So early last week you may have heard that Aloha Airlines was no more and they filed for bankruptcy. I felt sad for all of the people who were now stuck and hopes of vacationing in Hawaii were shattered. But at the same time I was equally glad that we had purchased our tickets for July through ATA Airlines. So on we went looking forward to our vacation. THEN last Thursday morning I awoke to find this email in my Inbox entitled "Important Information from ATA Airlines, Inc.":
Dear ATA Customer:
We are writing to inform you that ATA Airlines, Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection and on April 3, 2008, ATA discontinued all operations and cancelled all current and future flights. According to our records, you are holding a ticket for travel on ATA. We want to alert you that with this shutdown, ATA is no longer honoring reservations or tickets.
Customers should seek alternate arrangements for their current and future travel. A list of other airlines serving ATA destinations is available online at www.ata.com. We apologize for the disruption caused by the sudden shutdown of ATA and regret the impact it will have on passengers.
Additional information, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions for Customers, is available at www.ata.com. Customers who purchased tickets from Southwest Airlines for flights operated by ATA should contact Southwest at (800) 308-5037 for more information. If you purchased a ticket(s) using a credit card, please contact your credit card company or travel agency directly for information about how to obtain a refund for unused tickets. If you purchased a ticket(s) directly from ATA with cash or a check, you may be able to obtain a full or partial refund by submitting a claim in ATA's Chapter 11 proceedings. We encourage you to review the information provided on our website."
AHHHHH! I was freaking out and immediately called my credit card company only to find out they were swamped with phone calls. A lady finally forwarded my request to their "Dispute Resolution Department". We then left for weekend and started dreaming of a different dream vacation. :(
Monday night my brother and sister-in-law (who we were going to Hawaii with and who were out $2400! compared to my $950) heard that ATA had started crediting accounts. Lo and behold they had money in their account! Sadly I didn't. :( So I called Wells Fargo Tuesday morning and they said they have already submitted my claim and I will get my money back, but it could take 1-2 billing cycles. :(
So although we don't have the money in hand, Kurt and I decided that if we found a "good" deal we should go ahead and book tickets somewhere else since obviously there will be a shortage of flights to Hawaii. Well, WE DID IT! We're flying United this time. Pray they don't go bankrupt before July 1st! We did end up paying $200 more per ticket, but with the baby coming and Logan getting older we knew our chances of going to Hawaii in the foreseeable future were pretty slim.
WOOHOO Maui here we come!
P.S. ATA has blammed their bankruptcy situation on the loss of one military contact. What kind of business are you running if everything is based on one contact?
Established 2001. Kurt, Rachel, Logan, Kelsie,Avri, & Emi.
3 comments:
Wow, all of these airline fiascos makes me nervous to book a flight anywhere! I'm glad you're going to get your money back and still go to Hawaii!
Oh, and are you guys building a house if you move then?
I am glad you still get to go. You are going to have a blast.
I have heard that they are all going out of business because they don't have the money to make the safety fixes that are required of them. Scary! I think that I'm more scared of flying on an unsafe plane than losing tickets. I'm glad that you guys get to go though!
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