Call customer service at USAir and see if they know anything about it.

Your first hint this is a scam is that there is no "US Airlines" in the US. The company you think it is is [B]US Airways.[/B]

You can read a lot about this scam at http://www.fodors.com/community/air-travel/us-airlines-award-notificationscam.cfm

I just got one last week. It ended up in the recycle bin.

Bulk rate mail often has no markings on it (no postmark, etc.).

I didn't get any in mail, only in e-mail - several times!

Saw the long email chain about this last year. Got a similar invitation from US Airlines. Went to their event yesterday here in Portland OR with my wife. Turns out US Airlines is a marketing company that works with various travel buying clubs.

In this case, it was a company based in Charleston S.C. called Vacation Inspirations. They have a website (www.vacationinspirations.com)where you can get more detail on how they work, but, basically like Costco, they buy travel stuff (lodging, cruises, etc.) in bulk or at wholesale and then remarket it to their members (they claim to have 42,000) at a discount.

This is aimed at people who like to travel a lot and can afford it: there is an upfront fee of $7K-9K (depending on whether you sign up on the day of the event) to join and a $199 annual member fee! I don't travel a lot nor can afford that kind of fee but I suppose if you do travel and have the money, you might end up breaking even after 3-5 years depending on where, when and how often you use their discounts.

Of course, they are also betting that -- because of age, divorce, job loss or such -- you will not use your benefits extensively and so they will make more money. And conversely, there's no guarantee that they'll be around in five years either.

As for the free tickets, they can afford them because they generally get about 40% of the couples that come to the event to sign up -- so at just the one event we went to yesterday (and there were five of them), they signed up 3-4 couples at $7k each. If you do the math, they can afford to give tickets to the other half a dozen couples who like us, came and didn't sign.

There was no hard sell, no request for confidential data. They looked at our drivers license and a credit card when we came in but didn't retain the data. We left with a coupon that we need to mail in within 30 days to get vouchers for travel within the next year. (Yes, there are blackout dates.)

My wife wants to use them for a trip in September, and trust me, I will be sure to repost here and file a complaint with the state AG office if they are bogus but I'm thinking they probably are legit now that I understand how these guys make the money to pay for them.

My sense is the marketing part is intentionally confusing because they really don't want a lot of "lookie-lous" like us who are really only interested in the tickets.

Worst case, we spent two hours for nothing.

Kevkas,

I was wondering why you showed them your credit card and driver's license. That is a request for confidential data. Not trying to give you a hard time - just saying that sounds uncomfortable.

Cheers

>>>There was no hard sell, no request for confidential data. They looked at our drivers license and a credit card when we came in but didn't retain the data<<<

Since when is your DL and credit card not confidential?

>>>As for the free tickets<<<

The tickets aren't free if you are having to pay a membership fee and put down "up front" money.

The Better Business Bureau lists it as a scam.
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-04-22/bbb-warns-airline-ticket-scam

I received 1 today with the phone number 866-955-4102. I am in Florida supposed award notification final notice. 1st there is no US Airlines. You will book a trip and 100% will cancel beforehand. But everyone will make sure u attention the "timeshare meeting" which they say its not on the notice. The want to hold your reservation with 2 forms of ID Passport, license or SSI # which is to steal your identity. They do say we absolutely don't need a deposit or any credit card info. Yea by they will white u clean later. Consumer beware

The scam is still going. My wife called me at work the other day, excited because she received a notice in the mail from US Airlines telling her that she had just won free tickets but had to reserve the tickets right away or the offer would expire. Since I handle all our travel planning and arrangements, she does not keep up with these things, so she did at least check with me before calling them. It is scary how close she came to actually making the call and giving them the information. She is not dumb and not normally naive, but she almost fell for this scam.