US to exit STAR 30th March & join ONEWORLD 31st

[Hvr]

Actually Guam scares the heck out of me. Snakes. Millions of them.

The US territory, in the western Pacific, is only 50km (30 miles) long and 10km wide, but it is packed with two million snakes.

 

[MelUser]

OMG - I hope someone can research the YUPPS and KUPPS that we currently do on AA as this might give us some more choice in the immediate future.

 

[anat0l]

Actually Guam scares the heck out of me. Snakes. Millions of them.

Didn't they recently copter-drop a bunch of dead laced mice to combat that problem?

 

[Hvr]

Didn't they recently copter-drop a bunch of dead laced mice to combat that problem?

Yes, but that was only a couple of days ago. Prove they're gone and I'll consider it.

 

[anat0l]

Yes, but that was only a couple of days ago. Prove they're gone and I'll consider it.

I could probably see a reduction but no guarantee on eradication.

Hey, we got snakes in this country, too.... (some of them have two feet.... nah, shouldn't say that...)

 

[serfty]

Some may find this of interest: Building the new American. Together - FAQ's.


Some FAQ's from the AA perspective: FAQ

 

[legroom]

Some may find this of interest: Building the new American. Together - FAQ's.


Some FAQ's from the AA perspective: FAQ

This sentence interested me the most

.....

[h=3]Will my award trip booked on a Star Alliance member airline be honored after US Airways exits Star Alliance?[/h]Yes, all award trips booked on a Star Alliance member airlines will be honored up to one year after all bookings made until March 30, 2014.

......

 

[neon_crossing]

This sentence interested me the most

.....

Will my award trip booked on a Star Alliance member airline be honored after US Airways exits Star Alliance?

Yes, all award trips booked on a Star Alliance member airlines will be honored up to one year after all bookings made until March 30, 2014.

......

VERY nice find. Maybe there is a chance for a GUM trip 2015 to go along with my pre-booked GUM 2014?

 

[h15t0r1an]

This sentence interested me the most

.....

Will my award trip booked on a Star Alliance member airline be honored after US Airways exits Star Alliance?

Yes, all award trips booked on a Star Alliance member airlines will be honored up to one year after all bookings made until March 30, 2014.

......

Ermmm... Guys, be very careful on this. Yes you can book flights up to 31 March that can be taken within the maximum time of 11 months or a little more after that. But be very careful. If circumstances arise that you need to change any part of the trip you may have a very hard time. Star Alliance inventory is not going to be available to US agents to book after 31 March. There might be a grace period for ticketing or re-ticketing after that but that might be unofficial. For some airlines the ability to find or book or change Star Alliance award seats may unofficially disappear before that date.

You may say that's fine I won't want to change my booking. Hmm no you're still not safe. Have you any idea how many reschedules etc. there are by airlines in a whole year? Some of them are even reschedules due to daylight savings, that later (too late) switch back again. Your whole itinerary could come crashing down because the airline no longer has access to Star Alliance seats or Star Alliance award seats including a flight you might need to keep your itinerary together after a change not caused by you. There are already reports hinting that Lufthansa withdrew award seats from bookability by US Air. And in some parts of the world you may find you still need a LH flight to hold your itinerary together after schedule changes, for example. Good luck with you or any other airline trying to get LH to rebook your award seat in that circumstance. Even if the problem was caused by LH themselves, for example. There is also anecdotal evidence that in such circumstances TG can also be hard to get changes with and they change schedules and aircraft a lot.

Did US Air say they have arrangements for re-ticketing onto Oneworld flights? I really hope this works and for award seats. Would be better than the merger I went through. I had several complex award bookings that in the course of 11 months were completely trashed due to causes above in a similar situation. Good luck to anyone who books an award flight on Star Alliance by 31st March I will be watching this one and wishing everyone good luck.

