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• Maybe the Grinch flies in economy class?
• Grounded in ‘07
• When a travel god calls you a “mindless poseur” you better listen up
• Looking back
• How to reach yours truly
• Support this site
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is 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!
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Maybe the Grinch flies in economy class? OK, so my year-in-review column is not the feel-good article you were hoping for. Then again, it wasn’t the feel-good article I was hoping for, either. Still, this is is the season for hope. In this week’s issue, I’ve got stories and blog postings about how how travel was improved in small ways, whether it was a hotel booked through Hotwire, a promising new travel blog or a traveling Santa with a cause. And there’s more good news: I’m wrapping up my fundraiser this week (I can’t stand long fundraisers, anyway). Happy holidays!
Last chance to take a stand for travelers. This blog and its companion newsletter, Elliott’s E-Mail, is one of the last remaining efforts to produce honest, consumer-focused, truly useful travel journalism. Twice a year, I ask for your help to continue this important work. This is your last chance to become an underwriter in 2007. We’re randomly giving away cool BagRagz luggage covers, annual subscriptions to the award-winning Dream of Italy newsletter and the new 2008 Great Alaskan TourSaver.
How do you support this site? Here are the details, or go to Elliott.org and click on “support this site.”
Burning question … Your 2008 predictions? When it comes to travel, what do you expect for next year? More high gas prices and airline delays? Or better service and more affordable travel? 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).
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
No rain check from Hotwire — Jennifer Holland prepays for a hotel room on Hotwire.com. But a severe storm threatens to wash out her vacation. Holland wants the travel site to give her a rain check, but it won’t, insisting its rooms are nonrefundable. She checks in, but finds her room is unusable. What, if anything, does Hotwire owe her? (From The Troubleshooter)
Grounded in ‘07: Think it was a bad year for fliers only? Get your head out of the clouds — When you look back at the most important travel news of 2007, you might be tempted to start — and end — with the passenger rights revolution. Remember all those planes stranded on the tarmac on Valentine’s Day, the media feeding frenzy that followed and the ensuing, but as-yet unsuccessful, push to regulate U.S. airlines. But you’d be wrong. (From MSNBC.com)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by skoobadesign.com, designers and makers of some of the most acclaimed, innovative carrying cases and travel accessories for laptop computers and other tech gear. Skooba Design’s products have been named “best buy” by major independent consumer magazines, as well as leading technology, travel and general interest publications. Elliot’s E-Mail Subscribers get 20 percent off, plus free shipping (UPS Ground/48 States) on all Skooba Design orders of $50 or more. Just enter coupon code enter ELLIOTT20 at checkout. Some restrictions apply. Here are the details.
BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Major airlines rake in $1.9 billion in third-quarter profits, but is the party almost over? — The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has a report this morning that says passenger airlines enjoyed their most profitable third quarter in nearly a decade. The major carriers had profit margins of 8.8 percent, was a 3.4 percentage point improvement from a year ago. But can the good times last? Unlikely. (From Elliott Blog)
When a travel god calls you a “mindless poseur” you better listen up — When a travel deity like Arthur Frommer refers to you as a “mindless poseur” you should really pay attention. That’s what the guidebook god did on his blog yesterday, when he lashed out at the travel section of a major newspaper that, by way of full disclosure, I’ve written for a time or two. (From Elliott Blog)
And the hottest new travel blog is … — No, it isn’t a collection of so-so op-eds pretending to be a travel blog. The most promising newcomer to the travel blogosphere is — gasp! — a corporate blog written by the staff at Orbitz. The Orbitz Travel Blog debuted late yesterday, and I like this newcomer as much for what it is as for what it isn’t. (From Elliott Blog)
“This is the most bizarre action I have ever known an airline to take” — You don’t have to be a card-carrying frequent flier to know that when an airline loses your luggage, the odds of getting compensated are not good. That’s because its contract of carriage — the legal agreement between you and the airline — contains exceptions for everything from electronics to heirlooms. The best you can hope for is a check for a few hundred bucks to cover the clothing you lost, not the $3,000 maximum liability that’s advertised. But what if you didn’t check your bag? (From Elliott Blog)
Late, late, late flights: They’ve made a list — you should check it twice — Here’s an early Christmas present from our friends at the United States Department of Transportation. This morning, the government released a list of chronically late flights for the third quarter of 2007. Better check this one twice before your next trip, because a lot of airlines have been very, very naughty, if these numbers are to be believed. (From Elliott Blog)
Helping Santa dodge kids, strollers and flashing lights at MCO — This blog is all about helping readers, so when Grumpy Santa had a question about how to cope with the “kids who want to hang out with me” at Orlando International Airport, I felt that I had to come to the aid of not-so-jolly St. Nick. (From Elliott Blog)
How much abuse would you take for $38,900 a year? — Next time you have a complaint about airline service, take off your shoes and put on those of an airline customer service agent. And then walk a mile. The average agent in the United States earns about $39,000 a year, gets less than two weeks of training and lasts just six years, according to a survey by the Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association (WACRA), a trade group of airline customer relations professionals. (From Elliott Blog)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also 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.
FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
The New Year Looking back and looking ahead.
Living for dead week — Karen Patterson lives for dead week. The San Diego, CA, computer analyst waits until the holidays are over to find the best bargains. Her patience pays: The week immediately after New Year’s Day, also known as “dead week,” offers some of the most irresistible deals. (From The Travel Tightwad)
Travelers fret over Y2K — Will my plane fall out of the sky at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1? Is the elevator in my hotel room going to shoot through the roof? Will every traffic light stick on green? Panicked travelers want to know. (From The Travel Critic)
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
POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photoblog
Holiday photo — The kids pose for their Christmas photos. Kind of.
Sing with me! — Grandpa and Iden do their best rendition of “Deck the Halls.” Hard to get into the holiday spirit when it’s 80 degrees outside!
Orange grove — It’s harvest time in Clermont, Fla.
Pop-pop! — Erysse went orange picking with her grandfather today. They had a great time. She learned it’s better to peel an orange before you eat it.
TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Here’s how to be heard:
• Send me an e-mail. I’m at elliottdotorg on every major e-mail provider — AOL, Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo. I’m also reachable at the same e-mail address I’ve always had, of course.
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