants did yeoperson duty, making sure passengers got their beverage and party mix, and doing it with a surprisingly positive attitude.

We landed in Pittsburgh a few minutes later than our original flight had been scheduled to land, and our bags were waiting for us at the luggage carousel.

The bottom line: Weather and air traffic delays notwithstanding, AirTran offers a very suitable, substantially affordable alternative to US Airways' take-it-or-leave-it service. Easily obtainable, low fares certainly foster customer satisfaction, but it was also evident that AirTran staff were going out of their way to please passengers.

With sufficient demand for its services, more AirTran departures and destinations may be a possibility. Given US Airways' existing dominance at Pittsburgh International, not to mention its possible acquisition by United, it's crucial to encourage alternatives like AirTran.