Another "Lost Bird" to Join the Flock....
Independence Air will cease operations tonight with its 7:26 pm flight from Westchester, NY to Washington's Dulles. The airline was a favorite with the traveling public, but could not make a profit in it's 19 months as a, well, independent carrier.
It started as a commuter line for United and Delta along the East Coast. High fuel costs, plus the lowered costs of their rivals in bankruptcy, have been blamed for the carrier's demise.
So, what does that mean for the traveling public?
Well....if you have a ticket on Independence for travel after today's date, other airlines are required to honor it for standby travel on the same route. They can charge you up to $50 according to a federal law enacted after September 11. If you had that ticket as a frequent flyer in their iClub, however....you are outta luck. If there were fees associated with that free flight or voucher, you might get that back after the bankruptcy court winds everything up.
Expect to see airfares go up in Independence's markets (the Northeast from Maine to DC). JetBlue is scheduled to start service between Boston's Logan and Dulles on the 17th, so that might help keep prices down along that route. The major carriers that were their competition (United, Delta and US Airways) are likely to jack up the airfares ASAP.
It started as a commuter line for United and Delta along the East Coast. High fuel costs, plus the lowered costs of their rivals in bankruptcy, have been blamed for the carrier's demise.
So, what does that mean for the traveling public?
Well....if you have a ticket on Independence for travel after today's date, other airlines are required to honor it for standby travel on the same route. They can charge you up to $50 according to a federal law enacted after September 11. If you had that ticket as a frequent flyer in their iClub, however....you are outta luck. If there were fees associated with that free flight or voucher, you might get that back after the bankruptcy court winds everything up.
Expect to see airfares go up in Independence's markets (the Northeast from Maine to DC). JetBlue is scheduled to start service between Boston's Logan and Dulles on the 17th, so that might help keep prices down along that route. The major carriers that were their competition (United, Delta and US Airways) are likely to jack up the airfares ASAP.
posted by KoryO @ 7:58 AM
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