but the short of it, Varig is in its death-throes--they have cancelled all service to/from the USA through June 28th and its unclear what will happen after that. Their planes are being grounded and they have no money for fuel or maintenance. HOWEVER, there is still a chance that there may be a buyout or a last-minute save. The Brazilian press is saying they may open up the auction again, dragging this out further.
I've got "insurance" replacement tickets on hold with TAM, until Friday, which will cost me $2700. (The original tickets cost $2100.) But I can't decide what to do--take a chance and wait, or bite the (painful and expensive bullet) and buy the new tickets. Here are my options as I see them:
OPTION 1) Take our chances and wait it out.
Possible outcomes:
a) Varig will continue to fly and will honor our tickets and either
a1) all flights will be rescheduled and resume on-time operations (extremely doubtful)
or
a2) flights will still be subject to cancellations and extensive delays (likely)
or
a3) Varig will continue for a few more weeks and then shutdown right before we are leaving (possible)
b) Varig will shutdown and either
b1) Other carriers will accept Varig tickets, on a space available basis; this could mean that we may be forced to fly some inconvenient schedule and/or not be able to get there/depart on our scheduled dates (likely)
or
b2) carriers will only accept tickets up to a certain date, and thereafter we would have to attempt to get a refund via our credit card
In the event of B-2 we would have to repurchase tickets at that time, most likely at a high cost, IF we could get space, which would be at a premium.
OPTION 2) Purchase new tickets as insurance. Outcome: we are assured to get to our destination on a favorable timetable.
BUT:
In the event of options a1, a2, or b1, we are out approx $1100 per person with no compensation
I should add that we MUST be at our final destination by the original date, as we are meeting up with a group (a group which I organized!) And as its a short trip--9 days--losing a full day would impact it considerably.
Janet, no wonder nobody waded into this discussion as yet: it is a tough situation, with only tough choices.
(I hope you won't hate me if Varig survives. But governments tend to prop these big companies, as was the case here with Air Canada.)
I assume you must go (you are the organiser) and if you don't go you lose $1100 per person anyway (I hope I got it right).
I will give my view based on two criteria, to keep it simple:
1. My own, personal view of the world: If I must be there, I would rather get the sure tickets, cry over the money for a couple of hours and then go on with life and sleep well over the next few days because I made a decision and now I live with it. I am not swimming in money, but between money and peace of mind, peace of mind wins in my world.
2. Your ethical obligation: You are the organiser, you must be there, therefore you bite the bullet and deliver.
Originally posted by Doru: Janet, no wonder nobody waded into this discussion as yet: it is a tough situation, with only tough choices.
(I hope you won't hate me if Varig survives. But governments tend to prop these big companies, as was the case here with Air Canada.)
I assume you must go (you are the organiser) and if you don't go you lose $1100 per person anyway (I hope I got it right).
I will give my view based on two criteria, to keep it simple:
1. My own, personal view of the world: If I must be there, I would rather get the sure tickets, cry over the money for a couple of hours and then go on with life and sleep well over the next few days because I made a decision and now I live with it. I am not swimming in money, but between money and peace of mind, peace of mind wins in my world.
2. Your ethical obligation: You are the organiser, you must be there, therefore you bite the bullet and deliver.
Thanks Doru. It is an agonizing choice, but right now I am leaning towards #1. I just want to enjoy getting prepared for the trip and I can't do so if there's all this uncertainty and stress!
Although I organized the trip, I don't actually HAVE to be there--its just another couple and us (fortunately they are not on VARIG, so they are not effected.) Plus one other friend who is also on our Varig flights--she's also agonizing over what to do. The other couple wouldn't be happy if we didn't go, but the trip would go on without us. And, we actually can get our deposits back from the guide (its a birding trip, of course) up to two weeks before.
But, I don't WANT to NOT go, its something we've been planning for six months, and to plan anything else at this late date for the summer would probably cost us just as much money, if not more.
The Brazilian government has stated that it will NOT prop up Varig. But who knows. Yes, at this point the best thing for us would be if it shutdown NOW and we could get a handle on what's going on. But the fear is that it will keep dragging on.
And, latest newsflash--the judge here just extended the deadline for reposession of the planes to July 21. This is BAD news, because that's right before we are travelling.
Originally posted by Robert Rainey: Maybe I missed this but have you contacted all the other airlines that go the route and see if they will honor the ticket? RR
Robert, no one will honor the ticket unless Varig officially shuts down, or cancels our specific flight. I've called Expedia four times now (including speaking to supervisors) and they all say the same thing--we can't do anything until Varig gives us instructions. And, officially my flight is still listed at flying. I keep checking, hoping it will list as cancelled--but I think its too far out (August) and so they are waiting to see.
Have you discussed this with the couple you are meeting? Exactly how upset will they be if you don't make the trip? Certainly they will miss your company and the other friend as well, but they could carry on without you three. If everyone is in total agreement that due to these unforseen circumstances, you may not be able to join them, then just wait and see what happens with the airline.
