According to Associated Press, ATA Airlines has filed bankruptcy today, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. ATA Airlines is the tenth largest airline in the United States. Regardless of the underlying reasons, leaving traveler’s stranded is a sign of poor management. Their future looks very bleak because the trust traveler’s put in their airline is an important part of staying in business.
Does this second bankruptcy filing in a week mean that airplane travel is at risk for most travelers? Probably not. The slowing business economy, high cost of airplane fuel and potential for labor strife implies that airlines will be looking at the bottom line in managing their companies.
My husband and I just purchased tickets through American Airlines. We used our frequent flyer mileage to get free tickets. This is the second free ticket we’ve earned as part of their program and we love it. My husband booked the flight five months in advance in a two-hour conversation with an airline representative. Most of the passenger slots for budget frequent fliers were already taken. In the end, we gave up another 30000 miles in order to get the flight we wanted by flying business class. This isn’t as bad as it might sound because it netted us free flights between cities on the interior of the country. Furthermore, we trust American Airlines.
Frequent flier mileage programs are one way to cut your airline travel costs, but show loyalty to an airline. Another way we earn free miles is by paying for our travel with or VISA that earns us travel mileage. This way, we get double the mileage. But frequent flier programs cost the airlines money and they are quick to minimize these programs when times are tough. Typically though, the airlines don’t lose money with their frequent flier slots because they expect those seats to be unused and so are providing a benefit that costs them little.
Another way airlines are cutting costs are by enforcing weight guidelines on baggage. The baggage handlers were nice enough to tell us when our bags were over the fifty pound limit and suggested a fix for the problem that would cost us nothing. Spare space in the baggage compartment can save the airlines money because they fill it with paid shipping. Check your weight limits and cut your baggage down because you might be surprised with additional costs at the airlines.
Other Ways to Cut Your Flight Costs
Book red-eye, midweek flights in order to find the lower cost fares. Sometimes fares are smaller for a secondary airport in the region-make sure you try several especially if you plan to rent a car and see the country anyway. Also, when using on line booking companies such as travelocity.com, reverify the price offered by checking directly with the airlines. Sometimes the best prices and best information comes directly from the company you plan to fly with.