 

[legroom]

Ermmm... Guys, be very careful on this. Yes you can book flights up to 31 March that can be taken within the maximum time of 11 months or a little more after that. But be very careful. If circumstances arise that you need to change any part of the trip you may have a very hard time. Star Alliance inventory is not going to be available to US agents to book after 31 March. There might be a grace period for ticketing or re-ticketing after that but that might be unofficial. For some airlines the ability to find or book or change Star Alliance award seats may unofficially disappear before that date.

You may say that's fine I won't want to change my booking. Hmm no you're still not safe. Have you any idea how many reschedules etc. there are by airlines in a whole year? Some of them are even reschedules due to daylight savings, that later (too late) switch back again. Your whole itinerary could come crashing down because the airline no longer has access to Star Alliance seats or Star Alliance award seats including a flight you might need to keep your itinerary together after a change not caused by you. There are already reports hinting that Lufthansa withdrew award seats from bookability by US Air. And in some parts of the world you may find you still need a LH flight to hold your itinerary together after schedule changes, for example. Good luck with you or any other airline trying to get LH to rebook your award seat in that circumstance. Even if the problem was caused by LH themselves, for example. There is also anecdotal evidence that in such circumstances TG can also be hard to get changes with and they change schedules and aircraft a lot.

Did US Air say they have arrangements for re-ticketing onto Oneworld flights? I really hope this works and for award seats. Would be better than the merger I went through. I had several complex award bookings that in the course of 11 months were completely trashed due to causes above in a similar situation. Good luck to anyone who books an award flight on Star Alliance by 31st March I will be watching this one and wishing everyone good luck.

I note your cautious tone of advice.

However, no risk taken = no reward given

One lives on hope - sometimes.

Their press release might carry some weight somewhere ".... will be honored...."

Anyway, thanks for sounding the bell of caution.

 

[anat0l]

Ermmm... Guys, be very careful on this. Yes you can book flights up to 31 March that can be taken within the maximum time of 11 months or a little more after that. But be very careful. If circumstances arise that you need to change any part of the trip you may have a very hard time. Star Alliance inventory is not going to be available to US agents to book after 31 March. There might be a grace period for ticketing or re-ticketing after that but that might be unofficial. For some airlines the ability to find or book or change Star Alliance award seats may unofficially disappear before that date.

You may say that's fine I won't want to change my booking. Hmm no you're still not safe. Have you any idea how many reschedules etc. there are by airlines in a whole year? Some of them are even reschedules due to daylight savings, that later (too late) switch back again. Your whole itinerary could come crashing down because the airline no longer has access to Star Alliance seats or Star Alliance award seats including a flight you might need to keep your itinerary together after a change not caused by you. There are already reports hinting that Lufthansa withdrew award seats from bookability by US Air. And in some parts of the world you may find you still need a LH flight to hold your itinerary together after schedule changes, for example. Good luck with you or any other airline trying to get LH to rebook your award seat in that circumstance. Even if the problem was caused by LH themselves, for example. There is also anecdotal evidence that in such circumstances TG can also be hard to get changes with and they change schedules and aircraft a lot.

Did US Air say they have arrangements for re-ticketing onto Oneworld flights? I really hope this works and for award seats. Would be better than the merger I went through. I had several complex award bookings that in the course of 11 months were completely trashed due to causes above in a similar situation. Good luck to anyone who books an award flight on Star Alliance by 31st March I will be watching this one and wishing everyone good luck.

The FAQ you referenced essentially was to reassure people that those who had a booking after 31 March won't have their tickets auto-cancelled. I think there's enough naive clods out there who need to be reassured in that way.

Of course, when IRROPS or rescheduling happens, things can really turn to custard, especially with cross-alliance mergers, takeovers or the like. Guess you just have to take it as it comes with that. Standard provisions with respect to the responsibilities of the operating or ticketing carrier (depending on jurisdiction) apply anyway. Besides, if US/AA really stuff up on this one I think the DoT will be interested to hear about it.

