AMERICAN AIRLINES STRIKE ENDS : Q&A; : Turbulence Isn’t Over Yet

Although the American Airlines flight attendants strike is over, it will take some time for the carrier to return to normal service. That could mess up many passengers’ flight plans just as the busy Thanksgiving travel season is getting under way.

Here are some answers that address travelers’ most common concerns.

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Q: My flight was scheduled for Wednesday night. Can I be sure that I can travel at the original time?

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A: No, and that applies to just about any flight any time, regardless of labor relations. Check with your travel agent, if that’s where you got your tickets. Many agencies are advising their customers to think of any American ticket for travel in the upcoming week as a potential problem; they might still suggest you re-book. If you got your tickets directly from the airline, make that call to an American reservations agent. And of course, confirm the reservations as often as possible.

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Q: American said it still won’t be up to full flight schedules until the end of this week. What are the chances that my flight will be one of those that do take off?

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A: There is no sure formula for telling. For a day or so, American itself may be playing a guessing game, trying to figure whether planes, crews and attendants are all where they’re supposed to be at the right time.

However, you’ll have better luck if your flight originates from Dallas or Miami. During the strike, American kept more of its flights going from those two cities than from any other major destination point. Service from Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Chicago’s O’Hare airports will most likely be disrupted for longer periods.

In the middle are San Juan, Puerto Rico; Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York, and, unfortunately, Los Angeles International, where only 35% of scheduled flights went out during the strike.

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Q: Can I get my money back if I had to pay extra to get another airline to accept my American Airlines ticket?

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A: Many travelers who purchased excursion-fare tickets from American Airlines found that when they tried to switch there were no seats left on another airline at the bargain rates. So they gave the new airline their American ticket and paid the difference between the fares. If you have already used such a ticket, you probably will not get a refund from the airline on which you flew. American most likely will not reimburse the difference either, but by all means, call an American reservation agent to check for sure.

On the other hand, if you have been reissued a ticket from another airline and have not yet flown, that ticket will probably be fully refundable. The refund will reflect the cost of your old ticket on American and the upgrade expense. Also, that reissued ticket is like cash at the ticket counter: American would probably accept it. However, first make sure you can get a seat on an American flight at the lower fare.

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Q: I couldn’t find any airline going anywhere near my parents’ house that would accept my American Airlines frequent-flier ticket. So I bought a ticket on another airline. Now I’m out all that cash and have used up frequent-flier miles to boot. Can I get my frequent-flier miles back?

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A: American Airlines honors most of its tickets for a year after issue date, so your frequent-flier ticket is good until next Thanksgiving. Or you may have the option to have the miles reinstated to your account; call the American frequent-flier program reservation number, (800) 882-8880, to check on your specific case. If you haven’t flown yet, by all means check with American to see whether you can get onto the same flight or even a different one. Then go get your refund from the other airline.

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Q: I am just too upset over all this strike business, and I’ve decided I don’t even want to travel now, though I am very disappointed. What is American going to do to make this up to me?

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A: American says that if you prefer--for any reason--you can get a full refund. Additionally, if you have reservations or a ticket on American on any day from today through Monday, Nov. 29, but can’t get a flight at an acceptable time, American says you can get a refund and a $100 voucher, good for travel on American any time during the next 12 months.

How American Stacks Up American Airlines earlier this year was edged out of its No. 1 market share position by United Air Lines, but remains the country’s biggest airline in terms of the number of workers employed and aircraft owned. Delta Air Lines remains the nation’s busiest carrier, offering the greatest number of flights each year.

Market Share U.S. airline industry market share, based on revenue passenger miles flown as of September 1993, in percent:

Market Rank Airline Share 1. United 21.9% 2. American 20.0 3. Delta 17.8 4. Northwest 12.1 5. Continental 8.3 6. USAir 7.2 7. TWA 4.9 8. Southwest 3.5 9. Other 4.3

Number of Flights Airline departures in the United States for 1992, in thousands:

Yearly Rank Airline Departures 1. Delta 1,010.1 2. American 931.1 3. USAir 916.4 4. United 720.6 5. Northwest 536.7 6. Continental 481.1 7. Southwest 438.2 8. TWA 272.5

Airline Employees Average annual number of airline employees in 1992, in thousands:

Yearly Rank Airline Employees 1. American 91.2 2. Delta 79.2 3. United 78.6 4. USAir 45.7 5. Northwest 44.7 6. Continental 35.0 7. TWA 27.8 8. Southwest 11.0

Number of Aircraft Number of aircraft owned as of December, 1992:

Rank Airline Aircraft 1. American 672 2. Delta 554 3. United 536 4. USAir 450 5. Northwest 366 6. Continantal 324 7. TWA 176 8. Southwest 141

Industry Wages Wages paid by U.S.-based international, national and regional airlines, which account for 96% of the commercial passenger industry, reached a plateau in the mid ‘80’s, then climbed an average of 2.8% per year. Average annual income of all airline employees, in thousands of dollars: Year / Amount 1993: 53.7* * average salary paid as of June, 1993 Source: Air Transport Assn.; Researched by ADAM S. BAUMAN / Los Angeles Times MAIN STORY: A1