Book TWA FIight in July?
 

Giving all that is going on with TWA- does any one have any advice on whether or not they would consider booking a flight from NY to Vegas the end of June/begin July? We're about 10 people (6 Kids)- I got a really good price quote (about $250 rt.)- but I don't know what to do ! Am I better off paying alittle more and going for a sure thing? Any and all advice and help is appreciated.

Well if your money is that AA will pick up TWA, then your riding on a good bet and AA should accomodate you with these tickets. I think we will definately know something by March if TWA will be flying by then under the AA name at that time or not. Of course if your purchasing these tickets via LOWESTFARE.COM, you never know how AA may react to them come July. They are not fans of Carl. Truefully, for a group that large, I think I'd go through another airline to purchase the tickets (hate to say that as I'm a fan of TWA - Elite1 myself), I'd hate to be on vacation with that large a group and be bumped to other flights so that another airline can accomodate you. Sorry couldn't be of much help, good luck.

Buying TWA tickets should be safe. Unless they're liquidated, which is *highly* unlikely, they'll be honored. Exactly which airline you'll be flying is up for grabs. Most likely it'll be AA...

I concur I would not do it if it is through LowestFare.com, CheapTickets, etc. That would defintely add a level of confusion about those tickets being honored if there were a problem (especially when it is a group). If you are doing it with TW or a local travel agency I think you would be fine. Also (just me being neurotic) if the group were famliy/friends I would tell them the situation and ask them what they think about taking the chance. Although that opens another whole can of worms - all with a different opinion. On second thought, I wouldn't do that LOL. Let us know what you decide.

As long as you pay for them with a credit card you will be protected since you do not have to pay for a service not received.

Tango - I have a question then. Why would people buy cruise insurance (or travel insurance) for example which protects them in the event the cruise line goes bankrupt? I have seen this type of coverage touted often and some insurers will not even cover certain cruise lines. If people could just get their money back from their credit card this would not be necessary. And I assume even if you did not receive a "service" such as a flight due to a sickness for example, then this credit card rule does not apply. Same thing for no-shows at a hotel? Just curious because I have not heard this before relating to this situation. Thanks for the clarification.

The credit card "guarantee" only works if the bank can charge back the merchant if you don't receive the service/merchandise.

If you get sick, that's not the merchant's fault, so you don't get a refund. If the airline goes bankrupt, the bank can't charge back anything, so you don't get a refund (strictly speaking; the bank could always give you the money back anyway just to keep you happy).

JS... That not true. I had eastern tkt when they went belly up and also braniff both time's I recieved a credit back from my cc company.

Credit Card companies are secured creditors when an airline goes bankrupt. You will always get your money back from an airline that has gone bankrupt as long as you charged it to your credit card.

OK , thanks Tango! I think I get it now - you get the refund because the credit card company is a secured creditor. So this would not apply to no-shows at hotels and cruises that file bankruptcy. It is not a strict "you don't pay for services not received" rule. My new question is, if you buy your ticket *after* the airline has already filed, does this still apply? And does it matter if you purchase through an agent? My aplogies if I am making this thread too technical, I would just like to make sure I understand and also it is good for travellers to know where they stand in situations like this. Thanks for your help.

It makes no difference if you buy the ticket from an agent or the airline (you might have more protection if you buy it from an agent if the agent is a member of one of the larger TA groups). As long as TWA is flying and selling tickets it makes no difference if they are in bankrupty proceding or not.

The other thing to look at are many states have inacted consumer travel protection laws that were inteneded to protect the consumer from being scamed buying travel products. If a State has one of these programs in place, all sellers of travel have to pay a yearly fee ($150-$3000) and the pool of money helps refund any consumers who have been the victims of fraud. Airlines are exempt from having to pay into this fund.

I do not agree with this type of program but that is a whole different topic.