 

[h15t0r1an]

Of course, when IRROPS or rescheduling happens, things can really turn to custard, especially with cross-alliance mergers, takeovers or the like. Guess you just have to take it as it comes with that. Standard provisions with respect to the responsibilities of the operating or ticketing carrier (depending on jurisdiction) apply anyway. Besides, if US/AA really stuff up on this one I think the DoT will be interested to hear about it.

Yeah, you'd thnk so, wouldn't you.

In the case of irrops on the day, that's a separate case. Theoretically the carrying airline is supposed to rebook you. In a complicated itinerary this may not work as well as you would like though. Imagine knock-on effects on hotels and cars etc., if you'd booked any. You could find yourself flying the rest of your itinerary on completely different days and perhaps part of it not at all.

The case of airline rescheduling etc., trashing your itinerary, is different. This is planned rescheduling usually done by airlines after you book and quite often far ahead of the flight. Definitely outside of the usual two-week window or so within which you are entitled to re-routing or other options that don't force you to cancel the rest of your itinerary. You may find that after a schedule change or cancellation of the flight your itinerary simply does not hold together without that link at a time that is longer available. Add into the mix multiple carriers, and the fact that there may be no more award seats available on alternatives. Regardless of any rules, practically speaking, some airlines will flatly refuse or "somehow be unable" or genuinely be unable to book you a revenue class seat if your award is messed up. And your ticketing airline can do nothing about it. Again, this is a different situation to irrops on the day. So your entire itinerary can be forced to turn to custard and you may be forced to cancel because the airline who ticketed you, which practically speaking is US Air, no longer has access to award seats of Star Alliance to fix the problem that was not caused by you. Just so you're aware folks. I speak from experience and truly hope this does not happen to anyone booking Star Alliance award seats for flights far ahead with US Air - I hope there will be some setup that somehow improves this but it may be out of the power of US Air to fix these sorts of problems as and when they arise after 31 March especially on any complicated itinerary.

 

[drron]

Already a change in the AA priority check in lines-

Taken today at FLL.

 

[Alanslegal]

Good pick up drron!

 

[serfty]

Already a change in the AA priority check in lines-

Taken today at FLL.

It may be interersitng.

In my experience travelling USair, First Class PAX and those with some level of Priority boarding actually queue up in the priority lane (intermixed). Contrast this to AA PAX who tend to hang back a bit awaiting the call (a bit like you see on VA domestic).

With USair, when First is called, those travelling so de-queue themselves within the priority line and walk ahead past those with mere status based privileges.

 

[drron]

Was a bit of a stir boarding today as they called first class before the wheelchair pax who complained bitterly-told we don't have any extra staff so you will need to wait until extra staff are here.At least 2 of the wheelchair pax got up and walked on.

 

[beardoc]

Was a bit of a stir boarding today as they called first class before the wheelchair pax who complained bitterly-told we don't have any extra staff so you will need to wait until extra staff are here.At least 2 of the wheelchair pax got up and walked on.

I can understand why people might be upset by that!

 

[alieninperth]

Why would they be upset? If they are wheelchair users and really require assistance then the airline has a requirement to provide that assistance. I imagine that it is done at the beginning of boarding as their is more room for the assisters to work in. It would be the same reason that wheelchair users generally wait until everyone else has dis-embarked.

Dare I saw it but if they got up and walked on they probably didnt need the assistance.

 

[beardoc]

Why would they be upset? If they are wheelchair users and really require assistance then the airline has a requirement to provide that assistance. I imagine that it is done at the beginning of boarding as their is more room for the assisters to work in. It would be the same reason that wheelchair users generally wait until everyone else has dis-embarked.

Dare I saw it but if they got up and walked on they probably didnt need the assistance.

I could imagine that if they walked on, they might not have needed the assistance, but they were using the assistance when they didn't really need to use it, then others might not appreciate that. Others might see that those people were using assistance as a pre-boarding advantage.

 

[alieninperth]

and thats why people were upset, Sorry I read it as those in the wheelchairs were upset. I can totally see how everyone else would have been upset at the queue jumping.