USAirways
 

It looks as if USAir may file bankruptcy by mid-September....actually it looks inevitable. I don't know if this means continuing operations through re-organization or not. I got a great quote (with great flight times) from USAir for travel to Caribbean this Fall. Has anybody faced this situation before? Should I play it safe and go with American....or chance it and book USAir? Are flights rebooked with another airline if USAir folds? Are you guaranteed reimbursement? Is it something insurance would cover? I haven't booked anything yet, so I still have options.

I posted a similar question on the airlines talk board. AAFrequentFlyer gave me a helpful response. You might want to check it out.

What is the site for the airlines message board? I have USAirways tickets for October/November.

Go to flyertalk.com
Look at the Us air site.. I have two paid tickets and two freebies for this Oct. on US Air..I hope they don't go under! Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Personally I would not buy USAir tickets for a Caribbean trip right now. Compared to most domestic itineraries, there are fewer alternatives if a problem arises, and more money involved.

USAir is the leading carrier where we live and I work with bankruptcies all the time. My concern is that they may have trouble finding debtor-in-possession financing after their second Chapter 11 filing, because all of the economies achieved by the first filing (renegotiating contracts, leases, etc.) failed to bring profitability. I think liquidation is a definite possibility.

Thanks for the prompt responses. I will check out the previously mentioned website....but I'll likely go with my gut instinct and take the AA flight. I will definitely keep my fingers crossed for those who already have USAir tickets. Hope for the best.

My message referred to the Fodors talk board on airlines. AAFrequentFlyer is offering good information.

Boy, am I glad I'm burning up my frequent flier miles now! We're using them to go to St. John this week. Let's just hope they won't sacrifice safety since it seems inevitable that they'll be going under anyway! You know, we'd been holding on to those miles for quite a while. A little voice said to me, "You really should go ahead and use them now." Glad I listened!

I posted almost this same thing last year when it looked like they'd fold...and they didn't.

I just booked USAir again for September/October, they have the best price/schedule for us.

Being a bit paranoid, I e-mailed my travel agent and asked what we'd do if they did stop operations before or duringour trip. Her response:

"USAIR says that they don't anticipate
having to shut down, but in the event they do, another carrier would
accommodate passengers."

your travel agent should also be able to offer you a more expensive travel insurance policy that covers bankruptcy of travel suppliers. check it out.

I played it safe and booked American instead. My travel insurance, however, would cover the trip if USAir decided to liquidate. My travel agent stated that in the event USAir folded "they would make every effort to accomodate us through another airline carrier." But what wasn't said was that there are no guarantees. This sounds very close to what the poster said under AAFrequentFlyer.

While it appears I wouldn't be out any money by going with USAir, the whole point of going on vacation is actually going, so I just didn't want the hassle or concern of worrying about USAir. Hopefully it is all for naught.

But at least you know you can buy insurance that will cover it. Good luck.