It’s common knowledge that a lot of folks in the travel industry, from the airport skycap to the hotel concierge, have their hands stuck in the “out” position, expecting a tip from you. What’s not as well covered by the travel media and travel blogs, is the how people in the travel industry often do the same thing to each other
October 2006
When I talk about my work, I have a tendency to sound detached and clinical about it. Some even say that our unofficial motto at the Population Council should be, “We make sex boring.” But that’s not true when I travel.
United Airlines today said it has increased fares by $6 per round trip on certain flights, citing higher fuel costs. American Airlines and bankrupt Delta Air Lines matched the move.
I’ve been critical of TripAdvisor, the site that let’s you “rate” resorts, in the past. Despite the company’s best efforts, its reviews are easy to manipulate by hotels, making them difficult to trust. But yesterday, TripAdvisor did right in my book by releasing its TripAdvisor Travelcast poll.
The daily rate for a rental car in San Francisco looks almost too good to be true on the Hertz Web site. And it is. When Chris Chiang tries to pick up the car, a rental agent hands him a contract that asks him to pay double the price for the vehicle. What should he do?
There is only one thing I can think of that would make conditions on the Thomson Destiny, which has been without working toilets for the last three days, any worse: an outbreak of the Norwalk virus.
When I was a frequent business traveler, I developed what some people might consider an odd pastime: I recorded the tail numbers on planes.
The Fairmont Washington knows Andrew Breslow’s room preference, his fondness for foam pillows and his favorite cocktail: Jack Daniels with club soda. But that is not why Mr. Breslow, a tax lawyer from Southlake, Tex., likes to check into the hotel on his extended business trips to Washington.
These are strange times to be a passenger in a taxi. During the last month, several reports of cab drivers refusing to transport passengers have made headlines. Among their reasons for turning down a fare: travelers were carrying alcohol, had a seeing-eye dog, or were transgendered (all of which apparently offended the religious sensibilities of the drivers).
Have the travel industry’s watchdogs slumbered off once again? Are the travel bloggers who are stumbling all over themselves to document every airline, cruise and hotel non-trend missing the real story? Reader Janice Hough — and others like her, I’m sure — want to know.
Restaurant guide Zagat is not exactly known for its consumer journalism. So I was surprised to read an astonishingly well-written feature on surprise restaurant surcharges on its Web site this morning. If your eat at restaurants, you should check it out.
His rental car is in immaculate shape when Don Jancauskas returns it to the Denver airport. But almost three months later, Dollar Rent A Car claims he badly damaged it, and demands $1,061. The evidence that Jancauskas did it is flimsy. So why isn’t Dollar backing down?
They say that the ultimate toy for corporate titans is a private jet. It’s no different for rock stars. If you’ve got a big name, you want your own plane. I’ve been traveling on assignment with music stars for 25 years, and much has changed in how they travel on concert tours. For more and [...]
When you have a complaint about airline service, the U.S. government can be one of your most effective allies. And I’m not necessarily talking about its popular brochure, Fly Rights, which is a must-read for anyone who travels.
Another cruise ship passenger has gone missing, this time from a NCL ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles. A Los Angeles TV station reported that a woman fell or jumped off the Norwegian Star in Mexican waters as it headed toward Los Angeles. However, she wasn’t reported missing until the vessel docked in the United States, according to the FBI.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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