Is it Safe to Fly on an Airline that is in Bankruptcy?
By Andy Miofsky, Illinois Bankruptcy Attorney on Sep 10, 2009 in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, General Bankruptcy Information
Pay attention to these 5 tips to safely fly on an airline that is in bankruptcy. During the past 8 years these airlines filed bankruptcy: Aloha Airlines, America West, ATA Airlines, Braniff International, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Airlines, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, TWA, United Airlines, and US Air. You can expect more to follow in a sagging economy.
1. While major carriers might use bankruptcy to eliminate debt, smaller companies might not survive bankruptcy. Other carriers are not required to honor your ticket to a bankruptcy airline.
2. No matter what the airline says, the airline needs court approval to continue operations.
3. A bankruptcy airline trying to raise cash might offer a cheap ticket. If you have a choice of carriers, pick the one not in bankruptcy.
4. As airlines cut costs they often reduce pay. Watch out for poor service and be prepared for some attitude.
5. The other side of the cost-cutting coin is the attempt to increase revenue by charging extra baggage fees and overweight fees.
These tips are from a September 8th MSNBC article written by Christopher Elliott, titled Air Chapter 11: flying the bankrupt skies.
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.