Businesses won't honor US Airways vouchers Karen Ferrick-Roman, Times Staff 10/11/2004 Lou Mazza, manager of Fat Tuesday in the Airmall at Pittsburgh International Airport, pours a beer for a customer. The Times / Lucy Schaly FINDLAY TWP. - Some restaurants in Pittsburgh International Airport, afraid of getting stuck with the bills for US Airways customers, have stopped accepting meal vouchers given to travelers when US Airways flights are delayed. Fat Tuesday stopped accepting the vouchers in August or September, said Lou Mazza, restaurant manager. "The last time (US Airways) went bankrupt, we lost a good amount of money from them we didn't get back, so we're not going to let that happen again," Mazza said. "We're not here doing charity work. Advertisement "It's just one of those things. We're a small business, and we can't afford to lose hundreds, thousands of dollars." Mazza was unsure of the dollar amount Fat Tuesday lost when US Airways declared bankruptcy in 2002, but said it was substantial. "We learned our lesson," Mazza said. "We were hoping that when they came out (of bankruptcy), we'd get our money back eventually, but we never did." If, for instance, a flight carrying nearly 200 passengers to Las Vegas would be delayed for mechanical reasons, the airline would buy those passengers a lunch via the voucher system. If even half of those passengers went to Fat Tuesday, that would amount to a bill of $600 for lunch. US Airways has offered vouchers worth about $6 each for "a couple hundred meals a month" at the restaurant, Mazza said; the restaurant and the airline share a wing in the airport terminal. Mark Knight, president of BAA Pittsburgh, which operates Pittsburgh Airport's mall, said he was unsure if and how many restaurants were not accepting the vouchers. "It's certainly their business decision, based on their experience and decisions," Knight said. Charley's Steakery, which has two locations in the airport, is still taking the vouchers, but phone calls showed that McDonald's and TGI Friday's were not. TGI Friday's in Philadelphia, another US Airways stronghold, is still accepting the airline's vouchers there, a worker said. The airline will cover the vouchers issued since the bankruptcy on Sept. 12, said David Castelveter, US Airways spokesman. "The company has a legal obligation to satisfy that debt," he said. "If a vendor won't accept (the airline's vouchers), we will work with customers to make other arrangements." Roger EWROPS