kanoneli

Well, I used to be a flight attendant on Braniff and then Northwest... and if I had allowed myself, I could have gotten myself into a real panic about flying (This was way pre 9/11!), but since it was my job I learned how to push those fears out of my mind. I do believe, like previous posts, that when your time's up, it's up. Really, once you get on an airplane and it pulls away from the gate, your life and safety are placed in the hands of someone else. It's just a fact of life. As far as the &quot;getting into an auto&quot; line so often used, the truth of the matter is that we only have a certain amount of control there as well and we cannot change the behavior of the other drivers out there. We've just got pay attention and be prepared for anything<BR>and really, hopefully our time's not up. For the record, my family of 4 will trvel to Europe in April...on American. It's my favorite US based Airline, even tho it's not in any way a hub for me. The seats are far more comfortable and the service is very professional and good. By the Ticket and enjoy!

Hirochei

American Airline is to be chapter 11 bankrupt in May 2003

sera

I booked the tickets last night thru autoeurope. Final cost $402 per person rt. JFK_Rome, non-stop on American. The only downside is the tickets are not transferable, etc. So, we'll hope for the best. Thanks again for all your comments and encouragement -- and now on to trip planning!

JAFA

I'm concerned about Hirochei and others' comments about American Airlines filing for Chapter 11. Does anyone have knowledge of what happens to passengers' tickets if this takes place? I'm about to book with AA through AutoEurope myself, but now I'm thinking twice. And, I need to decide today. HELP!

Christina

I just booked on American this morning for RT Washington DC-Paris because no other airline could touch their fares, even though I prefer to fly Air France. Autoeurope was higher than booking directly BTW, at least on my route.<BR><BR>Most airlines continue flying after filing Ch 11, of course, although they may cut some routes. I don't keep up on the airline industry that much, maybe others do, but I think AA makes more money on European routes than domestic, and wouldn't expect them to cut Eur. routes a lot, at least not at first. I think other airlines are required to let you fly standby on them for only $25 if you have a ticket from a bankrupt airline, also. At least US carriers. I don't know the details on these things, but I've read that. <BR><BR>United is already in bankruptcy and they're still flying but won't be for long if their DC-CDG fares are an indication. I don't know how they'd expect anyone to fly them, they are charging more than Air France and everybody else on the dates I want (late June-July).

KT

I'm very curious as to how anybody without inside information can predict in advance when a corporation will file for bankruptcy protection. I haven't heard or read any announcement that AA will be filing. It's not impossible, of course, given their financial picture, but how exactly does Hirochei know this??

Mara

1)I also booked thru Autoeurope for the low-priced American Airlines flight from JFK to Paris at the end of April.<BR><BR>2)Patrick, I could not find the direct flight from JFK to Rome anywhere on the AA website. Does it just go one day a week or something?? I did a lot of research before I went to Rome in Jan. and never saw anything about AA going there direct either. <BR><BR>3) I also heard something about the possibility of American Airlines running out of cash in the next few months probably on one of the cable business channels I often have on TV in the background.<BR>Thanks,<BR>Mara

Lesli

I've seen several articles on the subject of AA's potential bankruptcy filing lately, which apparently hinges on union negotiations. Predictions are that if they fail, May is the likely date:<BR><BR>http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest...bankruptcy.ap/

sera

Mara: Rome is listed as a &quot;seasonal city&quot; in their &quot;Where we fly page&quot; maybe that's why you couldn't find flights. I'm going in June.

Patrick

Mara, I just went to the AA website and clicked reservations. When I entered from JFK to Rome, and tried several dates at random, I always got the same flight possibility, so as far as I could tell it goes every day in the summer. But yes it is only seasonal, so probably doesn't fly in January.

KT

I, too, have heard and read speculation and predictions about AA filing for bankruptcy. My point, which I obviously didn't make clearly, is that there's a difference between saying &quot;It looks like, if they don't get labor concessions, they may go Chap. 11 in May&quot; and saying with certainty &quot;They will be bankrupt in May.&quot; (And, as others have pointed out, there's a big difference between filing Chap. 11 and actually ceasing to operate.)<BR><BR>

Mara

Thanks, Sera and Patrick! I thought I was going nuts as I did so much research for flights before I went to Rome in Jan. and never saw a direct one on AA from NYC. When I put in June dates, it came up but not with April dates so it does seem to be seasonal. I feel much better now!!<BR>Mara

JAFA

Just putting it out there: I went ahead and booked my American Airlines June flights from JFK to CDG. Went through Autoeurope, which was MUCH less expensive than AA direct. Final cost: $359.95 per person. Thought it was worth the minimal gamble, but I did also purchase travel insurance through American Express' reco for $37 per ticket. Didn't want to pass up the amazing fare just because of the Chapter 11 threat. <BR>I'd also love to hear back from anyone who's taken a trip using Autoeurope.

Mara

JAFA - I went to Paris from JFK on AA thru Autoeurope last October. I just booked the same exact flights for the end of April with that great fare Autoeurope has now. I had no problems whatsoever with my Autoeurope Eticket. I did have a small problem with the charge amount being a bit higher than my quote last fall but I got a credit with no problem. Haven't seen this new charge yet shown on my account but will check online with my cc tomorrow.<BR>Mara

JAFA

Thanks, Mara. I'm so happy to hear from someone who flew with Autoeurope/American Airlines successfully. And, I'll definitely check my credit card statement for the amounts. Thanks for your input, and have a great trip in April!<BR>JAFA

Christina

I just wondered when you guys are flying in June who are getting these real cheap fares from Autoeurope? <BR><BR>As I said, from Wash DC-Paris RT I paid $695 total (incl taxes and everything) thru AA but Autoeurope quoted $705 WITHOUT the taxes/fees for the same dates, so that's about $100 more, I guess. I'm not complaining exactly as $700 summer fare is cheap (Air France is $1119 for same dates), but it isn't even just the DC-JFK addon as JFK-Paris RT for same dates is $652 on Autoeurope without the taxes/fees. <BR><BR>Are you all flying very early in June?

sera

I'm going the second week in June. A lot depends on the day of the week you fly out. When I talked to an Autoeurope rep we went over a whole host of date combinations until we came up with a cheap fare on days that were good for me. So I guess it's hit or miss.

JAFA

Christina --<BR>Yes, I'm flying JFK to CDG first week of June. Perhaps that accounts for the less expensive fare. <BR>--JAFA

Christina

I think that must be it, as I'm crossing over into July. It isn't the day of the week, I don't think, as I checked a variety of possibilities on that one.

dgruzew

We also got a great fare on american <BR>Chicago - Paris <BR>then <BR>Rome - Chicago <BR><BR>both Non Stop - for 620 total. They do have more leg room.