American may cut prices to keep planes full, particularly in anticipation of a slow January and February, but those are typical sale periods for the airlines. But the longer-term impact of an airline bankruptcy is higher ticket prices, not lower ones. As American uses this reorganization to get rid of many big, pricey, old planes, it may also cut their routes. 'With fewer planes in the sky and fewer seats, you may be forced to pay more,' said Mr Parsons. Q: Will flights be safe? Federal safety inspectors have stepped up their surveillance of American Airlines and American Eagle (also owned by AMR), according to the Federal Aviation Administration. 'The FAA acts swiftly to aggressively protect the safety of the traveling public any time an airline files for bankruptcy protection,' said a spokesperson for the agency. But there's no reason to believe that the bankruptcy filing of such a large airline would lead to safety problems. Q: Will the new American be better?