Aloha Airlines/Aloha is Toast [Merged]

[Cathyb]

bevans: We too did exactly what you did: Scheduled our Aloha cancelled flights with Hawaiian Air and called American Express and was told exactly what you were told. I hope someone responds to your question about Amex and their method of handling something like this.

 

[Dave M]

At a minimum, you can get a refund/credit if the charge for your tickets appears on a credit card statement mailed to you within the past 60 days. Otherwise, legally, you might well be out of luck, unless your credit card company has a specific provision designed to protect you. However, most credit card companies have a more generous (unpublished) refund policy than the law and federal regulations require, typically covering charges as old as six months or so.

See this Federal Trade Commission link for the rules as to what to do. Note that unless you send a written dispute letter via certified mail, your claim might well be denied.

 

[thinze3]

Thanks to Mesa and GO's $1 interisland flights there is no Aloha passenger service after 3/31/08 and 1900 people will loose their jobs in addition to countless people having problems with tickets and refunds!

Fly Hawaiian interisland.

Sterling

Hopefully, the state of Hawaii will help Aloha get back on its feet.

Then Mesa should be taken to court AGAIN, this time by Aloha and the AG of the state of Hawaii. It sure seems like a deliberate plan by Mesa. IMO

 

[Phill12]

softball -- sorry and thank you for alerting us about II Travel and promises made by them

Cathy, what really gets me is I called last week and talk to II Travel about this and was told if something happens we will get you on another airlines so you don't need to worry about anything.

I was told II really isn't II travel but a regular travel agancy that also works with II and most II members don't know this.

Yesterday when I called and talk to a lady she seemed to be handling everything and really being nice. She then transfered me to Human Resources in the Travel dept to finish this up.

After ten minutes dealing with this women who it was easy to see she couldn't careless I asked why she was asking me all these same questions when other lady told you when she transfered me to you. Answer was she told me nothing but just transfered me.

I was just passed off to this dept and then found out the human resource was for II and the Travel dept doesn't have one and nothing we can do for you.

On the local news last night News 10 Sacramento they gave information on getting a refund and first was go back to your travel agency and they can handle this and then call your credit card company.

When I talk to expedia booking our new flight I asked and they told me they were handling all their cistomers that were booked on Aloha Air.

Never again will I stray from using Expedia for travel plans.

Also I will never use II travel for anything!:annoyed:

 

[GaryDouglas]

Thanks, Dave. I didn't know about the certified mail requirement. MR Visa stated I have 90 days, which is still more than a week away. I should have the dispute papers from Visa within the next day. I've talked to two people at MR Visa and one made it sound like it was a done deal and the other said that the dispute had be be verified and approved before the credit to my account takes affect. It sounds like I'm safe, kinda...

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Today ATA told me that I need to call back tomorrow. That's what they said yesterday. At least they sound like they accept responsibility but I don't understand how they are going to all these extra people off the island on time. I have to work on Sunday, my wife on Monday and the kids are in high school- definitely not a time when we can take another week of vacation.

I'm going to put my head in the sand for now. We're doing the drive to Hana today. Last time we did it was 19 years ago when we swore we'd never do it again. Could be an interesting day overall- long drive with three kids in the back who don't want to go, parents stressed about lack of transportation home..

I'm so sorry... I hope things work out for you and your family. Doesn't sound like a fun vacation to have to worry about airlines. Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything for you.

 

[MikeM132]

Thanks, Dave. I didn't know about the certified mail requirement. MR Visa stated I have 90 days, which is still more than a week away. I should have the dispute papers from Visa within the next day. I've talked to two people at MR Visa and one made it sound like it was a done deal and the other said that the dispute had be be verified and approved before the credit to my account takes affect. It sounds like I'm safe, kinda...

You're in better shape than me, apparently. I charged tickets last July on MR Visa. I called them and they said they put the charges into dispute and are mailing me papers, which should come in about 10 days. Since my charge is 8 months old already, I'm not sure about a refund. They implied it would go through, but that was just the lady on the phone. Well, see you in Maui anyhow. I'll let you know how I made out!
At least I'm lucky enough to have new tickets on Hawaiian for not all that much more money. Some don't appear to be so lucky.

 

[MikeM132]

At a minimum, you can get a refund/credit if the charge for your tickets appears on a credit card statement mailed to you within the past 60 days. Otherwise, legally, you might well be out of luck, unless your credit card company has a specific provision designed to protect you. However, most credit card companies have a more generous (unpublished) refund policy than the law and federal regulations require, typically covering charges as old as six months or so.

.

any inside info on Marriott Visa's double-secret refund policy?

 

[Dave M]

Sorry. I don't know what Chase's policy is.

