I saw an article in USA Today which tries to answer the question. The article says, that in some rare cases other airlines can honor the miles, but since most the the airlines that went bankrupt were small, it is most likely that the miles will be of no use. Frequent fliers (or business customers) might have better chance with other airlines, since other airlines might try to tap into their loyalty.
I did some research on the issue. Following are the frequent flier programs of the 3 prominent airlines that closed down their operations -
- Aloha Airlines - AlohaPass miles and Aloha AirAwards credit card
- ATA Airlines – ATA Travel Awards – They have terminated the program and all miles/points are void (Also check FA
- Skybus Airlines – None that I could find
Aloha Airlines (from FAQs here)
Q: Can I continue to use my Aloha AirAwards credit card?
A: Yes. Your AirAwards card is still good for all purchases.
Q: If I have already redeemed AlohaPass Miles for United Airlines travel and it has already been ticketed, is it valid?
A: Yes and we recommend you contact United Airlines at 1-800-UNITED1 to reconfirm your reservation.
Q: Can I continue to redeem AlohaPass miles after March 31, 2008?
A: No, after March 31, 2008, the program will expire.
Q: If I have already redeemed AlohaPass miles for a hotel stay or car rental, etc. is my travel award still valid?
A: Your award is no longer valid.
Q: If I booked travel on United Airlines through the Aloha Airlines Web site, will my travel still be honored by United?
A: Yes. If you have already been ticketed and we recommend you contact
United Airlines at 1-800-UNITED1 to reconfirm your reservation.
Q: What happens if I booked future travel on United Airlines using my AlohaPass miles is my reservation still valid?
A: Yes. If you have already been ticketed and we recommend you contact
United Airlines at 1-800-UNITED1 to reconfirm your reservation.
ATA (taken from FAQ at their website)
12. What happens to the points earned by ATA Travel Awards members?
ATA’s frequent flier program and all accumulated Travel Awards Points will be
canceled.
13. Is there still an option to convert ATA Travel Awards Points to Southwest
Rapid Rewards credits?
All Travel Awards Points will be canceled; therefore, there will be no Travel Awards
Points to convert.
Skybus (taken from their website)
“Passengers holding reservations for Skybus flights scheduled to depart
on or after Saturday, April 5, 2008 should contact their credit card
companies to arrange to apply for a refund. More information for
customers and others will be made available on the Skybus web site
(www.skybus.com) as it becomes available.”
