I've booked an awards trip on USAirways for May 2005 ... will they still be flying?
 

I'll try this again with the correct subject line. Going to Madrid. I tried to book on USAirways partners, United or Lufthansa, but nothing was available in our time frame. I questioned the USAir Customer Service rep about what may happen to the status of my reservation, and my miles, if they were to go under, and the response was "I have no idea".

I realize it's all guesswork at this point, but I'd be interested to know the thoughts of other experienced travelers. Do you think I'm taking a big risk?

Yes, you are taking a risk (I was able to use my remaining USAirways FF miles for a trip to Europe next year but on a partner [United] and that's probably risky, too) BUT
NOBODY HERE can tell you that USAirways will or will not be flying next year. If they do then they are lying...how can anyone know for certain?

You'll undoubtedly get all sorts of opinions about it and not to seem nasty about BUT when you ask for these sorts of things you get them. I am not sure the results of your question will yield any peace of mind but they might.

If they do liquidate you may have some recourse with other airlines honoring your tickets (on a space available basis only).

I'm taking the same big risk in May, PIT-CDG. I asked a question about this a couple of weeks ago, and of course, the answer is that nobody knows if USAirways will still be flying and what will happen to the tix you and I and others out there are holding. I'm just going ahead and assuming the trip will be a go. Let's wish good luck to all of us and keep posted on here any new developments!

Hi Larry. I booked for May with miles to Lisbon. But I did it about two months ago and was able to get tickets through United.
If they go under, I hope I can get to D.C because the flight to Frankfurt is on Lufthansa.
I may have to drive to DC., I am thinking this would be the worst cast scenario.
But I couldn't get an answer either because I really do not think they know.
But I just read an article that said get rid of the miles you have.
They don't tell you what to do if you cannot get tickets. Or if you have them and they no longer fly.

I don't think anyone here knows, but there was an article in my local newspaper's travel section (Washington Post, about two weeks ago on Sunday, probably 10/31 or 10/24) that recommended not buying tickets past February on USAir. They said they didn't think there would be any worries through the end of this year in terms of the flights running. That article might be on their web site, a lot is.

I got an update today. As I find is usually the case, the more times you call, the more information you get. Unfortunately you neevr know whether it's correct or not, but here's what I was told:
I called USAirways today, since the reservation I have on hold expires at midnight, and if I do not confirm by that time, it will be automatically cancelled.

When I asked if I could more safely book on a partner airline, such as United or Lufthansa, I was told that I could, but it wouldn't really make any difference if USAir goes belly-up ... since I am using USAir miles for my award flight, the tickets would be printed on USAir "stock", and if they ceased operating by the time of my trip, the other airlines would honor my reservations on only a stand-by basis. The case would be the same whether I reserved on USAir, or any of their partners.

I don't know how accurate this is, but as my choices are limited, I opted to go ahead and confirm the booking.

Worst case scenario, if they go out of business, I'll probably look for the best bargain rate I can find, and go anyway.

I have FF tickets ( issued by UsAir ) to Italy via United and Lufthansa.

All I can do is hope that they wil be honored...but I won't be shocked if they aren't

Dick:

Your tickets have been issued and that means you now have a "contract of carriage" WITH the issuing airline..in other words, you PAID using the USAirways FF miles and they accepted them. They cannot dishonor your ticket once issued and "paid for."

Sorry..should have said you have a contract with the airline that is going to transport you.

I got a ton of miles on USAirways I'm hoping I can use them, but don't have any specific plans so I'm assuming it will be great if I can use them and if not -- hey it was a freebie anyway.

<b>TopMan</b>,

you are totally wrong. The ticket issued by USAir is nothing more than a <b>reservation</b>. The transporting airline has no &quot;contract&quot; with the ticket holder. Only the issuing airline/travel agent does. Once you checkin and the other airline &quot;accepts&quot; your reservation, only then they become responsible for any problems.

