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Don't Have to Fly? Don't, Experts Say

Posted on: Friday, 11 April 2008, 12:00 CDT

Travel agents say there's only one surefire way to avoid the cascading flight cancellations by American Airlines at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport -- stay home.

"If you're trying to go see your mom, just go another weekend," said Sharon Davis, who owns Carlson Wagonlit Travel franchises in Plano and Carrollton. "If it's a business trip and you can possibly go another time, just reschedule. If you don't absolutely have to go, just don't. Avoid the whole mess."

But if you must fly sometime soon, avoid buying a ticket on the narrow-bodied workhorse of American's fleet, the focus of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors.

"We're telling our customers to avoid the MD-80s until this is resolved," said Mrs. Davis. "If you do book on one of those planes, it's a huge risk because we have no way of knowing which ones will be pulled and which ones are back in service."

Mrs. Davis said most of the inconvenience has been confined to business travelers, but her company also specializes in booking band trips for local school districts.

She said about 150 students from one area school were unable to make a weekend performance in Chicago. Two other school groups are booked today, one of them on an MD-80.

Local charter buses were booked solid, she said. And many stranded passengers opted for rental cars and road trips rather than long lines at the airports -- although others turned to alternate carriers, such as Southwest Airlines at Dallas Love Field.

"It's very heartbreaking to know those students raised their own money and had been looking forward to this trip for months and months," she said. "What's so sad about this whole thing is it seems like the public is caught in the middle between something between the FAA and the airlines."

About 3,000 American flights have been canceled since Tuesday, including 933 on Thursday. More than 300 of the airline's regularly scheduled 500 daily flights at D/FW Airport were scrubbed.

Passengers must first attempt to rebook on another American flight. If there isn't an open seat, the airline tickets on open seats by other carriers. Change-ticket fees are waived in almost all cases.

American customers scheduled on a canceled flight may request a refund or apply the value of their ticket toward future travel. Passengers may also rebook travel on any MD-80 through Sunday, even if the flight was not canceled.

The airline predicts most of the airplanes will return to service by Saturday night, but it could take days for the flight schedules to normalize. It is also possible that the cancellations could affect other carriers as the inspection process continues.

David Wainstein, the Dallas-area manager for AAA, said that even though American is waiving restrictions on some tickets and offering rebates, travelers should be careful to follow the airline's procedures.

"People shouldn't assume they can just walk up to another airline's counter and book a flight and they will make good on the charges," he said.

A spokesman for Blue Star Jets, a charter jet company, said its business surged 40 percent in the Dallas area last week because of the delays.

Travel agents suggest that customers log in to American's phone and text message flight notification system to check their plane's status. But many travelers said the system was unreliable.

Many passengers said they spent an hour on hold when they called American to rebook their tickets.

Dan Levine was waiting in baggage claim at D/FW on Thursday morning.

He waited in line for two hours in San Diego before being booked out of the John Wayne Airport in Orange County for a flight to Dallas.

"Nearly everyone on that plane had a story," he said. "It was unbelievable."

Staff writers Eric Aasen and Tiffany Glick contributed to this report.

Getting through a cancellation

Here are some tips to help with canceled flights.

-- Take advantage of alerts -- sign up for e-mail, voice or text-message alerts to your cellphone.

-- Call or go online before leaving for the airport to check flight status.

-- Program numbers for your airline, hotel, car rental company and travel agent into your cellphone.

-- In case you need to change your flight, you can call your agent or the airline directly rather than waiting in line at the ticket counter. If you're already at the airport, get in line to talk to an airline agent -- but continue making phone calls or sending e-mails.

-- Contact the canceling airline before rebooking on another carrier. If you book a ticket on another carrier before contacting your original airline, it is possible the original airline will not reimburse you for your ticket or give you credit to use it at a later date.

-- Remember to ask about amenities. During extended flight delays, airline staffs on the ground have the discretion to provide food and hotel vouchers, phone cards and snack boxes, so make sure to ask.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

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