i_am_kane

Delta has the perfect nonstop, open jaw flight times for our family trip to Italy in 2006: Departing New York to Venice, then departing Rome back to New York.

I've read some bad press about Delta, which includes the possibility of filing bankruptcy. Does anyone have CURRENT information on Delta's woes? These are perfect flights, but I am very concerned about booking for June 24th and July 8th of 2006.

To add to my quandry, I have enough American Airlines FF miles to book tickets for 3 of our 6 family travelers. If I hold out too long, I risk not being able to use my American FF miles.

Do I bite the bullet, and pray, or be safe and go with AA?

Gretchen

I would seriously doubt that Delta will go under, and particularly in that time frame. Your tickets would probably be honored by another carrier also.

Christina

I'm not sure whether you are saying you want to get the FF miles on American and have the others go by Delta or what.

I personally would never book and pay for airline tickets almost a year in advance, ever. Whether they are in bankruptcy or not, there is always a great possibility that any flight a year off may not exist at that point, or at least not have the perfect times any more.

Robert2533

I would be very cautious in regards to booking too far in advance with Delta. Financially speaking, their debt load is very high, much higher than United's, which means that if they do go bankrupt, which is only a matter of time, they will find it very difficult, cost wise, to emerge in a year or two, and may have to give up some of their better routes. You may want to keep an eye out for the next few months and possibly look at another airline as an alternate. There's still plenty of time to make a decision.

LoveItaly

I agree with Christina..booking a year ahead of time is not something I would ever do.

grandmere

I probably wouldn't book a year ahead, either, but as to the bankruptcy thing, many of us were in the same situation with USAirways last year at this time, and they are still flying. I guess my point is re that issue, who knows how these things are going to turn out?

janis

It is at least 5 months too early to be booking flights for next June (whether the airline is facing bankruptcy or not, Delta or AA).

But usually you do need to book ff tickets as soon as possible.

I'd just decide - do you want to wait to pay for all six, or do you want to use miles for 3 now and wait to book for the other 3 . . . . .

polly229

I almost always fly Delta and my husband does for business a lot more since it's the major carrier at our airport. We've got our mileage tickets for our annual gratis-of-Delta trip booked for next May to Greece because you have to do that early, particularly to fly business. Thus I'm watching things carefully myself.

Like other posters, I doubt Delta will go fully belly up by next summer, if they do at all in the near (2 or 3 yrs.) future. But it's a possibility. I'm not clear why you need to book this early, but there could be a reason. So I would offer the following suggestion:

If you do book flights, get paper tickets. (Get paper any time you think you may need to change carriers, even if your connecting flight is being delayed and you think you might miss your flight unless you get there by some other carrier. Get paper before the line forms.) Other carriers won't honor e-tickets. I think there's a charge for paper now, but might be worth the peace of mind. And maybe get trip insurance, too.

But let me add another warning. My husband and I booked round trip mileage flights in the summer of '02 for an April '03 trip to Venice. Starting early in '03, Delta started making changes. First times. Then days of the week - they didn't fly to Venice every day, only 4 or 5, then cut the ones we were going and returning on. (Worse, they changed our JFK to VCE leg but didn't change the flight to JFK, had us going to NY the day after we left for Venice.) Finally they cut ALL their Venice flights and we ended up flying to Milan and taking Alitalia to Venice. Three changes in all, excluding times. Granted, the travel business has picked up and things seem somewhat more stable in some respects than in '03, but all it will take is another terrorist attack in the US to get everybody in a swivet again. And then flights will start disappearing again.

And I have learned to check my itineraries with regularity, monthly if booked far out and again close to the flight. They're so short on personnel now that they don't notify you of changes as early as they used to. I assume they would eventually but I've always caught stuff before they did. They might not catch a problem like the flight to Venice prior to the flight to NY in time to get me a seat, though - or I might have had to put up with a 5 hr. layover or something.

mousireid

I daresay if you booked flights toward the end of THIS year there would be NO problems? BTW do they have PTV's on transatalantic flights? Just wondering!

Intrepid1

Waht the magic about waiting "five months from now" to book tickets is anybody's guess but I'd sure love to know what that is.

Don't forget that bankruptcy is an entirely separate thing from liquidation. If Delta does decalre bankruptcy they could have as much as several years to emerge, during which time they will continue to fly, although schedules may be changed or reduced.

And what makes you so sure that American is really any "safer" than Delta?

If these are, in fact, the perfect flights, and the price is right, I would go ahead and book them..or you can wait five months and then what????

ira

Hi K,

If you can use 3 FF tickets, why would you want to pay for thse flights?

If you have the perfect Delta flight at the right price, why wait?

"..if not now, when?"

i_am_kane

Thanks for all the overnight replies. I will respond to a few comments.

