Do I recall correctly that paper tickets have a greater value in bankruptcy than e tickets?

I turned in miles for a USAirway/Qantas flight next July and have a paper ticket. Here's the dilemma. If US goes under, what part of that ticket remains valid? Is the Qantas portion still good, and what about the rebook of the domestic portion, etc?

I've looked on the forum, USAirways site and DOT, and haven't been able to find anything.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

For a revenue ticket, your paper ticket would perhaps be marginally safer, though in theory either should be honored on other carriers per the recently extended law.

That being said, since your ticket is an award ticket, nobody knows what *A partners (or even other domestic US airlines) will do. One would hope that they would honor it. Internationally, though, all bets are off.

Does anyone who has been around here longer than I have recall if the UA folks got a definitive answer back when they were seemingly in the same boat?

There is no definitive answer.

The answer is: no one knows the answer. The issue was never resolved at UA either. No airline is going to come out and say what they would do in a situation like this until they absolutely have to. Does the recently extended law apply to foreign flights?

Does the recently extended law apply to foreign flights?

I believe it applies to domestic travel only.

Paper tickets are not required according to US law. But you will want to make sure you have copies of your reciept showing both the amount paid and the itinerary for which the ticket was purchased, and a copy of Section 145 of the 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act which was extended as outlined below:

"Passengers worried about flying on bankrupt airlines can breathe a sigh of relief, at least through Nov. 19, 2005 , thanks to the passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 by the U.S. House and Senate yesterday. That legislation contains the provision extending to consumers the "right to alternate carriage" in the event a bankrupt airline ceases service through Nov. 19, 2005.

In passing, the Intelligence Reform bill reenacts Section 145 of the 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act. Section 145 provides that airline passengers holding tickets from a bankrupt carrier for a particular route are entitled to transportation on a space-available basis on any airline serving that route within 60 days after the bankrupt airline suspends operations. Additionally, the maximum fee that an airline can charge for providing standby transportation would not exceed $25 each way. These protections will now expire on Nov. 19, 2005."

And Section 145 of the 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act specifically states:

"It is the Department’s position that section 145 requires, at a minimum, that passengers holding valid confirmed tickets, whether paper or electronic, of the insolvent or bankrupt carrier must be transported by other carriers who operate on the route for which the passenger is ticketed on a space-available basis on the date of travel shown on the ticket or other documentation demonstrating e-ticketing, without significant additional charges."

For full text see this link (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/20020808.doc).

It also goes on to state that the accommodating airline may charge up to an additional $25 each way.

Thanks. I found the following entry in Randy's blog. I'll let you know if I find out anything more.

November 03, 2004
Disappointment in Government Leadership
Last year I campaigned in InsideFlyer to get clarification about the ramifications of Section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (November 19, 2001). My interest was to make sure that "ticketed" included frequent flyer awards. With an estimated 50,000+ passengers traveling daily on frequent flyer awards, I have always felt it necessary to address this issue earlier than when it's too late. As of yet I have been unable to get any type of answer from the DOT on this issue. I'll keep trying.

As well, the current bill ends on Nov. 19, 2004 and there is time for the current Congress to extend it for another year. Given the implications of the airline industry, which while private enterprise, operates as public transportation, I hope the seriousness of this issue is acknowledged.

For those of you unfamiliar with the bill, here's a recap:
DOT Issues Guidance on Airline Requirements To Carry Passengers of Bankrupt Airlines
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued guidance on the statutory requirement that "to the extent practicable " airlines carry passengers holding tickets on carriers that cease service due to insolvency or bankruptcy.

In its notice the department said that passengers holding valid paper or electronic tickets from insolvent or bankrupt carriers for a particular route are entitled at minimum to transportation on a space-available basis on any airline currently serving that route. Airlines may recover costs of providing the transportation such as the direct cost of rewriting a ticket and meal costs. The department does not foresee those costs exceeding $25 each way the notice said.

Section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act signed into law on Nov. 19 2001 requires air carriers to provide service on routes they operate to the extent practicable to passengers who hold tickets for those routes from carriers who have ceased service.

Posted by Randy Petersen at 04:00 PM | Comments

No confirmed, absolute answer, but your ticket will be worth the paper it's printed on, IMHO. And many other's HO. There have been many threads on the revenue accounting practices of airlines. Since Qantas only gets paid by US after the flight is taken, if US no longer exists, Qantas would be flying you for free/goodwill.

Interline e-tkting is becoming increasingly widespread; the e-tkt "database" accessable to carriers which have interline e-tkting. Prior to the interline e-tkt database, I can understand someone having concerns about his/her ability to use an e-tkt from XYZ Air on Air ABC if the former ceased operations.

How about this twist: I have award tickets for 2 of us IPT-PHL-ATL March 30. US is the only airline that flies out of IPT so if they are not around can I go to another nearby, MDT, airport and look for accomodation? This question is just concerning the alternate airport, not whether or not accomodation will be given to award tickets on US since this has been already hashed.