Technically, Icahn's tickets are Contract Fares and contract fares are not supposed to be handled by the TWA general reservation staff. TWA has a separate Contract Fare reservation desk that is supposed to handle any changes to these types of tickets. Icahn purchases these tickets based on his agreement with TWA but does not appear to adequately inform the purchaser of their status and how to change them.

I found this out after having difficulty with a ticket last December that required a change. I was bounced around a bit because of an agents & her supervisor's inability to change my destination and reassess the fare in the computer... finally she gave me the contract number and it was resolved quickly.

I don’t use Icahn-tickets that often anyway since I fly mostly out of STL and the tickets aren’t available for STL O&D traffic, just STL connections. I had the contract 800 number but I have since tossed it out.

I understand this agreement between Icahn and TWA, code-named Karabu, expires in 2003. TWE flights are not available for the discounts, either.

It is true that Icahn is a four-letter word around TWA… he bled them dry and then dropped the company off the side of the road to die. I guess TWA received the most recent laugh, though, since Icahn’s IPO for Global Travel / LowestFare.Com was pulled off the Street after investors indicated they were extremely worried that Icahn’s only “lowest fares” were on TWA, and thus the IPO was worthless if TWA were to die or when Karabu expired.