 

[GaryDouglas]

Da Plane, Da Plane

I was lucky I was browsing TUG when all this hit. When I finalized my UAL tickets, they were actually $60 less than my original Aloha tickets. If I don't get my Aloha tickets credited, I'll feel like I'm going first class, only I'll be in the back of the plane...

 

[Cathyb]

DaveM: "Send certified letter.." Even if on the phone with Amex agent that takes all the information and tells you they will review and let us know in about 4 weeks?

 

[Phill12]

You're in better shape than me, apparently. I charged tickets last July on MR Visa. I called them and they said they put the charges into dispute and are mailing me papers, which should come in about 10 days. Since my charge is 8 months old already, I'm not sure about a refund. They implied it would go through, but that was just the lady on the phone. Well, see you in Maui anyhow. I'll let you know how I made out!
At least I'm lucky enough to have new tickets on Hawaiian for not all that much more money. Some don't appear to be so lucky.

What I don't understand is the fact just because some people used their heads and booked air early and got great pricing are the credit card companies now able to put a time limit on this!

It seems to me that travelers paid for tickets with their credit cards for safety for a service that has not been fulfilled yet so time should have nothing to do with it.

Next is the fact the credit card company isn't giving us the money but making the Aloha Air return the money to your credit card acct.

This just seems like a way for some of these companies get out of fighting this for their customers.

Our charge was on Nov 29,2007 for a May 23,2008 flight and I called the credit card company(WELLS FARGO) on March 30,2008 and nothing was said about a time limit.

Travelers are being taken from the Airline and don't need to be also taken by their credit card company too!


PHIL

 

[Steamboat Bill]

For anyone interested in flying between the Big Island (KOA) and Maui (OGG), the only direct JET service is Hawaiian Air, everyone else is a small prop plane.

We just booked a June trip (AA from the mainland and HA between islands). I almost pulled the trigger on Aloha, but I did not like the schedule.

 

[mepiccolo]

Yikes - the plan tickets we bought on Sunday for $448 (with taxes) is now going for over $1,300 (with taxes) for the exact same flight!! Thank God we rebooked our flights right away on Sunday. I know our initial reaction was to wait and see if United helped us out (which Aloha's web site made it seem like). But by looking at United's web site it was clear that they were not offering any provisions for Aloha customers after 30 days (we travel in May) so we just bought new tickets on our own, at not to bad of a price (about the price for Aloha tickets when they used to go on sale). So sad. I miss Aloha Airlines already.

 

[GaryDouglas]

Next time I'll look into travel insurance and see what it covers and what it costs...

 

[glenn1000]

I'm so sorry... I hope things work out for you and your family. Doesn't sound like a fun vacation to have to worry about airlines. Keep us updated and let us know if we can do anything for you.

This morning ATA said they were having a meeting to figure out what they are going to do about passengers ticketed on ATA with an Aloha return (like us) who are trapped since there are no open ATA flights and that we could call back later today. 3.5 hours on hold with ATA this afternoon- never got through to an agent...

So Sunday was call back on Monday, Monday was call back on Tuesday and today there is no way to get through.

Will try not to think about it too much as we head to the Old Lahaina Luau. Weather is great and the snorkeling is he best we've had.

 

[Dave M]

DaveM: "Send certified letter.." Even if on the phone with Amex agent that takes all the information and tells you they will review and let us know in about 4 weeks?

You should follow the instructions at the link - to protect your claim.

 

[tmartin1]

Yikes - the plan tickets we bought on Sunday for $448 (with taxes) is now going for over $1,300 (with taxes) for the exact same flight!! Thank God we rebooked our flights right away on Sunday. I know our initial reaction was to wait and see if United helped us out (which Aloha's web site made it seem like). But by looking at United's web site it was clear that they were not offering any provisions for Aloha customers after 30 days (we travel in May) so we just bought new tickets on our own, at not to bad of a price (about the price for Aloha tickets when they used to go on sale). So sad. I miss Aloha Airlines already.

Yikes is right! That's crazy. We had to get creative and I think we made out in the end. If we were to leave the same day (Sat), I would have had to pay an additional $200 per ticket, which came out to $800. So, by waiting until Tuesday, I found tickets that were $100 cheaper (each) than our original tickets, so we're flying from Kauai to Maui on Saturday, staying 3 nights, then going home. I figured in the extra cost of a condo in Maui and rental car and figured it'll cost about $1200. Factor in my $400 airline savings and I'm right at $800 - the same amount I would have paid to come home on my original date. I'd much rather spend $800 enjoying Maui then sitting on an airplane.

Theresa

Theresa

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Next time I'll look into travel insurance and see what it covers and what it costs...

