July 24, 2007

ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
First aid for travel
July 24, 2007

The truth about travel this summer. When it comes to summer travel, it sure seems as if the experts are singing from the same hymnal. Things have never been worse, they claim, and maybe you should just stay home. But in this issue of Elliott’s E-Mail, I look at the numbers and find that the industry’s talking heads might be on the wrong page. Airfares are low. The nation’s roads have never been safer. And the future looks pretty bright. This week, I bring you the truth about summer travel. Can you handle it?

» Read this week’s newsletter online.

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

Burning question … What should the travel industry “allow” you do? Airlines don’t let you change the name on a ticket. Hotels won’t waive resort fees, even if you don’t use all the facilities. Car rental companies charge you more for bringing your vehicle back early. Of course, it shouldn’t be this way. What are your thoughts on the issue? What other things should the travel industry let you do — but doesn’t. Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).

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SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline

Help! Our suite is swamped — Linda Cohn’s room at the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort is waterlogged in the wake of a hurricane. She checks into another hotel with the understanding that she’ll get back the loyalty points that she used to pay for her visit. Nine months later, the loyalty points are still missing. What gives? (From The Troubleshooter)

Terminals of the future — When optimists talk about the airport of tomorrow, they describe something straight out of an episode of The Jetsons – sleek, fully automated and efficient. But when today’s air travelers ponder their next flight, they’re more likely to describe something that belongs in another 1960s TV show: Batman. Claustrophobia-inducing. Ineffective. Disorganized. They’re both right. (From MSNBC.com)

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.

BLOGGED | New posts on Ellipses

Good news: U.S. roads are safer than ever — Let us turn our attention away from the troubled skies for just one minute. The Transportation Department has just reported the lowest highway fatality rate ever recorded in 2006 and the largest drop in total deaths in 15 years. (From Ellipses)

How to get rid of long airport lines — You don’t have to set foot in an airport terminal to know how challenging air travel has become this summer. Just turn on your radio, TV, or click on your favorite blog. Describing the hardships of flying is easy. Solving them is difficult, if not impossible. But one company has come up with a clever solution that deserves attention. (From Ellipses)

Flying somewhere? Check out these numbers (but don’t panic) — I’m getting a little weary of all the stories about how flying is so unbearable this summer, about how maybe we should just stay at home and lock the door. The numbers tell a different — and slightly more complicated — story. (From Ellipses)

Virgin America’s promise: no talking to India — One of the most common complaints I get from airline customers is, “I had to talk to India” — meaning that when they phoned a carrier, they were connected to an outsourced call center in a place like India or the Philippines. But Virgin America, which began selling tickets this morning and is expected to take off next month, is promising a break from the past. All of its phone agents will all be “home grown,” according to a representative. (From Ellipses)

Marriott to offer free Wi-Fi in hotel lobbies — A few days ago I complained about hotels and airports that charge extra for a wireless connection. But it seems at least one hotel chain is listening to its customers. Next week, five Marriott brands — Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites — are expected to eliminate Wi-Fi charges for guests in lobbies and other public areas. (From Ellipses)

Pricey airfares? Not this summer — Get ready for another summer of packed flights, soaring airfares and record delays. How many times have you read that lead — or one just like it — in the recent past? Well, don’t believe everything you read. As I recently noted, the jury is still out on the record delays claim. Packed flights, I’ll give you. Soaring airfares? No way. (From Ellipses)

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

FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives

Getting the facts all wrong. More stories about urban myths, travel and lies

Lies, urban myths and airport standard time — Can technology lie? If you travel, you bet. Two recent reports that airport clocks had been set up to ten minutes faster in order to corral passengers to their departure gate early made that abundantly clear. In the wrong hands, even seemingly incorruptible technology can be manipulated to mislead us. (From The Travel Technologist)

Lie, lies, lies — I can’t think of any other business that lies to its customers — and itself — more often than the travel industry. It has only become worse with the Internet, where postings spread faster than an oil slick, regardless of whether they’re fact or fiction. (From Ellipses)

Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by the Alaska Travelgram, which gives you the inside scoop on Alaska, with information on activities, accommodations, hot air fare deals and secret insider tips — from the folks who live there. Subscribe here. It’s free.

POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photo blog

Kitty cat germs! — Castor tries to give Erysse a cat kiss. Yeeeech! Cat germs!

Ready for a boat ride — Erysse dons a life vest for a boat ride through the canals of Winter Park, Fla. She spent the day with Oma and her brothers. The shopping was pretty good …

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Elliott’s E-Mail is published 50 times a year by Christopher Elliott. (c) 2007 Christopher Elliott.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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