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In this issue …
• Problem solved?
• Airlines jettison compassion, hoping it will lift earnings
• Unhappy endings: Avoid a sad vacation finale
• Troubled airline refunds nonrefundable ticket to unemployed passenger
• Granny and second-grader foil airport security — who’s next?
• How to reach yours truly
• Support this site
• Change your subscription
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FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Problem solved? In a summer filled with travel problems, it’s good to think about solutions from time to time. Like how to prevent a vacation disaster. How to find a missing reservation. And how to get a refund on a nonrefundable ticket. You can read all about these happy endings, and more, in this week’s newsletter.
Burning question … surprise minibar and water charges? Have you ever been charged for a minibar item or bottled water that you didn’t consume? What happened next? Did the hotel fix the problem — or insist you pay? Send me a note and please don’t forget to include your full name, city and occupation.
Get it. Daily. Want to get e-mail updates from this site daily instead of weekly. Why not sign up for my free daily update newsletter? Here are the details. (But you’ll want to keep this subscription, otherwise you’ll miss half the fun!)
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BLAZIN’ HOT BLOG POST | What’s burning up my bandwidth this week?
Airlines jettison compassion, hoping it will lift earnings — The so-called “flat-tire rule” that allows airlines to rebook passengers who are delayed for reasons beyond their control went flat last year. But now there’s evidence that the proverbial wheels have come off this plane. (From Elliott Blog) JOIN THE DISCUSSION — leave your comment!
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SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
No reservation in Las Vegas — Mary Jane Prough reserves a room in Las Vegas through Hotwire.com. But the resort she’s supposed to stay at has never heard of her, and she’s sent to a different hotel that’s out in the boondocks. What is Prough owed for the reservations snafu? (From The Troubleshooter)
Unhappy endings: Avoid a sad vacation finale — Oh, the terrible things we come home to from vacation. While everyone else seems obsessed with how we will — or won’t — spend our summer, does anyone care what happens when it’s over? Well, I do. (From MSNBC.com)
8 tips for countering a blog attack on your business — While blogging gets a lot of positive press these days, it also has a dark side. There are bloggers out there who can be mean-spirited, uninformed, and partisan cyber-thugs who attack your company for no apparent reason. (From Microsoft.com)
Do you really need to offer lots of payment options? — Does your small-business e-commerce site need to accept a full range of credit cards? Or can it get by with simply a payment system such as PayPal? (From Microsoft.com)
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BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Hilton raises room rate after confirming price in writing — now what? — What if your hotel jacks up the price of your room after you’ve received a written confirmation? If it’s a too-good-to-be-true rate, like a fat-finger fare, you’re outta luck. But how about if it’s a legit booking? (From Elliott Blog)
Troubled airline refunds nonrefundable ticket to unemployed passenger — Here’s something you don’t see every day. A deeply troubled airline with a reputation for rigidly enforcing its nonrefundability rules has issued a full refund to a recently-unemployed passenger. Has the carrier found its heart? (From Elliott Blog)
Did we say dollar? We meant euro — Back in the day of dollar/euro parity, it didn’t make much of a difference which currency you paid with when you were on vacation. But with one euro now fetching a mind-boggling $1.55 (this chart tells the whole unfortunate story) the way you pay could make a huge difference to your bottom line. (From Elliott Blog)
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ON TRIPSO | Blog postings from the last honest travel site.
Los Angeles airport employees plan march to protest bad service — Airline passengers complaining about bad service? Yawn. But when airport employees plan a march on a major airport to protest bad service — well, that kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. (From Tripso)
Another worthless passenger bill of rights heads to the runway — Another worthless airline passengers’ bill of rights has been introduced in Congress. The bill, called the Air Service Improvement Act of 2008 would require airlines to file contingency plans with the government on how to handle delays and cancellations. (From Tripso)
For cruisers, winter vomiting virus makes a rare summer appearance — Looks like the winter vomiting virus is making a rare summer appearance. A suspected norovirus infection is said to have afflicted 112 passengers on a Holland America Alaska cruise last week. It’s one of three off-season outbreaks that have plagued the cruise industry. (From Tripso)
Granny and second-grader foil airport security — who’s next? — Airport security must be some kind of joke. How else do you explain two recent embarrassing security breaches at America’s post-9/11 airports? (From Tripso)
Renting a car? Look out for gas thieves — With gas prices pushing $5 a gallon in some parts of the country, it was only a matter of time before gas thieves became a problem. And they have — particularly for people who rent cars and trucks. (From Tripso)
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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:
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