I made a reservation in mid March to fly Boston-Catania on Alitalia (sigh)for mid June, returning mid July. It was the most direct/cost effective way to go. It is a non-refundable ticket.

the charge has never hit my credit card, although I have called Alitalia twice and they have confirmed the reservation twice.

Today I called my credit card company to fully research the situation. They did not find the charge anywhere on my account.

Hmm, I starting thinking this could be a good opportunity to make a new reservation on a different airline, given the questionable future of Alitalia. The credit card company told me they would block the charge from Alitalia since I have not been billed in a "timely manner" and the service has not yet been delivered. Does this effectively cancel my reservation?

Here's the thing, tho...

However, unfortunately, my traveling companion's credit card was billed for the same reservation with Alitalia. And she is stuck with the reservation and cost.
She noticed though that there is something on the eticket terms that says that there is a $200.00 fee to change or cancel the flight. This seems like a contradiction - is the flight non-refundable, or is it refundable by paying $200.00???

Anyone have experience with this?

And so what to do...

We thought about making an alternate refundable reservation in the event that there is a problem with Alitalia but the terms of what is "refundable" seem pretty complicated. And the connecting flight to Catania might not be refundable in any case it seems.

so we figured we have a few options

1. do nothing and wait and see what happens, hope all is well and fly off
into the sunset with Alitalia.

2. make another reservation on a different airline now and just fly with
whatever we reserve and not bother with Alitalia at all regardless.


3. wait until the last minute to make new flight plans if necessary (sounds
expensive)

4. travel separately and see who gets there first. the last one to arrive
buys dinner (a nice one)

Are we thinking too much? We've spent a lot of time on this.

We don't have any flexibility in travel dates unfortunately.

I think this is a very individual decision. But since you asked, I would check with Alitalia about my reservation and make sure they have it and explain that it hasn't been billed yet. Providing they have a reservation for you, I would stick to that plan.

If you and your friend decide you don't want to fly with Alitalia due to the perceived risk, then your friend is left with a ticket (since you can cancel yours according to your credit card company). I don't see how she could get a refund. The best she can expect, I believe, is a credit (probably the cost of the ticket less a fee of $100 or so) for a future trip.

That sounds expensive to me but might be worth it to you both in terms of peace of mind.

When you booked in March, you were probably aware of Alitalia's reputation and financial problems. If so, you were willing to live with some level of risk. Of course, the latest news about their financial situation wasn't available then.

Best wishes with your decision.

It looks like you can check your reservation status online at http://www.alitalia.com/US_EN/apis/searchpnr.aspx . See if it says "Ticketed" or similar.

"Non-refundable" means you can't get a full refund, but these are generally changeable for a price. I'm not sure if the "cancel" in "$200.00 fee to change or cancel the flight" means she can cancel and get the money back minus $200, or that if she cancels without booking another flight right then, that money is a credit towards future travel with Alitalia. As I think of it, I tend to think the latter; I get involved in these questions without being a travel professional, and maybe others can speak with more knowledge.

I'd say the odds are that Alitalia will still be flying. It's been said that they have the money to operate through June; if they shut down while you're in Italy, one would hope that someone would step in and provide for the many people in the same situation.

You are correct Suzy that we were willing to assume a certain level of risk in reserving Alitalia. We were thinking more along the lines of travel inconveniences like screwed up baggage, strikes, and overall questionable service. But it was just the easiest way to get to a far away place at the time we reserved. Catania isn't our final destination.

Alitalia has been screwed up and on the brink on bankruptcy for a long time. It looks somewhat worst now than in march, but it looked pretty bad in March. So you might as well wait it out and hope for the best.
Will they really let you cancel your flights for $200 and refund you the cost of a ticket? They say they will, but often the reality is different from what is printed. A credit for flying on Alitala instead of the money is worhtless.

Boy, no wonder Alitalia's finances are so screwed up, if they show a reservation for you and never charged you!

I think at this point you might as well keep the reservation. You should get something in writing from them though to confirm your reservation. Do you have a confirmation number?

If Alitalia should go under, your friend (and you if the charge ever goes through) should be able to get your money back from the credit card company. But if she cancels now, she will only get a credit toward a future flight, minus $200. On all airlines I know of there isn't really a refund for economy fares -- you don't get your money back, but just a credit for a future flight on that airline, which generally has to be used within a year. So if Alitalia does tank, that credit would probably be worthless.

Here is a link to an article that I posted earlier that has some good advice about what to do if you have already booked with Alitalia.

Is your flight a code share with Delta? If so, they might offer help in rebooking if the Alitalia flight is cancelled, but that's just a guess.