Christina: All six of us want to fly on the same airline/flights.

Janis: Exactly my point, I probably need to book those three American FF a.s.a.p., and hold off a while booking the other three purchase tickets. Thanks for the tip about paper v. e-tickets. Your 2003 trip on Delta sounds like a nightmare over which you had no control.

Mousireid: You asked if they (who?) have PTV's on transatlantic flights. I guessing you mean Delta Airlines and Private Televisions? I don't know the answer to that question.

Intrepid1: Yes, the "magic" five months from now to book tickets comment is puzzling me also. Unless, people expect prices for June travel to dip during that period of time. As for American being any safer (with respect to financial problems) than Delta, it's just that I haven't heard any bad press about AA to date - but I could be wrong.

Also, I am not booking a year ahead of time. As for the departure date, I am approaching 10 months prior to 6/24/05.

To add to my logistics, I have four additional family members who need to fly from Tampa and meet us in Venice. All this must be coordinated. The Florida family's choices are limited as compared to flying out of JFK, so the airline decision becomes easier.

This is like a crap shoot, and I'm not a gambler. No one has a crystal ball, and everything is subject to change. I just don't want to make a decision that will adversely affect a lot of people. It is so much easier when just my husband and I travel. It's also easier to adjust to changes when you have two people vs 10 of us (including children ages 5-12).

I'm still open for more comments.

i_am_kane

Hi Ira,

As I was typing as you posted your message.

AA does not offer nonstop from JFK to VCE, Delta does.

Delta's prices are still way above the $1,000 mark.

Bottom line: I am paying for all 10 tickets, whether with FF miles or cash. This is an expensive trip, and I must be smart about the expenses.

faredolce

Ira is so right. Why wait? Especially since you want all 6 members to fly on the same flight. Since that is a priority, I would book now, especially since you characterize this flight as "perfect."

A year ago, I was worrying about Delta filing for bankruptcy before a scheduled trip. I also worried about the same thing at the very beginning of 2004

faredolce

There is some combination of buttons I press when typing fast that makes me post too soon here - sorry!

I was going to finish with saying that the "legacy" carriers are all struggling, and it is anybody's guess what will eventually happen, but ultimately, you have to decide what is more agonizing - booking the flight now and worrying for 10 months, or waiting and agonizing over logisitics later on in the stages of your planning.

i_am_kane

faredolce:

I know, I know, just as people were previously concerned by Alitalia and US Airways financial conditions.

I think it's time to hop onto www.flyertalk and see what those guys have to say about Delta.

faredolce

They have us at their mercy, basically. It is really difficult to make an informed purchase, which I understand you are trying to do.

Last year, I flew Delta three times, domestically and internationally. About one week before one of my flights, I got this freaky e-mail from them, telling me not to worry about reported problems, that everything was under control, that the planes would be safe, the crews would show up, no decrease in service, my flight was still scheduled...it was very unsettling.

My hope is that you can get this part of the planning over with and get on to the fun stuff for your trip. Good luck and let us know if you find anything out. I am looking at flights on Delta for February or March of 2006!

rkkwan

The question is how urgent are you trying to use those 150K AAdvantage miles. If you really need to spend them, then book it and see then just check AA prices to Venice from time to time for the other 7 tickets.

Also, miles can be deposited. If all 150K miles are from the same account, I believe you can redeposit all for just $100, which is not too bad, if you decide to switch to DL's non-stop later on. [But check with AA about this.]

If you have other ways to spend your AAdvantage miles anyways, then don't book them for Venice for now. That option is still kind of open later on.

rkkwan

And to answer the other question, no DL doesn't have individual screens on their 767-300 to VCE. Only on their 777s.

jo_ann

We just used Delta in July to/from Paris in business class. Additionally, I'm on them all the time for business travel.
No one really knows what the financial status is, and I personally think that only time will tell. I've been a lone wolf on saying that all the new low-costs will eventually end up hitting many of the embedded costs for their staff/planes etc as the long-term carriers, anyway, and will have to raise costs or face bankruptcy, too. (SW hedged fuel costs - very smart, but eventually these hedges will run out, and they'll be paying higher costs, too, for instance.)
Delta was absolutely superb this trip - 777's, incredibly plush & spacious, quite good food, and staff that's trying their hardest. I agree that the cutbacks are affecting their notification process, but it's so easy to double check periodically (wasn't a problem this trip, but I've run into it with Delta and USAir for business trips). I actually had to make 2 last minute changes and they were really super about it all - even didn't hit me with some fees they could have charged!
So, I'd say: book the most convenient, stay on top of it, and don't think that there are insiders with radically more info than you have. It's a "world" situation, not unique enough (IMHO) to just apply to one carrier. We have a friend at American - a pilot - and they're not looking too good either, eh?