We're sorry to see a budget airline that we've touted in the past fold as Vanguard Airlines did on July 30, but the bankruptcy was inevitable after being strong-armed out of markets by American Airlines and being twice rebuffed for federal loans. The question is, what to do with those tickets?
It's not clear at this point whether you'll be able to receive a refund directly from the airline; that'll be decided by the bankruptcy court, and it may take more than a month for that decision to be made. In the meantime, eight airlines have currently stepped up to honor those passengers left holding what could have been a worthless piece of paper (or e-mail, as the case may be). Delta and US Airways were the first to say that they would "re-accommodate" Vanguard customers. For all participating airlines, you will need to present your ticket or, in the case of e-tickets, the printed itinerary at the ticket counter of the alternate airline. In some cases, those airlines are charging an administrative fee. ATA is charging $100 or less, Spirit $75, Delta a flat $100 and America West is charging based on the original itinerary. Only Midwest Express has stated outright that they won't be charging extra fees. Most airlines have August 14, 2002 as the last date you can take advantage of their reticketing offers.
For those who can't take advantage of reticketing and can't get anyone from Vanguard on the horn, your best bet would be to contact your credit card company as soon as possible to make arrangements to dispute those charges.
For a list of airlines willing to accept Vanguard tickets, the conditions for reticketing and contact information, go to Vanguard's Web site at https://www.flyvanguard.com/home.asp.