Zoom Airlines strands San Diego fliers

Another airline has quit flying without notice, stranding hundreds of passengers.  Among the losers are San Diego residents, who started enjoying their only nonstop service to London on June 20 when the small-budget carrier, Zoom Airlines, began flying twice a week to Gatwick (LGW).

Zoom, which served mainly Britain and Canada, halted flights Thursday. It is referring fliers to other carriers, posted on its website. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways say they are offering special fares to Zoom customers.

Coming on the heels of ATA and Aloha Airlines shutting down passenger service earlier this year, and the bankruptcy filing of Italy’s Alitalia this week, Zoom’s closure is a wakeup call for customers of small and financially troubled carriers, which have been hit hard by soaring fuel costs and falling business.

The best advice: Look before you book. Research your airline.  Don’t rely on travel insurance alone. Many insurers won’t issue policies for shaky companies, and the insurance you buy from the airline won’t cover you if it goes out of business.

Sharie Shipley, spokeswoman for San Diego International Airport (SAN), suggested that Zoom customers who charged their flights ask their credit-card companies for refunds. It’s a good first step.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Image: FlyZoom.com]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Airline travel, California, Frequent Flier, News, Tips & Advice, San Diego. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.