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In this issue …
• Hello from Colorado!
• US Airways may be on time, but it’s falling apart — literally
• How to spot the travel industry’s eco-spin
• Florida Attorney General announces sellout “settlement” with Royal Caribbean
• The ski edition
• How to reach yours truly
• Support this site
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FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Hello from Colorado! This week’s newsletter comes to you from the southwestern corner of Colorado, where I’m on assignment for Skisnowboard.com. You can see pictures of Purgatory (the ski resort, not the place of temporal punishment) and later this week, read more about this must-see part of the country. Plus, I’ve got updates on the illegal cruise surcharges, a column on the greening of travel, and a brand new troubleshooter.
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BLAZIN’ HOT BLOG POST | What’s burning up my bandwidth this week?
US Airways may be on time, but it’s falling apart — literally — There’s good news and bad news today for what some have called America’s worst airline. US Airways recorded the best on-time performance among the 10 major American carriers for the month of January, which prompted it to pay out $1.8 million in employee bonuses and issue a self-congratulatory press release. But at about the same time, reports in the blogosphere started bubbling up that the airline was falling apart … literally. JOIN THE DISCUSSION — leave your comment!
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SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
AirTran, where is my refund? — When AirTran cancels Daniel Richards’ flight from Savannah, Ga., to Atlanta, a supervisor offers him two options: either rebook on a flight the next day or rent a car at the airline’s expense. Richards accepts the second offer, but now AirTran isn’t processing the reimbursement as promised. What can he do? (From The Troubleshooter)
How to spot the travel industry’s eco-spin — Travelers want to feel socially responsible — and the travel industry, true to character, is more than happy to take their money. Even if it’s doing nothing meaningful to help the environment. There’s a term for this clever repackaging of its polluting ways: greenwashing. (From MSNBC.com)
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BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Florida Attorney General announces sellout “settlement” with Royal Caribbean — Are the illegal fuel surcharges imposed by cruise lines about to be scuttled? Don’t hold your breath. Royal Caribbean today announced a settlement with Florida’s Attorney General to eliminate its controversial fuel surcharge for bookings made before Nov. 16 and to refund any fees already collected. Other major cruise lines are expected to follow. (From Elliott Blog)
What’s not to like about being in Purgatory? — Blue skies. Fresh snow. No crowds. It was the kind of day that locals take for granted but visitors dream of. It doesn’t get any better than this at Purgatory, where we’re on assignment for SkiSnowboard.com today. (From Elliott Blog)
Would you pay $200,576 for a 13-night cruise? — Royal Caribbean must think its customers are royally loaded. Or royally insane. How else do you explain the pricing of an inside cabin on a June 2 sailing of the Legend of the Seas for the princely sum of $200,576? (From Elliott Blog)
New Web site predicts flight delays and cancellations — There are Web sites that predict air fares, like Farecast, and sites that offer a weather prognosis, like Weather.com. But how about air traffic delays? Well, now there’s a new site, Delaycast, that answers the question: “Will my flight be delayed?” (From Elliott Blog)
Eco-scandal: American flies 777 to London with just five passengers — How many passengers can a Boeing 777 carry? If you answered about 300, then you must not fly on American Airlines. It recently operated a 777 from Chicago to London with only five passengers, an act that British environmentalists and lawmakers have called an “environmental crime.” (From Elliott Blog) HOT POST!
Dear AARP, please take a stand on the airline mergers — In an earlier blog posting, I wondered why membership organizations with large numbers of air travelers aren’t taking a stand against the coming wave of airline mergers. And so did Eric Voth, an AARP member who wrote to his organization to ask why it wasn’t using its considerable lobbying clout to block these corporate unions that would almost certainly hurt its constituents. You might be surprised by AARP’s answer. (From Elliott Blog)
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FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
The ski edition. A snowy retrospective.
Snow, surrealism surprise Le Massif skiers — Le Massif is the kind of winter resort that surprises you at every turn. Often, without even trying to. (From Destinations)
Surviving the ski trip from hell — My friend and I were scheduled to fly to Aspen, Colo., from Fort Lauderdale for a ski vacation recently. Our outbound flight to Denver boarded on time, but then we sat at the gate for more than an hour. (From The Troubleshooter)
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