My understanding of how the &quot;booking with a partner&quot; thing works is:

If you use FF miles from airline A for a ticket on Airline B, Airline B receives compensation from Airline A at or after the time of your travel -- not at the time the reservation is ticketed. This is why there is concern about what happens if Airline A goes out of business prior to the trip, since Airline B would not be able to receive compensation for your travel from Airline A. So, in effect, it is no safer than using the miles for travel on Airline A.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading this recently (here? Flyertalk?).

BTW, good luck, Larry, with your ticket (and enjoy Madrid - one of my favorite cities). We have FF tickets to Italy next summer on Lufthansa (with UA miles), so we're also hoping for status quo.

If you want more &quot;information&quot; from more people who really don't know anything, similar threads about USAir on &quot;Airline&quot; and &quot;US&quot; sections of Fodors. It's all a guess at this point - the customer service people certainly don't know. Maybe the big boss at USAir knows, but I even doubt that. Why would they tell customers anything negative and scare us off even more, further worsening their position.

If misery loves company, then you will be happy - thousands of us out here are in same situation with tickets, miles, uncertainty. Those with paid-for-with-money tickets may get some break &quot;space available&quot; on flights, but those of us with free tickets may be walking or swimming.

My understanding is that expressed by AAfrequentflyer and msgo. That is why I'm concerned (especially because my tix are first class)

Gail..the &quot;bosses at USAir&quot; MAY know if or when they may have to liquidate. ...but it is not their decision how another another carrier might choose to honor tickets issued by USAir.

Also the Congress hasn't renewed the legislation that requires other airlines to honor tickets from failed airlines. There is a fee involved payable to the airline honoring the ticket but you don't lose everything.
I think the law expires this month.
I have 2 vouchers and enough miles for 1 free flight with USAIR. It doesn't look very promising for USAIR.

I don't think any past or proposed law requires honoring of free tickets - those &quot;bought&quot; with FF miles. Our tickets may be worth exactly what we paid for them!

AA Frequent Flyer:

I have a reservation and a seat on my United Flight and an e-ticket...worry needlessly if you want but Iam not the least bit concerned about whether USAirways goes out of business or not.

Worry? I'm not worried, why should I be?

I just wanted to correct your statement which was wrong, so anybody else doesn't think that once the ticket is issued it's a done deal.

Whether you or anybody else should worry about USAir or anything else? That's a personal decision, but if based on reality it has a better chance of working out.

That's it! :-)

From Pittsburgh post-gazette 10/31/04
Unless Congress extends a provision of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act set to expire on Nov. 19, travelers will lose the guarantee that tickets they've purchased on one airline will be honored by other carriers if it ceases to operate.

Earlier this month, the Senate passed an extension and attached it to a 9/11 intelligence bill. The House has passed its own version of the intelligence bill, but without the extension. If passengers are to keep this safety net, the two bills must be reconciled to include the provision, and the total bill must be signed into law by the president.

All this must happen within the next 20 days. And Congress will be on break until mid-November. While experts claim the extension will be passed, there are no guarantees, especially with the election intervening.

Powerful forces, not least of which are the airlines themselves, would not be sorry to see this piece of consumer protection die a silent death.

Passed in the aftermath of 9/11 by politicians mindful of the collapse of Vanguard Airlines, the regulation formalized a practice that U.S. air carriers had tacitly followed for decades.

It mandates that should any U.S. commercial airline cease operations for financial reasons, other domestic airlines that operate flights on the same routes are obligated to transport passengers holding paid tickets on the defunct carrier if they apply within 60 days of when the airline ceases operations. They must offer seats, on a space-available basis, for a charge of not more than $25 per ticket each way. This also applies to return flights for those travelers caught in midtrip by the Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Even if Congress gets its act together before Nov. 19, this exclusion provides scant protection for those who have purchased tickets. This safety net has some huge holes, especially for Pittsburgh-based travelers.

Hi Larry. Just thought I would tell you that on tonight's local news (KDKA), they are saying that travel on US Airways for late Spring and Summer is a very iffy poposition.
I kept thining that since they are Star Alliance members and I booked my ticket with a Star Alliance member, they would be a go.
They mentioned using a credit card and being able to dispute the charge, but that doesn't help those with a reward ticket.
So, we wait and see.