- Roz

I received a confirmation email with a reservation number at the time I made the reservation, and the eticket as well. I have called Alitalia twice, with that reservation number, to confirm that I have a reservation and twice was told that there is definitely a reservation in my name.

OK, well if the flight does go, it looks like you do have a definite reservation, so I'd just hang tight and keep praying!

By the way, I just searched Google news to see if there was anything new on Alitalia, and it sounds like a more tangled web than ever. Some Brazilian investment fund has offered a billion euro for the airline, but the story said there wasn't much interest (presumably because Berlusconi still doesn't want it owned by a foreign country).

It's predicted that the EU will oppose the emergency govt bailout loan from Italy to the airline -- don't know what this will mean (i.e., does the EU actually have the power to stop it if Berlusconi goes ahead?)

And the Milan airport is suing Alitalia, which is countersuing the airport, each for over a billion euro because of some contractual issues.

- Roz

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. But praying is definitely in order

quote:

(i.e., does the EU actually have the power to stop it if Berlusconi goes ahead?)

Italy can do whatever it wants about Alitalia, but it could get kicked out of the EU for not complying with the EU rules. Italy is already in violation of EU rules with it's garbage crisis in several respects.
I don't know, maybe the new government doesn't care about being part of the EU?

I would love if Italia left the eu! "sorry personal opinion"

As far as the airline, if there is no easy way out of your reservation and based on alitalia being on the brink of bankruptcy for how long now "and still flying" to just go for it. I mean there are a tons of hypotheticals, based on your finances and your partner, but even to those wealthy enough to just purchase a new ticket in this case, who would want to lose money on a non refundable prior reservation.

I didn't mean to bring up something politically controversial when I asked about the EU, so this is just a reminder that we should keep the discussion focused on Alitalia and not stray into opinons on Italian politics.

- Roz

quote:

I didn't mean to bring up something politically controversial when I asked about the EU, so this is just a reminder that we should keep the discussion focused on Alitalia and not stray into opinons on Italian politics.

it's OK. I myself don't have an opinion about whehter Italy shoulsd be in the EU

quote:

Originally posted by Roz:

It's predicted that the EU will oppose the emergency govt bailout loan from Italy to the airline -- don't know what this will mean (i.e., does the EU actually have the power to stop it if Berlusconi goes ahead?)

A fine. They fined a Belgian [I think Belgian] airport for hand outs to Ryan air.

Some of the best flights to Rome (from Seattle) have Alitalia in the leg from Amsterdam to FCO. The cross atlantic flight is with either KLM or Northwest. Should this cause concern? Or will KLM or Northwest contract with another carrier if Alitalia fails?

Thanks,
jb

My mother is booked on an AMS-FCO segment in September that shows a KLM flight number but is operated by Alitalia. One would hope that if there's no AZ, she would be put on a KLM flight around the same time (KLM has the money until the time of the flight), but I can't say that as a certainty. The timetable for that day on that route shows three AZ-operated and five KLM-operated flights.

quote:

Some of the best flights to Rome (from Seattle) have Alitalia in the leg from Amsterdam to FCO.

From Minneapolis some of the best the flights to Rome go to Amsterdam, but do not involve Alitalia. They are all KLM and Northwest (soon to be Delta).

quote:

A fine. They fined a Belgian [I think Belgian] airport for hand outs to Ryan air.

NickZ is right. I don't think there will be any problem with Alitalia stopping flights becaseu the government can't subsidize it. See the attached article. it takes nearly a decade to resolve noncompliance issues in the EU.

NoncomplianceData.pdf (64 Kb, 56 downloads)

Very interesting article, Pat -- thanks.

- Roz

Unlike domestic US fares, some international fares are refundable minus the 100.00/200.00/400.00 or whatever fee. I'd have the friend cancel, get the refund minus the 200.00 and buy new tickets.

It's not just the EU that Alitalia has to worry about, they also face the possibility of being excluded from IATA -- meaning other airlines and travel agents couldn't ticket on, or accept tickets from, Alitalia. They'd be on their own to make individual agreements.

Read HERE the latest news on Alitalia. I had to cancel a trip to Rome in June and I am planning to use the Alitalia ticket for Venice in winter. I am sure everything will be fine. I trust the new Prime Minister.

quote:

It's not just the EU that Alitalia has to worry about, they also face the possibility of being excluded from IATA -- meaning other airlines and travel agents couldn't ticket on, or accept tickets from, Alitalia. They'd be on their own to make individual agreements.

But would this happen if the Italian goverment loans Alitalia more money?