an Independence Air update

I just came over here to *vent* for a sec. DD and two of her friends are going to WDW in March. We're providing the room (DVC). Her friend's stepdad generously offered to pay for DD's airfare.

I've been after my DD to give me her flight info so I could call the DVC and set up their Magical Express. Guess what? They're scheduled to fly on Independence out of Rochester. :guilty:

Is it okay for a part of me to secretly be happy that I'm not the one stuck with this headache if they go under? :teeth: I know, my bad.

Let's hope that they remain solvent, and not just because of DD. I hate seeing so many people lose their jobs.
 
I just booked on AirTran, because I was scared to book with Flyi with all the talk about going out of business. I will sure miss them though....
 

According to the local news (Wash. DC area) other airlines will honor FLYI tickets, but the flyer will have to pay a fee of $50 to the other airline--each way. So a $100 fee to use their FLYI tickets on other airlines...ugh. Since I fly out of Dulles, we choose to fly United/Ted in December and again next month in February. I flew FLYI four round-trips in 2005 and really liked this airline, but it looks like it's over for them starting Jan. 3rd.
 
n2mm said:
According to the local news (Wash. DC area) other airlines will honor FLYI tickets, but the flyer will have to pay a fee of $50 to the other airline--each way. So a $100 fee to use their FLYI tickets on other airlines...ugh. Since I fly out of Dulles, we choose to fly United/Ted in December and again next month in February. I flew FLYI four round-trips in 2005 and really liked this airline, but it looks like it's over for them starting Jan. 3rd.
Also, I think that a lot of the other airlines are honoring on a "standby" basis.

If you have a trip planned and they shut down and the trip is no the next few days contact your CC company and see what they can do for you. Sometimes you can get a refund there and then rebook on another airline.
 
Going down for a conference in 3 weeks. Wife and kids will join me when it's over. We book on Flyi a week before they went into bankruptcy. Latest news is very grim, what with the letter going out to unionized employees of impending furloughs. So -- Rock ... hard place ... me.

We bit the bullet yesterday and booked new fares on another carrier. We'll take our chances with getting a refund from AMEX when the final nail is in the coffin.
 
/
Today we must announce that we will be ceasing scheduled service operations this Thursday evening, January 5. The financial pressures in the industry have prevailed. We have run out of time.

It has been an amazing 18 months. We set out to challenge the status quo and to re-set your expectations about air travel. We set out to introduce you to lower fares and a new level of service delivered by employees who care. Currently ranked #2 in customer satisfaction among all US airlines, we are proud that we did indeed earn your respect and loyalty. We are proud that we built a brand so universally praised by over 8 million customers. We are proud of the mark we have made.

Customers with reservations whose trips are completed between now and Thursday evening should expect the same great service for which we have become known.

Additionally, we are seeking bankruptcy court approval to automatically provide refunds to customers holding reservations on flights occurring after our shutdown of operations on January 5th. No refunds will be offered for free tickets or vouchers.

Finally, we will be contacting those customers with itineraries that start before and end after our shutdown (including those customers who have already commenced their travel) to offer them the opportunity to change their return reservations to a flight on one of our remaining days of operation if possible. Customers can immediately change travel dates on their own by visiting the “Change Itinerary” section of our website, FLYi.com. All change fees will be waived when travel dates are changed via our website, but a difference in fare could be incurred (unfortunately, this results from a website process that cannot be disabled). Alternatively, if moving the return trip to one of our remaining operating days is not feasible, we are also seeking bankruptcy court approval to refund any amounts paid by these customers for their return reservations.

Please be aware that under section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (November 19, 2001) Congress has obligated U.S. airlines to offer stand-by transportation to passengers holding un-refunded tickets for airlines that have ceased operations due to insolvency or bankruptcy. The Act stipulates that passengers must make their request to carriers serving the same routes as the bankrupt carrier and must do so within 60 days of the cessation of service. The U.S. Department of Transportation has ruled that airlines who offer the stand-by transportation may charge $50 one-way per person to cover related expenses.

