Help! I just booked tickets to Florida on Delta Song for February vacation, and then heard that Delta might be filing Chapter 11. If this happens, would I be guaranteed a refund, and just without a trip to Florida? Are there more reliable options from the Boston area? (Since we didn't know when Southwest Air tix would go on sale, we just gave up thinking they'd sell out within minutes anyway....) I have until midnight tomorrow to cancel my Delta Song tickets. Until I heard this, I was quite happy to get a direct flight at a reasonable price.
Thanks!!

The major carriers are all operating in precarious financial shape, but you don't have a lot to worry about. Chapter 11 does NOT mean that the airlines simply close up shop-- it means they can reorganize their debt and continue operations. However, don't kid yourself-- even if they don't declare Chapter 11, Delta/Song can make changes to your itinerary, including eliminating your nonstop flights and substituting multi-leg itineraries-- and they might. They have a lot of time to change things (times, flight numbers, etc.).

Florida has quite a few airports. Which one are you going into? You might find nonstops (which is probably what you mean-- "direct" means the plane STOPS, but you don't change planes to fly to the final destination) on smaller airlines, or maybe to alternate airports.

Thanks for the clarification. We are going into Orlando and out of Tampa. Yes, I did mean a non-stop flight. I guess we'll just go with the flow... This means they have to provide some sort of flight down there (hopefully any changes will be minor).

We are probably gambling more with US Air with our upcoming trip, but you may be able to take out a Trip/Travel insurance plan with Airline bankruptcy coverage policy (for examples see www.insuremytrip.com

As someone abovementioned, Chapter 11 is a lot different than total liquidation (Chapter 8??). USAirways at least has some sort of possible future with a merger pending; Delta probably less so.

No, you will not get any sort of "guaranteed" anything; if Song does go into bankruptcy there may very well be a re-structuring of flight schedules so keep an eye on that aspect of things.

It may be worth looking into the bare minimum for trip insurance. It sounds like there's always a risk of it not working out, but I'm not willing to risk losing our tickets altogether. Fortunately, we are staying with relatives for the first part of the trip, so there would be some flexibility, I suppose.

If you are going to buy any sort of travel insurance, please be sure to do your research before you pull the trigger.I had a neighbor recently get all flustered about her tickets for next spring on United.She went online and took out what she thought was "comprehensive" coverage.After I showed her that the policy she selected covered only the $100 change fee, and not the actual cost of the tickets, she felt like she had thrown money out the window.Just a word to the wise.

Second beachboi's comments, and have found that trip insurance policies vary & may not cover every airline, definitely suggest reading the fine print.

Given that these are discount tickets, I doubt travel insurance makes economic sense. First, I seriously doubt that Delta will have suspended ops by February or is not able to refund your purchase price in the event the flight is cancelled and you can't be otherwise accomodated. Second, if you paid for your tickets with a credit card (which you should ALWAYS do), your bank may let you contest the charges and credit your card (legally they have to if you don't recieve the service purchased and you notify them within 60 days of your statement, but many make an exception to this limitation for future air travel).

I'd say your biggest risk is that Delta discontinues those non-stop routes and you are forced to take another Delta flight with a stop. I don't think you have any legal recourse there. But if Delta decides it wants to make you happy, it might refund your money.

I just purchased the travel insurance through AAA. I know it sounds paranoid, but it will give me peace of mind (and I tend to worry). It was $60 for the 4 tickets and I got a person who was able to tell me what it covered (I did air only). I probably would have been fine, but it seems like one of those things that depends on the person's personality....
I am looking into booking another trip (out west), and I'm not sure if I'll feel more secure about it on a different airline. I appreciate the feedback. You always learn something here!

And thank you carolv!!!=D>
I will have to give AAA a