my wife and I are booked March 31-April 10 Philly to Madrid, it's a nice flight, non-stop and now in jeopardy because of the threatened walkout....looks like there WILL be a strike after all, and I don't quite know what to do---we've been planning this trip for a long time, I can't find a compareable rate on any other airline so far. We may just wait it out and hope for the best, play it by ear. Any suggestions?

Right now, USAirways is offering full refunds to people travelling between 3/25-4/9. They are also offering the option to book on another USAirways flight with no fee. However, if there is a strike, USAirways has said it will shut down operations rather than subject passengers to the chaos of a walkout. So if you need to travel during that time, rebooking on USAirways is futile. They will not refer people to other airlines until the strike begins. We are supposed to travel to Florida on April 1 for a wedding the next day, so we are also wondering what to do.

Pete: <BR> <BR>I'm headed for Philly from L.A. a week from Sunday. Every morning when I wake up and every day when I return from work I check this site for news about the strike: http://biz.yahoo.com/n/u/u.html. Good luck!

While this probably doesn't apply to you Pete as you're flying international, if anyone has an e-ticket on USAirways scheduled to travel during the possible strike, exchange it for a paper ticket now. Don't wait fro the day of travel or you'll undoubtedly find very long lines. This will facilitate switching to another airline if that becomes necessary.

I disagree (somewhat) with the statement that rebooking on USAir is futile. If you could leave earlier, it's actually an extraordinary opportunity to move your flight back a few days at no cost. You may find that all kinds of seats are available on March 28, 29 or 30, for example - - almost surely, USAir will get you to Europe SOMEHOW, on another carrier. If not on the day for which you are confirmed, most likely, the next day; thus you might end uo no worse than arriving the same time/day (or one day ahead) of your original plans. <BR> <BR>Or at least , that's a strategy I'm hoping will work for me and group of 5 teenagers. We were scheduled to fly Monday, March 27, and I intentionally moved us to March 25 ("the eye of the storm") with a 7 a.m. flight to Philly - - figuring that this will improve our chances of their finding us another carrier during the course of the 25th. <BR> <BR>so wish me (us) luck - - I expect to check and say hello during the week next week, and may be able to report how it went; otherwise, I will be (conspicuously?) absent from this board, beginning this weekend until after April 2 (I think I'm going to need methadone for the "jones" of being away from Fodors!) <BR> <BR>If I can find a way, I'll even try to post, in transit, on Saturday the 25th itself. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Hi Pete, <BR>Have you looked into the Spanair flight from Dulles? You've probably investigated it already, but just a thought... <BR>Good luck! <BR>Maribel

If you have trouble getting through on their 800 number, try to find the phone number at their desk at the airport in Philadelphia. When we got struck by Air France, that was the only way we could actually get through to a real person who would talk to us and help us, We found the phone number for their desk at O'Hare on the internet, but I don't remember how we did it. Good luck.

Oh great, I'm w/ you guys. Leaving for France on 3/30/00 via Charlotte and unsure how to play it. Wouldn't mind being stuck in France a few extra days, but not not going. Re-scheduling at the same fare for a festival time wouldn't be so bad, but we were looking forward to it not being so busy in Provance. Will check back. ANybody w/ a better recommended time to go would be appreciated, as I've not been.

I haven't called USAirways yet, but today's Washington Post said that USAirways will release today a list of airlines that will honor their tickets. These airlines will honor USAirways tickets for flights tomorrow, Sunday and Monday. If the shutdown lasts beyond the weekend, people can beginning contacting these airlines to change reservations, but only up to two days before their flight. So, if I am to leave on April 1, I can change my flight on March 29 at the earliest. That does not make me feel very good.

I just called USAirways. They will not announce airlines that will honor their tickets until an actual work stoppage; they will have information tomorrow morning. They will operate on a two-day rolling basis. If there is still a shutdown on Sunday, passengers holding tickets for Sunday, Monday or Tuesday can contact these other airlines for new arrangements, and so on.

Actually, the latest news (12:09 am, 3:39 am) is not reflected in either of the two messages posted just before this one. they hint at increased efforts by USAir to resolve the cotract dispute(s). This may be just window dressing - - to let the public know that they have put "something new" on the table. It looks like there is going to be an element of "bidding" for public sentiment - - is all this the "fault" of the company - - whis isn't trying hard enough? or the union - - who is being too stubborn? <BR> <BR>References for the lates stuff: <BR> <BR>US Airways Offers Concessions in Talks <BR>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/2000...airways_6.html <BR> <BR>and <BR> <BR>US Airways Signals Shift in Stance <BR>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/2000...endants_5.html <BR> <BR>Bookmark this site for continuing updates: <BR> <BR>http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/US/...Labor_Dispute/ <BR> <BR>For what it's worth, I am carrying with me to the airport printouts of seven different alternative itineraries that have seats for my routing (Columbus-Munich) tomorrow morning. (I intentionally moved my domestic connector flight to morning to try to make use of the full day for being assigned to another airline - - even though the trans-atlantic segment isn't til 6:20 pm).

Here is a great site for updates and advice releated to the US Airways shutdown: <BR> <BR>&lt;A HREF="http://bestfares.com/travel_center/desks/public/200003/10065567L.asp"&gt;bestfares.com strike updates&lt;/A&gt; <BR> <BR>If this link didn't display correctly, go to bestfares.com and then to the newsdesk, you'll see

``Everybody's doing their best to make a deal,'' said Jeff Zack, a spokesman for the Association of Flight Attendants. <BR> <BR>``To be this intense at this hour is a good sign. But it also means there's some stuff that's really serious that's left.'' <BR> <BR>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/2000...irways_14.html