Today is a sad day for Independence Air. Today is a sad day for our customers who have gotten used to tender loving service and paying less for air travel. We will miss serving you. Thank you for your vigorous support.

dot.gif
 
If you have tickets and paid via a CC, call IMMEDIATELY to see if they can help you. Some CCs will extend thier normal "issue" period in cases like this.

Good luck!
 
Our flights were late this month. A little bit ago we talked to our credit card co...little or no help there at this point. (They told us that we needed to talk to Independence :confused3 ?...maybe we'll file a dispute and see if we can get some sort of credit later, I'm sure if *anything* it will only be pennies on the dollar...ugh.)
My DH is on the phone with another carrier that he's a premier level with, they are saying that tickets are going FAST, the flighs that I looked at last night that were going to cost us about $250 are now going for $370 :earseek: . And if we take the initial cost of $150 and added the $50 per leg, the converted Independence Air ticket would now cost us at least $250...but nobody seems to know anything yet.

agnes!
 
Federal law states that if an airline goes bankrupt, other carriers flying that route are obligated to fly you standby for a fee of $50. Contact other airlines flying your route immediately.
 
I'll post this link around on the other relevant threads too, as it will be generally useful to the folks affected by Independence Air ceasing operations:

http://www.hasbrouck.org/articles/bankruptcy.html

Please note especially the information under the section entitled, "If a bankrupt airline in the USA goes out of business, will other airlines have to honor their tickets?"
Maybe, but only other USA-based airlines flying exactly the same routes (which there aren't in many cases), only if space is available (which it probably won't be in many cases), and only until until 30 november 2006.

* Under Section 145 of the USA Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-71, 19 November 2001) the Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-176, 12 December 2003), the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458, 17 December 2004), and the P.L. 109-115, the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, 30 November 2005), other airlines based in the USA are required to provide transportation to holders of tickets on other USA-based airlines that have ceased operations due to insolvency or bankruptcy, "to the extent practicable", provided that the passenger made arrangements with another airline within 60 days of the shutdown of the ticketed airline. The USA Department of Transportation has interpreted this in a series of guidance letters (administrative rulings) to mean that other USA-based airlines flying the exact same route are required to honor tickets of a USA-based airline that shut down, on a space-available (standby) basis, for no more than US$50 (originally $25, increased tom $50 in June 2005) per person per flight, one-way, in most cases.

* Other airlines filed a federal lawsuit (Delta Air Lines, Inc. and American Airlines, Inc. vs. U.S. Department of Transportation, Case No. 02-1309 (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, filed October 8, 2002) challenging the $25 per flight limit as exceeding DOT's authority: they argued that they should be allowed to charge at least their regular $100 per person minimum re-ticketing fee, and that they have no way to verify whether someone had an electronic ticket in the reservation system of an airline whose reservation system has been shut down. That lawsuit was withdrawn by the airlines, but without any decision on the merits, and could be re-filed.

* The latest notice from the DOT, issued 1 June 2005 raised the amount that other airlines could charge to US$50 per flight within the USA. The DOT also indicated in its latest notice that it might allow other airlines to charge more than $50 per person for international flights, if necessary to cover taxes (which can be more than $100 per person on some international flights) or to recover the airlines' actual costs of providing transportation. But the airlines still could -- and probably would if the potential costs were substantial -- challenge any attempt by the DOT to enforce its interpretation, prevent them from charging more, or force them to accommodate passengers without positive written proof of having had tickets on the bankrupt airline.

* This law provides no protection at all to many ticket holders, and only very limited protection to the rest. It was intended to reassure travellers, not really to protect them. Its main effect was (and still is) to give travellers a false sense of protection. It applies only to other airlines based in the USA flying the same route, and only if they have space available after selling as many tickets as they could to their own paying passengers. If a major airline went out of business, many passengers would have to wait weeks for seats to be available, especially at that airline's hubs. Particularly on international routes, there is often no other USA-based airline flying the same route.