On the other hand, if you heart is set on going, and the loss of $2100 is something you can tolerate, buying the other tickets would solve the problem. For your $2100 loss, break it down this way: the $2100 loss is $175 per month divided by 2 of you that comes to $87.50 per month per person....a couple of dinners out??
What a dilemma Janet! $2100 is a lot of money. The replacement tickets are expensive - maybe you can wait another week or two to decide? I am glad I don't have to make this decision ....
Originally posted by ginalola: Have you discussed this with the couple you are meeting? Exactly how upset will they be if you don't make the trip? Certainly they will miss your company and the other friend as well, but they could carry on without you three.
On the other hand, if you heart is set on going, and the loss of $2100 is something you can tolerate, buying the other tickets would solve the problem. For your $2100 loss, break it down this way: the $2100 loss is $175 per month divided by 2 of you that comes to $87.50 per month per person....a couple of dinners out??
Yes, its more a question of us really having our hearts set on going--you know how it is before a major trip--we've been reading books on the Pantanal, studying the birds, buying equipment, etc., for months now! The other couple would certainly be understanding and in fact, they are continuing on for an additional 10 days after we leave, so its a really big trip for them. They will go and have a great time with or without us. But we want to go!!
I did the same math in my head actually---if we had one dinner out less a month, it certainly pays for one ticket. Problem is, those kinds of deals with oneself never work--we'll end up going out anyway
The bottom line is that while we're not rich, we do have the funds to cover this---and in fact we probably wouldn't "miss" it, after all the original money was spent months ago. Its just the principal of money lost, gone for nothing, that is so troublesome I think-- It kills me to lose that much money. Its just in our upbringing I think, not to "waste money" and to save wherever we can. But that's a whole 'nother discussion I think.
Originally posted by Pauline: What a dilemma Janet! $2100 is a lot of money. The replacement tickets are expensive - maybe you can wait another week or two to decide? I am glad I don't have to make this decision ....
Hi Pauline, yes its been a nightmare. Problem with waiting is that seats are going fast since there are limited flights. I'm not so worried about our flight to Sao Paulo--which after all is a major business city with lots of flights from the US--but then we connect to a domestic flight to the small city of Cuiaba. Its this flight that is getting tight. I am afraid if we wait too long we'll get blocked out completely.
I agree with you, but I was actually saying that when you break-down this lost money into something you do often, it doesn't seem as bad.
If I were you, I would book that flight today; this solves all your problems, and after all, you are looking for a solution. Perhaps you will get lucky arguing with those who done-you-wrong.
Enjoy your trip; life is too short; in the scheme of things, this $2100 will be forgotten.
Janet, originally I would have said, scrap the entire deal and do something else, closer to home, less expensive. Then I read the above. Go, Janet. I know the original $2100 is a hit but you have your heart set on it and who knows, maybe you'll be able to recoup some of it when all is said and done.
Originally posted by Doru: More on Varig today, here and here.
What a mess!
oh its much worse than that. I've been following the Brazilian press (the Google translation isn't so bad, I can make sense of most of it!) You wouldn't believe the nightmare.
OF course, it is impossible to get through to Varig at all at this point. Busy busy busy busy signal is all I get. And Expedia still refuses to do anything (I will NEVER buy a ticket with Expedia again--they are useless. Even Orbitz was more helpful in a crisis than Expedia has been.)
My reservations on TAM are still secure (I called them this morning to reconfirm, and they are holding the tix and the price till tomorrow at 4 pm.) and we plan to pay for them tomorrow morning (just trying to decide whether to leave one day early, since we are paying through the nose for the trip maybe we can sqeeze an extra day out of it.)
I excect that you will recieve something back for your lost money,a future ticket good on another airline etc. I think I would go.the hard part is what is the deadline for getting a replacement ticket.maybe set a date and say if by .... they don't get me a usable ticket then I will buy.RR
I purchased my new ticket today. Whew, what a weight off my shoulders! I didn't even think about the money...I just want to get back to enjoying the pre-trip planning.
I am sure I made the right choice--the news tonight is that the judge voided the sale from last week, as the buyer couldn't come up with the cash. Varig could be liquidated next week.
Congratulations on the choice that gives you the most peace of mind. Now relax, and enjoy the final planning! Your comfort and mental health are "priceless".
Originally posted by Pauline: I was thinking last night, couldn't you get tickets that could be refunded if Varig did not go belly up?
But, what a decision! It must be a relief to have this done.
I thought of that Pauline...but refundable tickets were $4600--EACH! Uhhhh I think NOT!
It is a great relief.
funny i got an email from someone who read my post (here, I guess--although I did post this on the Flyertalk forum I don't think my email is available there) and who was in the exact same predicament. He also bought new tickets today--and also is getting nowhere with Expedia. Its unbelievable to me that Expedia is being so totally unhelpful. Their agents are completely unaware of the situation. I will NEVER buy tickets from them again.
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