Beverly Lynn
comfortably numb
- Joined
- Oct 17, 1999
- Messages
- 1,337
Rules on the Runway: Revamped Refund and Exchange Rules For Domestic Airlines, and News on Carrier Cutbacks
By now, you've probably heard of the beginning of airline cutbacks due to the tragic events of last week and its effects on the already struggling travel industry. Worldwide, the airlines have lost more than a billion dollars combined, just in the last week. So what does this mean to you? We're not sure right now. What we do know is that some airlines have scaled back their operations, including dropping or offering limited service on some routes. As of yesterday, it looks like most domestic carriers are operating at about 75% to 80% capacity, with more flights planned for the rest of the week. Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., remains closed, but other than that schedules and itineraries do seem to be normalizing.
As of now, on American Airlines, you can receive a refund for your tickets only if you were scheduled to fly between September 11 and 18 (today). If scheduled to depart between September 19 and 25, you may change your dates free of charge, but only if your new departure date is on or before November 15. (Read the details of the policy here. Consult the American Web site, www.aa.com, for more information about refunds, changes, and flight schedule updates, or call its reservation office at 800/433-7300.
The America West Airline Web site, www.americawest.com, is listing all of its flights cancellations through the end of the week, including all of its scheduled service to or from Reagan National in DC. The site also reports its change/cancellations policies, which basically add up to free refunds or changes for anyone who had tickets for September 11 to 13, and free changes, but no refunds for people with tickets for September 14 to 20. Another note: one of the measures America West is taking to speed things up and try to keep flights on schedule is to discontinue meals on board for the time being. Call AW at 800/2FLY-AWA for domestic itineraries or 800/363-2597 for international reservations.
Continental Airlines is offering free changes if you are scheduled to travel between now and September 25, as you can read on a special page on its Web site. If you had been scheduled to travel between September 11 and 13, you are entitled to a full refund, and of course a free change of dates if you'd prefer. In addition to short-term adjustments due to last week's tragedies, Continental has announced long-term reductions of its flights by about 20%, and thousands of its employees have been laid off. For the latest on flight cancellations or changes, check with the Continental Web site, www.continental.com, or call 800/525-0280 for information on domestic flights and 800/231-0856 for international travel.
Delta Airlines reissue and refund policies are spelled out on a page on its Web site. Basically, Delta is following the same policy as American, with full refunds being allowed for passengers with tickets meant to travel between September 11 and 18. For tickets booked to fly between September 19 and 25, Delta is allowing customers more time than American to reschedule their flights. While American is requiring you to fly by November 15, Delta is allowing you to change departure dates up through March 31, 2002. On Sunday and Monday, Delta reported flying more than 80% of its usual routes. For specific information about flights and cancellations, go to the Delta Web site (www.delta.com) or call Delta's domestic reservations (800/221-1212) or international reservations (800/241-4141).
Northwest Airlines, another of the carriers that has already announced major cutbacks in flights and personnel, has its own policies for customers with tickets scheduled for September and early October, that you can read about here. Tickets for September 11 to 15 are eligible for full refunds or changes without fees. The value of tickets for September 16 to October 11 can be used for another Northwest itinerary anytime within 12 months of your original departure date, with the usual fee waived. Call Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) at 800/225-2525 for more information, or to change or cancel your flights.
Southwest Airlines, always a favorite here at Frommer's, has one of the more flexible policies for refunds and exchanges in the aftermath of last week. Anyone with tickets on Southwest scheduled to fly between September 11 and 30 is allowed a full refund (read about the policy here). Of course, you can simply rebook your tickets for a new departure date if you prefer. Tickets scheduled to fly on or after October 1 are subject to the usual rules and restrictions. A page on the Southwest Web site allows you to check the status of your flight. Go to www.southwest.com or call Southwest reservations at 800/435-9792 to find out more.
TWA is following the precedent set by its partner airline, American, in terms of changes and refunds. Refunds are being allowed if you had tickets flying between September 11 and 18. Tickets scheduled to fly between September 19 and 25 may be changed free of charge, but only if you start your new trip by November 15. Go to www.twa.com or call TWA reservations at 800/221-2000 for more information.
Like Continental, United Airlines has announced that it is going to scale back its flights by about 20% (read about it here). To help during these confusing times, United has created an interim special flight schedule for now through September 29 that you can look up here. After September 29, things are expected to get back to normal, but who knows? For tickets with United scheduled to fly between September 11 and 25, you may get a full refund or change them to a later date with no penalty. After September 26, usual restrictions apply. Call United at 800/241-6522 for more information. As of yesterday, US Airways was operating at about 75% of its normal capacity. The airline's hourly shuttle between Boston and New York La Guardia was up and running as usual. To help deal with the closing of Reagan National, the carrier had added four flights each way between Washington Dulles and both Boston and La Guardia. As for US Airways refund and change policies, you can receive a full refund if scheduled to travel between September 11 and 25. Flights on or after September 26 are subject to usual rules and restrictions. Go to www.usairways.com or call US Airways at 800/428-4322 for more information.
