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In this issue …
• They lie
• Angry flight attendant hurls beverages and snacks at passenger
• Discrimination takes an unexpected turn
• 7 tips for winning your travel insurance appeal
• Animals. Planes. Do the math.
• How to reach yours truly
• Support this site
• Change your subscription
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FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
They lie. Tired of being lied to? Then you’ll want to check out his week’s issue of Elliott’s E-Mail, because you’re in good company. There are stories and blog postings about lies and refunds, lies about the weather, lies about airline mergers and lies about foreign exchange fees. I’m not lying. Happy travels!
Burning question … Don’t do it? What should you NEVER do when you’re traveling? You’ve heard that it’s a bad idea to order coffee on planes (they use tap water from the less-than-clean tanks). But what other things would you advise your fellow travelers to avoid when you’re on the road? Send me a note and please don’t forget to include your full name, city and occupation.
I love you! If you run a blog or Web site, let’s link to each other. Just send me a note. If you’re on Digg, Reddit or Stumbleupon, please bookmark the stories you find interesting, and connect with me (I’ll link to your stories, too!). Let’s put the power of social networking to good use for travelers.
Last week for ExpertFlyer offer. Remember ExpertFlyer, the cool subscription service for frequent fliers I recently wrote about? The special offer for readers of this site is valid for one more week, so don’t wait. Either sign up for a 15 percent discount using the coupon code GUCFOGAQ. Or you can give ExpertFlyer to a friend or loved one here. The gift certificate is for one full year of premium service (normally costing $99, which is a $20 discount from the monthly premium membership price of $120 a year). So you get a double discount when using the coupon.
BLAZIN’ HOT BLOG POST | What’s burning up my bandwidth this week?
Angry flight attendant hurls beverages and snacks at passenger — Anyone who is looking for evidence that airline employee morale leaves something to be desired should have been on a recent American Airlines flight from Albuquerque to Dallas. That’s where the following episode of Flight Attendants Gone Wild took place, according to passenger Jon Buschman. (From Elliott Blog) JOIN THE DISCUSSION — leave your comment!
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
The check is not in the mail — A Days Inn property offers a Roman Catholic priest a tax refund. No, that’s not the opening line of a joke — unless playing phone tag and hearing excuses is funny to you. It isn’t funny to Father William Mary Morgenstern, who is just trying to get his $42 back from the hotel. But is anyone listening to him? (From The Troubleshooter)
Discrimination takes an unexpected turn — Travel and discrimination have practically been synonymous since 9/11. As a group, travelers seem to condone some of it, as long as it prevents the next terrorist attack. Now, the toxin of discrimination appears to have spread to other parts of the travel industry that have nothing to do with protecting the nation’s transportation infrastructure. (From MSNBC.com)
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BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Ask the Armchair Traveler: how do I get a cheap airfare? — Many Web sites promise the cheapest airfares. Only three actually deliver, in the humble opinion of The Armchair Traveler. Find out which ones made the cut. (From Elliott Blog)
Foreign exchange confusion: “The merchants lied” — It is one of the great mysteries of international travel: What kind of exchange rate did I get for my credit card transaction? Despite a recent court settlement — or maybe because of the settlement — travelers seem to be more confused than ever about what their cards are charging when they cross the border. Reader Holly Henson is among them. (From Elliott Blog)
So you’ve won a small claims case against an airline — now what? — As anyone who has won a case in small claims court against an airline knows, it’s not that hard to get a judge to side with you. It’s collecting from an airline that’s virtually impossible. But readers of this blog are familiar with Linda Sesa’s case against US Airways. And guess what? She just got a check. (From Elliott Blog)
7 tips for winning your travel insurance appeal — If your travel insurance claim has been denied, don’t worry. There’s hope. But don’t take it from me. As I noted in a recent story, most appeals are successful, according to experts. And one expert, John Cook of the Quotewright blog, has told me how it’s done. (From Elliott Blog)
Forensic meteorologist: “I believe bad weather is being used as an excuse” — Do airlines lie about their weather delays? Not only is the answer “yes” as I suggested in a recent column, but the airline industry almost always gets away with it. There’s no formal audit of weather delays by any government agency; the Transportation Department basically takes the airlines at their word. But not if Howie Altschule has something to say about it. (From Elliott Blog) HOT POST!
Mandarin-speaking Shatner gets Priceline’s “no fee” sidekick — Captain Kirk sure gets around. As part of the 10th anniversary of his gig as a Priceline spokesman, the online travel agency is airing several new TV ads, including one in which William Shatner chats in Mandarin. The spots also underscore the fact that Priceline no longer charges booking fees by introducing No Fee, a taciturn sidekick who likes to rough up bargain-hunters. (From Elliott Blog)
Yikes! Rumored merger could create world’s worst airline — So Delta Air Lines is reportedly looking to get hitched. Again. Is anyone surprised? The front-runners include United Airlines and Northwest Airlines, if news reports are to be believed (they’ve been dead wrong many, many times, so take it for what it’s worth). But what hasn’t been widely reported is that if any of these airline marriages happen, they could create the world’s least favorite airline. (From Elliott Blog)
Disturbing video: why luggage locks are completely useless — Throw out your luggage locks. After watching this disturbing video, you’ll see how useless they are against a simple trick for getting in and out of your checked luggage quickly. Worst of all, you won’t know your bag has been pilfered until after you’re at the hotel, by which time filing a lost-luggage claim would probably be impractical. (From Elliott Blog)
Is Newark Liberty International Airport infested with rats? — Last week, it was mice on a plane. This week, is it rats in the terminal? I just received e-mail from passenger John Murdoch, who is waiting for a flight this morning at Newark Liberty International Airport, and it seems he has some unwanted company. (From Elliott Blog)
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FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
Animals. Planes. A bad combination? Oh, yeah.
Pets on planes? — Tyler likes to travel. Cecily doesn’t. But the long-haired cats didn’t have a choice in the matter when their owner, Carol Cassara, took a trip from San Francisco to Miami recently: The felines were flying along. (From The Travel Critic)
In the doghouse — Last week’s column suggesting that most pets don’t belong in aircraft cabins brought out the animal in some of you. (From The Travel Critic)
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TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
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