Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Travel in the Age of Bankruptcy
Airlines can go bankrupt, so protect yourself by
buying your tickets with
a credit card,
as the Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees that you can get
your money back from the credit card company if a travel supplier goes
under (and if you request the refund within 60 days of the bankruptcy).
Travel insurance
can also help, but make sure it covers against “carrier
default” for your specific travel provider. And be aware that if a U.S. air-
line goes bust midtrip, a 2001 federal law requires other carriers to take
you to your destination (albeit on a space-available basis) for a fee of no
more than $25, provided you rebook within 60 days of the cancellation.
Services
(
&
312/726-1035
). Depend-
ing on the number of passengers and
whether you opt for a sedan or stretch
limo, the service will cost about $80 to
$130, including gratuity and tax.
With 1 week's notice,
CTA para-
transit
offers door-to-door lift services
to and from O'Hare for travelers with
disabilities. Visitors must be registered
with a similar program in their home
city. For information, call
&
312/
432-7025
or TTY 312/917-1338.
SAFE SEATS FOR KIDS
The practice of allowing children
younger than 2 to ride for free on a
parent's lap may be prohibited by the
time you read this. At press time the
FAA was writing a rule that would
require all children under 40 pounds
to have their own tickets and be
secured in a child seat.
All the major American airlines
except Delta now offer discounted
infant tickets for children 2 years of
age or younger, to make it more
affordable for you to reserve a separate
adjacent seat for your baby and a
restraining device.
(Most airlines require that an infant
be 2 weeks old to travel—bring a birth
certificate. American and Continental
only require that the child be 7 days
old. Alaska lets babies fly as soon as
they're born.)
For now, if a seat adjacent to yours
is available, your lap child can sit there
free of charge. When you check in, ask
if the flight is crowded. If it isn't,
and shops. Although it's smaller than
O'Hare and fewer airlines have routes
here, Midway is closer to the Loop
and you may be able to get a cheaper
fare flying into this airport. (Always
check fares flying into both airports if
you want to find the best deal.) The El
Orange Line extends to Midway, so
you can make it downtown in about
half an hour for $1.75. Please note
that the Orange Line stops operating
each night at about 11:30pm and
resumes service by 5am. Trains leave
the station every 6 to 15 minutes.
Most major car-rental companies have
counters at Midway as well.
You can find the latest information
on both airports at the city's Depart-
ment of Aviation website:
www.
ohare.com
.
Continental Airport Express
(
&
800/654-7871
or 312/454-7800;
www.airportexpress.com) serves most
first-class hotels in Chicago with its
blue-and-white Airport Express vans;
ticket counters are located at both air-
ports near the baggage claim (outside
Customs at the international terminal
at O'Hare). For transportation to the
airport, reserve a spot from one of the
hotels (check with the bell captain).
The cost is $21 one-way ($39 round-
trip) to or from O'Hare and $16 one-
way ($30 round-trip) to or from
Midway. The shuttles operate from
6am to 11:30pm. For limo service from
either O'Hare or Midway, call
Carey
Limousine of Chicago
(
&
773/
631-7200
), or
Chicago Limousine