By now, you've probably heard of the beginning of airline cutbacks due to the tragic events of last week and its effects on the already struggling travel industry. Worldwide, the airlines have lost more than a billion dollars combined, just in the last week. So what does this mean to you? We're not sure right now. What we do know is that some airlines have scaled back their operations, including dropping or offering limited service on some routes. As of yesterday, it looks like most domestic carriers are operating at about 75% to 80% capacity, with more flights planned for the rest of the week. Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., remains closed, but other than that schedules and itineraries do seem to be normalizing.
As of now, on American Airlines, you can receive a refund for your tickets only if you were scheduled to fly between September 11 and 18 (today). If scheduled to depart between September 19 and 25, you may change your dates free of charge, but only if your new departure date is on or before November 15. (Read the details of the policy here. Consult the American Web site, www.aa.com, for more information about refunds, changes, and flight schedule updates, or call its reservation office at 800/433-7300.
The America West Airline Web site, www.americawest.com, is listing all of its flights cancellations through the end of the week, including all of its scheduled service to or from Reagan National in DC. The site also reports its change/cancellations policies, which basically add up to free refunds or changes for anyone who had tickets for September 11 to 13, and free changes, but no refunds for people with tickets for September 14 to 20. Another note: one of the measures America West is taking to speed things up and try to keep flights on schedule is to discontinue meals on board for the time being. Call AW at 800/2FLY-AWA for domestic itineraries or 800/363-2597 for international reservations.
Continental Airlines is offering free changes if you are scheduled to travel between now and September 25, as you can read on a special page on its Web site. If you had been scheduled to travel between September 11 and 13, you are entitled to a full refund, and of course a free change of dates if you'd prefer. In addition to short-term adjustments due to last week's tragedies, Continental has announced long-term reductions of its flights by about 20%, and thousands of its employees have been laid off. For the latest on flight cancellations or changes, check with the Continental Web site, www.continental.com, or call 800/525-0280 for information on domestic flights and 800/231-0856 for international travel.
Delta Airlines reissue and refund policies are spelled out on a page on its Web site. Basically, Delta is following the same policy as American, with full refunds being allowed for passengers with tickets meant to travel between September 11 and 18. For tickets booked to fly between September 19 and 25, Delta is allowing customers more time than American to reschedule their flights. While American is requiring you to fly by November 15, Delta is allowing you to change departure dates up through March 31, 2002. On Sunday and Monday, Delta reported flying more than 80% of its usual routes. For specific information about flights and cancellations, go to the Delta Web site (www.delta.com) or call Delta's domestic reservations (800/221-1212) or international reservations (800/241-4141).
Northwest Airlines, another of the carriers that has already announced major cutbacks in flights and personnel, has its own policies for customers with tickets scheduled for September and early October, that you can read about here. Tickets for September 11 to 15 are eligible for full refunds or changes without fees. The value of tickets for September 16 to October 11 can be used for another Northwest itinerary anytime within 12 months of your original departure date, with the usual fee waived. Call Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) at 800/225-2525 for more information, or to change or cancel your flights.
Southwest Airlines, always a favorite here at Frommer's, has one of the more flexible policies for refunds and exchanges in the aftermath of last week. Anyone with tickets on Southwest scheduled to fly between September 11 and 30 is allowed a full refund (read about the policy here). Of course, you can simply rebook your tickets for a new departure date if you prefer. Tickets scheduled to fly on or after October 1 are subject to the usual rules and restrictions. A page on the Southwest Web site allows you to check the status of your flight. Go to www.southwest.com or call Southwest reservations at 800/435-9792 to find out more.
TWA is following the precedent set by its partner airline, American, in terms of changes and refunds. Refunds are being allowed if you had tickets flying between September 11 and 18. Tickets scheduled to fly between September 19 and 25 may be changed free of charge, but only if you start your new trip by November 15. Go to www.twa.com or call TWA reservations at 800/221-2000 for more information.
Like Continental, United Airlines has announced that it is going to scale back its flights by about 20% (read about it here). To help during these confusing times, United has created an interim special flight schedule for now through September 29 that you can look up here. After September 29, things are expected to get back to normal, but who knows? For tickets with United scheduled to fly between September 11 and 25, you may get a full refund or change them to a later date with no penalty. After September 26, usual restrictions apply. Call United at 800/241-6522 for more information. As of yesterday, US Airways was operating at about 75% of its normal capacity. The airline's hourly shuttle between Boston and New York La Guardia was up and running as usual. To help deal with the closing of Reagan National, the carrier had added four flights each way between Washington Dulles and both Boston and La Guardia. As for US Airways refund and change policies, you can receive a full refund if scheduled to travel between September 11 and 25. Flights on or after September 26 are subject to usual rules and restrictions. Go to www.usairways.com or call US Airways at 800/428-4322 for more information.