* This law requiring airlines to accommodate passengers holding ticket on insolvent airlines was originally scheduled to expire on 18 May 2003. Congress has extended it four times, most recently through 30 November 2006, but each time with a "sunset" provision that will cause it to expire automatically unless Congress takes further action. Since it does more to mislead travellers than to protect them, consumers would probably be better off if it were allowed to expire than if it were extended again in its present form.
 
Quote from Independence Airline Website:
"Additionally, we are seeking bankruptcy court approval to automatically provide refunds to customers holding reservations on flights occurring after our shutdown of operations on January 5th. No refunds will be offered for free tickets or vouchers."

Guess I misread the info.
Sorry,
Debbie
 
I just received my sad email from FLYI announcing the end to their valued customers. I flew FLYI for 4 roundtrips in 2005 and almost had enough reward points for a free flight....guess it was not meant to be. I'll miss them.
 
Strange thing I just noticed. I may have to take a quick business trip to New York City in the next month or so. I was looking at flight schedules last week and Independence had a flight from Pittsburgh connecting in Washington for around $200. The non-stops to either LGA or Newark on USAir were around $900, unless you were staying at least 3 nights. I knew my boss wouldn't go for $900 and would make me take the connection. I just checked again and USAir now has nonstop flights to LGA for $217 (Newark is still $900). Wonder if it's connected to Independence going out of business and they want to pickup the passengers.
 
amejr999 said:
Federal law states that if an airline goes bankrupt, other carriers flying that route are obligated to fly you standby for a fee of $50. Contact other airlines flying your route immediately.

The KEY word here is "standby" Just a few things to remember.

Standby means that. If you and the kids MUST sit together this is a risk. If it's just you then it's probably fine. The more of you there are the harder it is. Also, if the flights are full, then the "standby" obligation does you no good.

You will be at the bottom of any standby lists. So if the DL flight to Orlando is full and I want to fly standby and I purchased from DL I will be ahead of you on the list....

I don't recommend this unless you are flying in the next few days...
 
I think a lot of folks don't realize that part of it, Carol: That even if the airline sells a ticket for $51, just before the start boarding the flight, the person who paid the airline $51 for that ticket will be accommodated before passengers being accommodated due to the law. It is believed that if this law was ever tested with the closure of a major airline, that, some passengers could end up waiting weeks before getting accommodated.
 
bicker said:
I think a lot of folks don't realize that part of it, Carol: That even if the airline sells a ticket for $51, just before the start boarding the flight, the person who paid the airline $51 for that ticket will be accommodated before passengers being accommodated due to the law. It is believed that if this law was ever tested with the closure of a major airline, that, some passengers could end up waiting weeks before getting accommodated.


I belive it. Most of the flights I have been on in the past few months have been FULL. Orlando flights are normally full and I expect that we have lots of folks with Independence tickets for those upcoming BIG weeks like President's Day. If there aren't seats, standby does you no good. I figure this priority is right there with the Non Revs... LOW!
 
canwegosoon said:
Sad...we really could use the competition in ALB.

?????
SWA Internet fares for $49 :cool1:
and DING fares as low as $34 :banana:
Eastern Airlines sale fare in 1983 was $79 :earseek:
THE COMPETITION IS WHAT MADE THEM GO OUT OF BUSINESS!!!
Not that they were really competing, as SWA flies N/S to MCO!!!
 
owtrbnks said:
?????
SWA Internet fares for $49 :cool1:
and DING fares as low as $34 :banana:
Eastern Airlines sale fare in 1983 was $79 :earseek:
THE COMPETITION IS WHAT MADE THEM GO OUT OF BUSINESS!!!
Not that they were really competing, as SWA flies N/S to MCO!!!


That Eastern Airlines price is the whole problem in a Nutshell. Operating costs have RISEN a lot since 1983, but flight costs are going down.... It's a model that can't exist forever!
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top