Now that Rupert Murdoch has apparently been successful in acquiring Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal, travelers may well wonder if this will affect them — and if so, how? That may seem like a strange question. After all, how could a newspaper acquisition influence an entire industry? But it really isn’t.
From the monthly archives:
July 2007
Erysse met her grandfather today. She was fascinated by that shiny thing on his face called glasses. It looked like a fun toy.
What’s a reservation worth? It’s a simple question. But there’s no simple answer, unfortunately.
Beth Zukowski books six airline tickets on AirTran Airways through Expedia. The online agency charges her a booking fee and bills her for flight protection insurance, but fails to buy her tickets. The reason? Her credit card was declined, it says. But her credit card company disputes the story. Now AirTran wants her to pay more than $200 extra to buy new tickets. What should she do?
In 2004, the European Union adopted tough new airline passenger rights regulations, and ever since then, it seems that air carriers have been trying to reinterpret the law to their advantage. As a result, I’ve received more than my fair share of questions about the rule, called Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Aren swung by Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where he visited the temple near Everest. He’s thinking that with all these siblings, the life of a monk wouldn’t be such a bad thing. All that peace and quiet is good for the soul. If they could only do something about that rollercoaster.
It’s a blazing hot day at SeaWorld, and Aren looks longingly at the fountain, hoping some of the mist will drift his way. It was so warm that everyone called it a day early and headed back to the ranch in Winter Springs.
Iden gloats after landing a wet washrag on his sister. Erysse wasn’t as enthusiastic about the hit, and let the whole world know (hint: loud screams). It did little to wipe the grin off her brother’s face …
You’ve probably read this advice a hundred times this year: Stay away from Europe. It’s too expensive. But it’s not entirely correct, as my colleague Charlie Leocha pointed out in a recent column. And now there’s fresh evidence to support that claim.
Castor tries to give Erysse a cat kiss. Yeeeech! Cat germs!
Aren is tired. Dad wants to test out the new camera. He wants to sleep. And the kittens want to play.
The Transportation Security Administration has done it again. Earlier this summer it prevented a dangerous sippy cup from being carried on board a plane in Washington. This week, it stopped a 7-year-old Florida boy from boarding his flight because he’s on the no-fly list. It was his third attempt to get on a plane.
The ‘Hail Mary’ strategy — sending a FedEx letter to an executive — is probably my most controversial dispute-resolution tactic in my playbook. But when all else fails, an unorthodox approach to getting what you deserve from a travel company actually works. If you don’t believe me, consider David Wilson’s recent experience with a nonresponsive Delta Air Lines.
My friends at J.D. Power and Associates are out with their latest hotel ratings this morning, and the winner is … I have no idea.
ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
First aid for travel
July 24, 2007
The truth about travel this summer. When it comes to summer travel, it sure seems as if the experts are singing from the same hymnal. Things have never been worse, they claim, and maybe you should just stay home. But in this issue of Elliott’s E-Mail, I look at [...]
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