I've bought trip insurance before for cruises and unfortunately, they don't cover airlines in Bankrupcty which is the majority of them. The only thing I could find that trip insurance would cover in regards to air travel is cancelled flights due to other reasons besides shutting down like weather, loss luggage, etc... Basically, you can get coverage every thing but if the airlines shut their doors.

A good website to compare trip insurance costs and coverage is here:

www.insuremytrip.com

 

[glenn1000]

Could it be much worse- stuck on Maui and forced to pay a fortune for a lousy flight

Follow up: our travel agent (Cheap Tickets) never called back despite multiple promises to help get us home. On Sunday ATA asked us to call back Monday, then Tuesday. ATA agreed that they had to accommodate us to get us home since we were ticketed on ATA on the outbound flight. Apparently they made a corporate decision on Tuesday that ATA would ticket all people in our situation but that we would have to pay the full fare minus a refund for part of our Aloha fare. So by Tuesday every decent itinerary was gone and we paid $3651 for five one way tickets to Oakland through Los Angeles (with a long layover starting at 2AM Maui time) on an overnight flight. We have to get home so no alternatives at this point.

I will follow up as I have documented this nightmare pretty well. I've logged 12 hours of phone time, mostly on hold. Anyway, now we can relax but I wish we were told earlier that they (ATA and Cheap Tickets) did not intend to cover our return trip rather than assuring us that we would be accommodated.

 

[Denise L]

Follow up: our travel agent (Cheap Tickets) never called back despite multiple promises to help get us home. On Sunday ATA asked us to call back Monday, then Tuesday. ATA agreed that they had to accommodate us to get us home since we were ticketed on ATA on the outbound flight. Apparently they made a corporate decision on Tuesday that ATA would ticket all people in our situation but that we would have to pay the full fare minus a refund for part of our Aloha fare. So by Tuesday every decent itinerary was gone and we paid $3651 for five one way tickets to Oakland through Los Angeles (with a long layover starting at 2AM Maui time) on an overnight flight. We have to get home so no alternatives at this point.

I will follow up as I have documented this nightmare pretty well. I've logged 12 hours of phone time, mostly on hold. Anyway, now we can relax but I wish we were told earlier that they (ATA and Cheap Tickets) did not intend to cover our return trip rather than assuring us that we would be accommodated.

Glenn, what a nightmare for you and your family! I'm just shocked that you have to dish out full fare for one way tickets ! I know that you have to get back to work and the kids have to get back to school, but what a huge price to pay. I can't believe that they aren't honoring your tickets that you already paid for well in advance. I hope that you can get something worked out when you get home.

Well, like you said, you can at least relax now and know that you will be home in time for all of your commitments. Enjoy the rest of your week and the great snorkeling. I'll be interested to hear how the Luau was, since i hope to get my kids to a luau one of these years . Trouble is, they wouldn't eat any of the food, and my DH probably wouldn't either!

 

[GaryDouglas]

I've bought trip insurance before for cruises and unfortunately, they don't cover airlines in Bankrupcty which is the majority of them.

I just looked at an email MVCI sent to me back in February which included information on AIG Travel Guard's Owner Travel Insurance through Marriott. From the looks of it, this one would have covered the Aloha bankruptcy...

4. The airline, cruise line or tour operator with which you're scheduled to travel suddenly ceases operation or goes on strike leaving you with no option but to cancel your trip…with no recourse for reimbursement.

 

[GaryDouglas]

ATA Announced Bankruptcy, Et Tu ATA?

I'm sorry Glenn, in case you haven't heard, ATA has just declared Bankruptcy also. You're going to have to scramble again. At least this time you should be able to credit your ATA charges immediately. It's sad, so sad, It's a sad, sad situation, And its getting more and more absurd...

 

[myip]

At a minimum, you can get a refund/credit if the charge for your tickets appears on a credit card statement mailed to you within the past 60 days. Otherwise, legally, you might well be out of luck, unless your credit card company has a specific provision designed to protect you. However, most credit card companies have a more generous (unpublished) refund policy than the law and federal regulations require, typically covering charges as old as six months or so.

See this Federal Trade Commission link for the rules as to what to do. Note that unless you send a written dispute letter via certified mail, your claim might well be denied.

I am going to send a certified letter to American Express. I called them up but they don't have address except PO Box. I don't think you can send a certified letter to a PO Box. May be I should send it to Consumer Relation.

 

[Icarus]

I am going to send a certified letter to American Express. I called them up but they don't have address except PO Box. I don't think you can send a certified letter to a PO Box. May be I should send it to Consumer Relation.

Yes, you can send a certified letter (or anything via USPS) to a PO Box.

-David