UPRIGHT AND LOCKED
Going, Going . . .
You need a scorecard to keep up with the turmoil in the airline industry. Here it is:
ATA Airlines filed for bankruptcy last week and announced that AirTran will take over ATA flights from Reagan National, Chicago Midway and New York LaGuardia. United and US Airways are already in bankruptcy court; Delta and Independence Air also have financial woes.
The only U.S. carriers in the black: Southwest and JetBlue. U.S. airlines have lost $23 billion since Sept. 11, 2001, and expect to lose another $6 billion by January.
Don't be surprised if you encounter disgruntled workers as many airlines slash paychecks and jobs. Last week, American Airlines told employees it will furlough as many as 450 pilots and 650 maintenance workers; Delta said it was outsourcing 650 telephone reservation jobs to India.
Also expect flight changes as struggling airlines restructure routes. Airlines will rebook you. You're entitled to a refund if the change is "significant." No one has defined that term, but a change of a couple of hours will likely be considered insignificant, even if it is significant to you.
In the long run: "Two years from now there will be fewer carriers" and prices will increase, says airline bankruptcy expert Anthony Sabino, an associate professor of business at St. John's University in New York.
scam watch
Caveat Emptor, Cont'd
Tim Meinke and Aya Aoki of the District were excited to find round-trip tickets to Buenos Aires for $650 each through Travel Express Services, a company operating out of Jersey City, N.J. When they were asked to send a check, they figured the agency just wanted to avoid credit card fees.
They sent the money, but tickets never arrived. They, and thousands of others, had been scammed.
