In this issue …
» Lyin’, cheatin’ and stealin’
» Dirty secrets behind in-flight meals
» Oh no, they didn’t! Spirit uses naughty acronym for fare sale
» Food fight!
» At the Don
» How to reach yours truly
» Support this site
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is underwritten by Cheapflights.com, which lets you search and compare flights to find the lowest-priced airfare for your next trip. Get the details at Cheapflights.com.
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Lyin’, cheatin’ and stealin’. Ah, the things travelers must endure! The lies (fraudulent airline schedules). The cheating (a government that’s in the industry’s pocket). The stealing (cruise lines helping themselves to more of your money for “fuel”). But fortunately, I’m here to sort it all out for you. And to bring you brilliant insights on airline food, missed connections and hotel blogs. Details are in this week’s issue.
Burning question … What are the worst times of the year to travel — and how to avoid the crush? Are there any times of the year when you absolutely refuse to travel, either by air or car? We know the holidays are busy, but when else should you consider staying home. And how do you cope with the crowds when you have to go? Remember, the best story gets cool Skooba luggage. (More winners will be announced at the end of this month.) Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).
Get it before anyone else. You can receive all of the latest travel news and commentary first by connecting with me on Facebook. I post every new story, blog posting and newsletter to Facebook — often hours before it lands in your “in” box. (Note: You need a Facebook account, which is free, in order to access this information.)
It’s fundraiser time! This isn’t PBS or NPR, but we still rely on underwriters to pay the bills. And starting next week, it’s fundraising time at Elliott.org. If you believe in the mission of this site and want to support uncompromising, cutting-edge, quality travel journalism, then I invite you to join the cause. Get a jump on the crowd by becoming an underwriter today. Here’s how.
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
A missed connection to Hawaii — On her way from Dallas to Kauai, Marlene Kelley lands in Phoenix to find that her connecting flight to Hawaii has already left. But no one notified her about the schedule change, and now she and her husband are sent to Los Angeles to catch another flight to the islands. What does her airline and travel agent owe her for the runaround — specifically for the night she had to spend at an LAX hotel? (From The Troubleshooter)
Dirty secrets behind in-flight meals — Airline food. The very mention of those two words is enough to provoke a strong — and usually negative — reaction from any passenger. But let’s add another word. Good airline food. Laughing yet? Maybe not. (From MSNBC.com)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by FirstClassFlyer.com, the only tool you need to fly first class for the price of coach — or close to it. Looking for free and purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further than FirstClassFlyer.com
BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Has the government “ended” chronically delayed flights? — If you believe everything you read, you’ll welcome today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation that it has effectively ended the problem of chronically delayed flights. Following an investigation earlier this year that resulted in 183 frequently-delayed flights being written up by the DOT, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced that “tough scrutiny and a willingness to impose serious penalties have caused the airlines to correct these chronically delayed flights.” (From Elliott Blog)
Oh no, they didn’t! Spirit uses naughty acronym for fare sale — It turns out Spirit Airlines, the “ultra” low fare carrier that bloggers love to hate, is also ultra tasteless. Its latest fare promotion uses a naughty acronym — MILF — to get our attention. And that’s exactly what it’s done. (From Elliott Blog)
Cheatin’ airlines fudge departure times, says government — A just-released government report has found that when it comes to reporting their departure times, some airlines have been cheating. How’s that? If, for some reason, a flight has to return to the gate, carriers have been reporting the second departure — not the first — as their actual departure. (From Elliott Blog)
8 hotel blogs worth bookmarking in 2008 — Before you ask — no, I’m not in the business of rating blogs. But I’m a panelist at the Historic Hotels of America annual meeting at the Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., tomorrow, and have been asked to name some of the hotel bloggers that are worth following. (From Elliott Blog)
What airlines say about us when we’re not around — Ever wonder what airline employees say about us when our backs are turned? Then you probably would have wanted to be a fly on the wall at last month’s Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association (WACRA) conference in Bahrain. The theme of the conference, “Shifting Sands,” was telling in and of itself. But it gets better. Much, much better. (From Elliott Blog)
“We definitely feel we were ambushed by Royal Caribbean” — The latest round of fuel surcharges imposed on cruise passengers who have already paid for their tickets isn’t just morally wrong. It’s probably illegal, too. And at least one passenger has taken the fight against these surprise extras to a new level that could eventually help thousands of passengers get to cruise at the price they deserve. (From Elliott Blog)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by Priceline.com, the leading travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers. With both Name Your Own Price and everyday fixed low prices, no other travel service gives more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. No one does deals like Priceline.com!
FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
Food fight! More on the fare up there.
Bring your own T-bone — Flight attendants did a double-take when Richard Check and his business partner boarded a recent US Airways flight from Philadelphia with a carry-on meal.For good reason. Check had ordered a 24-ounce cowboy steak from Kansas City Prime, a Manayunk, Pa., restaurant. (From Power Trip)
Plane food worth paying for — Should you bring your own meal on your next airline trip – or buy it on the plane? Free food on shorter flights is gone. The major carriers eliminated their air fare in a recent cost-cutting effort, and not a moment too soon. Few people liked the in-flight meals to begin with. (From Power Trip)
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POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photoblog
Pink beach hotel — Here’s a nice shot of the Don in the morning. The kids like to call it the Pink Beach Hotel. Combining three shots at different exposures makes the hotel look almost … orange.
At the Don — Iden enjoys a stroll on the beach at the Don CeSar in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. Even though it’s December, it feels a lot like July here.
TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
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