A sincere apology to the sadomasochistic sharks who practice bondage

February 8, 2010

Now there’s a headline I never thought I’d write.

In one short week, it seems I’ve offended sadomasochists and great white sharks with my commentary. I feel an apology is in order.
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Hotel fees that must die — and how to kill them

February 7, 2010

Resort fees. Mandatory tips. Concierge surcharges.

If you’ve stayed at a hotel in the last few years, you’ve become accustomed — if not anesthetized — to these annoying extras. You expect them. You’re indifferent to them when they appear on your bill.

You shouldn’t be.
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11 comments

When travel companies sue their customers

When a young woman named Carissa knocked at my door on a recent Saturday evening and introduced herself as a process server, I knew things were about to get interesting. And when I read the civil action summons she handed me, I was intrigued.

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An Australia tour that wasn’t meant to be

First her flight is canceled. Then she misses another flight after her bus breaks down. Finally, Rebecca Canter decides to cancel her Australia tour. But her tour operator refuses her request for a refund. Can it do that?

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Should British Airways follow its own ticket rules? It’s not brain surgery — oh wait, it is brain surgery

If you’re holding a nonrefundable airline ticket, the rules are clear: You can get credit, valid for a year from the date of your booking, by informing the airline before your trip. That’s what British Airways’ ticket rules say.

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What’s new on Elliott: Ticket rules and brain surgery, wrong car rental bill and trouble with the TSA in Orlando

Are ticket changes harder than brain surgery? Plus, Enterprise sends someone the wrong bill and Delta waives a fee (yes, this is news).

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Oops! Enterprise Rent-A-Car sends customer the wrong bill

Here’s a problem that would seem easy to fix on paper, but is much more difficult in practice: Last summer, Anthony Buono began getting bills from Enterprise for toll violations. Bills he didn’t recognize. And for good reason — they weren’t his.

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What the heck is going on with the TSA in Orlando?

Maybe there’s something in the water in Orlando, but the Transportation Security Administration just can’t stay out of the news there.

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Passenger “blown away” after Delta Air Lines waives $30 mileage transfer fee

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this story. In the olden days — before “no waivers, no favors” — fees were routinely overlooked by helpful ticket agents. But in the era of ancillary revenues, where airline employees are evaluated based on the amount of money they collect from passengers, even a few dollars can be cause for celebration.

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“I am fearful I will lose the money we worked so hard to save”

Michele Keller was all set to take a dream vacation to the Dominican Republic through Apple Vacations last year, when her significant other fell ill. After he took an unexpected turn for the worse, she learned that the insurance on her vacation didn’t cover her the way she though it would. Now she’s holding a voucher for a vacation she’s never likely to use.

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What’s new on Elliott: Boosting your online power, fare errors, are travel clubs worth the money?

How to boost your online power when you travel. Plus, tips for avoiding fare errors and are travel clubs worth the money?

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Is Spirit Airlines’ $9 Fare Club worth the money? Can I get my money back if it isn’t?

I take a dim view of travel clubs that charge an annual fee for access to special prices. Typically, these schemes only benefit the company offering them. But is Spirit Airlines’ $9 Fare Club in the same category?

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10 questions most frequently asked by travelers

David Harm is worried about his wife’s ticket to Omsk, Russia. When he made her reservation through Aeroflot’s Web site, his finger slipped — “I hit the ‘L’ key instead of the ‘K’ key” — and misspelled his wife’s last name (“Slirtenko” instead of “Skirtenko”).

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Should airlines honor low fares that are obvious mistakes?

Royce Smith planned to visit Sydney during spring break to attend an arts festival and work on a book, when he found an unbelievably good fare on American Airlines’ Web site: A round-trip ticket from Wichita to Sydney for just $1,198. In first class.

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A canceled flight … so where’s my refund?

Nallan Chari’s flight is canceled, but his online agency is dragging its feet on a refund. The reason? The airlines involved, including Continental Airlines and Jet Airways, haven’t sent the money to the agency yet. How much longer should Chari wait?

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