pineisl

Oh great, months ago I booked thru Continental, using miles for one ticket and purchasing one for our trip to Paris 9/30/05. Of course Continental booked us on every other airline, except their. Our trip to Paris is on NWA- Ft Myers to Detroit to Paris. I am a nervous flyer and only resign myself to the fact that I must fly if I want to travel. I do not get a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing about this stike and how it could effect plane maintanence (whether real of just in my head)Add to that the chance the flights are cancelled. I am not made of money, but I am even considering having the miles put back in my acct, just taking a lost on the ticket we paid for and rebuying 2 tickets that don't involve NWA. I know when you purchase econo ticket they tell you no refunds, but I am wondering if you can change the ticket to a different flight? Someone please tell me I have just lost it, chill out and all will be fine. Or better yet the real truth of what we could run into because of this strike. What does happen when the flights are cancelled are you just left to your own devices. As you can tell I am not an experience flyer either. Thanks for letting me vent my fears and fustration on my first trip to Paris being ruin.

orangetravelcat

Go to NWA website and see what they have to say. Right now, they are saying flights are operating on schedule. Of course, that is now, and your trip isn't for a while. What about checking with CO and see if they can put you on a different carrier. Even if you have to pay something, if it will give you peace of mind, it would be worth it.

LoveItaly

Hi pineisl, I sure understand how you feel but that this is only August 21st and your flight isn't until September 30th if I were in your shoes I would wait a few days before making any big decisions. Of course calling CO and getting answers to your questions won't cost anything and would probably be good to do.

As far as safety I have read through USA Today the federal government has said they are going to keep an "extra eye" on the maintenance of NW planes.
The other unions are not backing this strike so perhaps it will be settled in a reasonable of time. I sure hope so. Best wishes to you.

kjosker

I understand your concerns, and they are of course justified. But you are still over 5 weeks out, and a lot can happen in that time. I would proceed on the assumption that everthing is still a go until you hear or learn otherwise. Like Yogi Berra says, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

I would also take the attitude, trust your pilot. If he can and will fly the plane, it should be OK.

PamT

Hi pineisl,
I understand how you feel. We leave on 9/9 to London on NWA using FF miles. We don't plan on making any changes. We are going on the assumption that the only thing that will happen is a possible delay. As our flight doesn't leave until 7pm their is a good chance that will be the case. However, I have not planned anything "concrete" for the day we arrive (Sat am) so if we are delayed we won't be scrambling to make any changes or getting refunds. Of course, we are also three weeks out and the strike could be settled by then and we will have worried over nothing. I really don't think you have anything to worry about but I'm not you and only you can decide what your "comfort" level is. Good luck and have a great trip! Pam

pineisl

Thank you all for your calming responses. Okay I am going to chill for a few weeks, though I do think i will call continental just to see what their take is on the matter since they are the ones that booked me on NWA. Good point about the pilot. Okay I feel better Merci!

kswl

Does trip insurance cover non-performance by airlines? If so, I'd be purchasing it asap.

rkkwan

Since NWA isn't cancelling any flight right now, and your flight isn't for another month, CO will not change your ticket without cost.

You can redeposit your CO miles, or change your itinerary for $50 ($35 if you're elite). For your other ticket, it depends on whether it's a CO-codeshare, or just CO book it as a NW ticket for you. If it has a CO flight number, then you probably need to pay $150 to change it, or to get a voucher that's good for one year from the original date of purchase. [Note that you need to pay that $150 or whatever with your money, and not deducted from the voucher.] Ask carefully all the restriction for use.

jay

pineisl,
Don't worry. The Airline has known about this strike for 2 years and has planned accordingly. Enjoy your trip. I hope you enjoy yourself.