Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

GETTING THERE 33
Travel in the Age of Bankruptcy
At press time, two major U.S. airlines were struggling in bankruptcy court
and most of the rest weren’t doing very well either. To protect yourself,
buy your tickets with a credit card, as the Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees
that you can get your money back from the credit card company if a
travel supplier goes under (and if you request the refund within 60 days
of the bankruptcy). Travel insurance can also help, but make sure it covers
against “carrier default” for your specific travel provider. And be
aware that if a U.S. airline goes bust midtrip, a 2001 federal law requires
other carriers to take you to your destination (albeit on a space-available
basis) for a fee of no more than $25, provided you rebook within 60 days
of the cancellation.
• Passengers who can book their
ticket long in advance, who can
stay over Saturday night, or who
fly midweek or at less-trafficked
hours will pay a fraction of the
full fare. If your schedule is flexible,
say so, and ask if you can
secure a cheaper fare by changing
your flight plans.
• You can also save on airfares by
keeping an eye out in local newspapers
for promotional specials
or fare wars, when airlines lower
prices on their most popular
routes. You rarely see fare wars
offered for peak travel times, but if
you can travel in the off-months,
you may snag a bargain.
• Search the Internet for cheap
fares (see “Planning Your Trip
Online,” earlier in this chapter).
• Consolidators, also known as
bucket shops, are great sources for
international tickets, although they
usually can’t beat the Internet on
fares within North America. Start
by looking in Sunday newspaper
travel sections; U.S. travelers
should focus on the New York
Times, Los Angeles Times, and
Miami Herald. For less-developed
destinations, small travel agencies
that cater to immigrant communities
in large cities often have the
best deals. Beware: Bucket shop
tickets are usually nonrefundable
or rigged with stiff cancellation
penalties, often as high as 50%
to 75% of the ticket price, and
some put you on charter airlines
with questionable safety records.
FlyCheap (& 800/FLY-CHEAP;
www.1800flycheap.com) is owned
by package-holiday megalith
MyTravel and so has especially
good access to fares for sunny
destinations. Air Tickets Direct
(& 800/778-3447; www.airtickets
direct.com) is based in Montreal
and leverages the currently weak
Canadian dollar for low fares. And
TravelHub (www.travelhub.com)
represents nearly 1,000 travel agencies,
many of whom offer consolidator
and discount fares.
• Join frequent-flier clubs. Accrue
enough miles, and you’ll be
rewarded with free flights and elite
status. It’s free, and you’ll get the
best choice of seats, faster response
to phone inquiries, and prompter
service if your luggage is stolen,
your flight is canceled or delayed,
or if you want to change your seat.
You don’t need to fly to build frequent-flier
miles—frequent-flier
credit cards can provide thousands
of miles for doing your
everyday shopping.
• For many more tips about air travel,
including a rundown of the major
frequent-flier credit cards, pick up a
copy of Frommer’s Fly Safe, Fly
Smart (Wiley Publishing, Inc.).