I hesitate to book tickets for my family on a start-up airline. Given the busy skys during the holiday season and memories of the Valuejet horror, I would not feel confident on Jetblue or any other startup.

Plus, at under $79 per ticket, they must be cutting costs somewhere.

Although anyting is possible I would feel pretty comfortable booking on JetBlue.

It has solid backing IMHO

TW

Yes, George Soros DOES have a few "bucks"!

What happens to the Ambassador's Club?

It amazes me they could get away without providing transportation on other carriers. In all the discussion about back-to-back ticketing the airlines repeat endlessly that the ticket is a CONTRACT. Guess they've worded this contract such that only the customer is bound by it. And asking travel agents to refund commisions after they've already done all the work involved in ticketing in good faith is beyond the pale.

I'm skeptical about the statement that they won't protect customers on other airlines.

Granted, a Karabu/Lowestfare.com or Priceline ticket is valid only on TW (hence I think they have every right to refund your $$ and send you on your way.

I doubt that if you booked directly with TW a normal/published price tkt that they'd just say "you're on your own"

Apparently, according to planebusiness, PBI-JFK was largely a Karabu market (i.e. TW only getting 60% of the ticket price).

jl

jamiel, they absolutely could just refund your money if you had purchased a published fare. They are under no obligation to do anything else when the route is cancelled.

On what do you base that lack of liability?

In fact, it was just published in a local NY paper that TWA was selling tickets for the cancelled flights AFTER they decided to cancel them.

Do you still think there is no liability beyond a refund. My legal contacts disagree.

Hey Cyber,

Greetings from 10605.

I read the article in the paper too. I feel sorry for all the folks going to Florida who are now up the creek.
The folks at TWA are, well, we can't talk like that.

Dan

If I flew TWA and they cancelled my tix to my destination and simply gave me a refund without trying to accomodate me on another carrier, I would never, ever fly them again. It may be "legal" for them to do this, but it's extremely poor customer relationship. Unless one is based in STL and is either hopelessly addicted to their non-stops or their Aviators FF program, one should consider other carriers, as what's to stop them from dropping other routes and leaving fliers high and dry in the future. This is simply inexcusable behavior for an airline.

------------------
Time..... is on my side.

My beef with TW occured in the mid 90's. I was a student rabbi, and I flew TW twice a month to get to my small congregation. Unfortunately during my time there, a young man of 21 years was killed in a car crash. I had to get there to do the funeral. TW would not offer me any discounted fare. "Only family get berevement fares." I was an elite flyer at the time (mid level). When I finally asked for my student disount (I was 24 at the time), the airline personel looked me up and down and said, "I thought you said you served as their rabbi?" I had to explain again that I was a student rabbi who served this small community. I couldn't believe the insensitivity.

[This message has been edited by zrs70 (edited 09-14-2000).]