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E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

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October 26, 2004

Travel Industry Recovers - Finally
The nation's travel industry could be en route to its best year since 2001. Hotels are filling up. People are packing planes. Even Europeans are back, lured to the states by the cheap dollar. "In the post-9/11 world, everyone thought the sky was falling," said Carl Winston, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at San Diego State. "But in reality, the long-term health of this industry rises and falls with the economy." In that case, the economy must be improving. The Travel Industry Assn. of America will say in its annual forecast Friday that people will spend $592.6 billion on travel in the U.S. this year, up 6.9% from 2003. In fact, according to the forecast, for the first time since 2000, virtually every segment of the industry is seeing gains. " Los Angeles Times | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Profits Up 78 Percent At Hilton (AP/DJ)
• Airline Recovery Hampered By Fuel Costs (Reuters)

It's about time.

UK Rental Firms Profit From Speed
In a split second, I was caught driving too fast late at night on a quiet street. At 38mph in a 30mph speed limit in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, it was a fair cop - £60 and three points on my driving license. But the first I heard of it was in a letter from the vehicle hire company whose Vauxhall Corsa I had been driving. Incredibly, it stung me for a further £47 for the misdemeanor. There was no point complaining because the money had already been taken from my credit card. The sting was in the small print of the hire document. Sunday Mail | Posted 6:45 a.m.

TSA Hunts Down Newark Whistleblower
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration yesterday defended its ongoing probe into who leaked confidential reports about security problems at Newark Liberty International Airport. Saying the TSA normally does not confirm or deny such inquiries, TSA communications director Mark Hatfield said it has become "common knowledge" that internal affairs investigators are trying to determine who leaked information that showed airport screeners missed one in every four explosives or weapons in weekly tests this summer. The Star-Ledger obtained the reports and published the results in its Oct. 7 edition. Top TSA officials at Newark Airport have been warning subordinates they will be fired if they speak to the media about the airport's security problems. Star Ledger | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Keep Your Penis - He was Michael by day and Michelle by night. Our airline had hired him as a male and would not recognize his preference to be female until specific surgery was completed. Apparently, he was unsure of his commitment to go through with it, so he took some time to think it over. Even if it did interfere with the big picture, I can also imagine that he may have been a little more than sentimentally attached to the member in question. > All-new featured story from Travelcomment..com | Posted 7 a.m.

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Delta Gets Help From Amex - Delta Air Lines Inc. said Monday it has obtained up to $600 million in new financing as the struggling carrier seeks to avoid bankruptcy. Delta shares surged on the news, climbing 54 cents, or 16.7 percent, to close at $3.78 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. The Atlanta-based airline said it entered into an agreement with American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc. to provide the financing, subject to certain conditions. Free Press | Posted 7 a.m.

US Airways Asks For Even More Cuts - US Airways is demanding that 6,000 gate and reservations agents take permanent pay cuts of up to 35 percent. The airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection Sept. 12, says the new cost-saving proposals it has given the unions will help produce the $950 million a year in labor savings it needs to become a profitable low-cost carrier. Top salaries for those agents would drop from $43,600 to about $28,000 a year, according to union estimates. Tribune Review | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Frequent Guest? Buy a Room - Private investors are being given the chance to build their own mini-hotel chain as a new property investment opportunity goes nationwide. The scheme by GuestInvest, allows investors to 'buy' a room in a hotel and stay in it for up to 52 nights of the year. The hotel lets the room out for the remainder of the year and the revenue is split between the hotel and the investor. Daily Mail | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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