In this issue …
» Back to the future
» Double trouble
» Punish us, you naughty ticket agents
» Not another 9/11 retrospective
» Blue horizons
» How to reach yours truly
» Support this site
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is 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
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Back to the future! Web site redesigns can be such a headache. Take this e-mail newsletter, for example. I though condensing it to a text-only link would make it easier to access. But what do I know? Turns out a lot of you read Elliott’s E-Mail while you’re on the road. And for that, a full HTML-compatible version still works best. Happy to oblige. Thank you so much for your feedback, and please keep the comments coming.
Burning question … is your next hotel not a hotel? Whether you’re at an “extended stay” property, a condo, timeshare or roughing it on a friend’s sofa, it seems more and more of us are checking out of our hotels and into something else. Where do you prefer to stay when you travel? Have you checked out any hotel alternatives … and what do you think of them? Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
Old card, new rate — Nana Fosu books a room in Miami and gets a confirmation from her hotel. But just four days before her arrival, a manager from the hotel e-mails her with bad news: Her credit card has been declined and her reservation was canceled. Fosu offers a new credit card number but it’s too late. Rebooking will cost her an extra $1,130. Shouldn’t the hotel honor the first price? (From The Troubleshooter)
Double standards the travel industry must fix — No business, except maybe politics, is as two-faced as travel. There’s one set of rules for us, the customers. And there’s another set for them, the airlines, car rental companies, hotels and travel agencies. But it’s worse than that. (From MSNBC.com)
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!
BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Do you have to use the last leg of your flight? Here’s the surprising answer — A few years ago, airlines started phasing in software designed to catch passengers who didn’t use their entire ticket. Their “crime” was violating absurd airline tariff rules that say you have to use every segment of your flight. Violators were fined or had their miles confiscated. But what happens when the airline schedule doesn’t make sense? (From Elliott Blog)
Guess a Delta voucher number, get a free flight? — Are clever passengers picking random numbers to redeem flight vouchers through Delta Air Lines’ Web site? That’s the contention of one traveler who is stuck in a redemption nightmare from which their appears to be no easy way out. (From Elliott Blog)
Are ticket agents punishing passengers with extra screening? — No one wants to find a dreaded “SSSSSS” on their boarding pass, because it means they’ll be subjected to a once-over by TSA agents. The “selectee” designation is usually randomly generated by the airline, but a ticket agent can also add it manually. And they often do — especially if they don’t like you. (From Elliott Blog)
Warning: before traveling overseas, call your credit card company — Capital One gets high marks from tourists and travel experts like Arthur Frommer because it doesn’t charge the outrageous two percent foreign transaction fees that most other cards do. But if you have a Capital One card, you might want to call the company before you cross the border. Reader Jess Myers of Minneapolis didn’t — and soon found herself without a working card. (From Elliott Blog)
Airline complaints go through the roof — Looks like air travelers didn’t just sit there and take it this summer. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this morning that for the month of July, it received 1,717 complaints from consumers about airline service. That’s more than twice the number of passenger gripes recorded a year ago, and nearly 60 percent more than the previous month. This could be a record. (From Elliott Blog)
Shut up and fly the planes — The U.S. airline industry is embarking on a series of customer service initiatives meant to win back our business, if not our trust. But it doesn’t want to talk about it, two recent reports suggest. (From Elliott Blog)
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FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
Not another 9/11 retrospective. Sure, why not?
September 11, 2011 — The five-year anniversary of 9/11 is only a few days away, and while everyone else seems fixated on how the last five years have changed us, I think retrospectives are real yawnfests. A far more interesting question: What will it be like to travel on Sept. 11, 2011 — the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks? (From The Travel Critic)
Something for nothing — United Airlines wants $1.8 billion. US Airways is asking for $900 million and Amtrak needs $100 million. And who are they hitting up? You. (From Commentary)
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POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photoblog
A crabby encounter — Erysse hangs out with her new friend, a plastic crab, at Typhoon Lagoon at Disney World. It was a good day for pictures. Nice diffused light and subjects who enjoy their work.
Blue horizon — Iden tries to touch a dolphin at SeaWorld in Orlando. Note his reflection in the glass. I also liked the shades of blue in this shot. I had to push the ISO to 1600 to deal with the low light in the aquarium.
TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
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