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Airline disputes frustrate travelers
By STEVE HUETTEL © St. Petersburg Times, published March 24, 2001 Bob Crawford flies every week for sales calls and business meetings, so the last thing he wants to do is spend more time in airports, rental cars and hotels. So why is he booking flights earlier and earlier from Tampa International Airport? Crawford worries pilots or mechanics unhappy with airline management might keep one of his flights from getting off the ground. "I'm very concerned about it," says Crawford, an adhesive company executive from Lutz. "I'm leaving an hour or more early whenever I go on a trip. That gives me more time to make my connection. I don't have a choice." Local travel agents and corporate travel managers say he's not alone. As many as half of their customers are asking if labor disputes at the nation's four largest airlines will disrupt their travel plans. Nobody knows for sure. A work slowdown by disgruntled mechanics forced American Airlines to cancel nearly 130 flights from New York's Kennedy International Airport last month. Pilots at regional carrier Comair may strike as early as Monday. President Bush could postpone a strike 60 days by asking a presidential emergency board to try to broker a deal, as he did in the dispute between Northwest Airlines and mechanics this month. Mechanics at United Airlines, pilots at Delta Air Lines and flight attendants at American are negotiating and can't set a strike date until the Federal Mediation Board releases them into a 30-day cooling-off period. "That's the problem -- there are so many airlines with problems and things are so up in the air," says Sheila Kittle, vice president for corporate travel at Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg. "It's anybody's guess right now." Travel agents are taking steps to protect customers. Many are issuing old-fashioned paper tickets instead of electronic tickets that exist only in an airline's computers. Travelers can take a paper ticket to another carrier; most airlines' computer systems aren't linked to transfer e-tickets. "With an electronic ticket, you'll wait in line to get to the counter and they'll try to book you on one of their (later) flights," says Cheryl Greenwood of Hills Travel Service in St. Petersburg. Travel agents suggest considering alternative airlines and airports. Delta, for example, told investors and analysts last week that customers are booking on other carriers to avoid the possible pilot strike. And travelers who could miss a cruise ship or an event such as a wedding if their flights are canceled should plan to arrive a day early, agents advise. Another tip is to schedule flights as early as possible in the day, says John Pecchio, manager of the AAA Auto Club South's agency on West Shore Boulevard in Tampa. "Book the first flight out," he says. "If that flight's canceled, you've got a much better chance of getting to your destination." - Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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