June 6, 2007

ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
First aid for travel
June 6, 2007

It’s the end of the world as you know it! Well, someone had to write that headline, because everyone was thinking it. What, with TB Andy now locked up in quarantine, the recently reported customer-service implosions and all those travel soothsayers saying the same thing they have every summer since airline deregulation — that it’s going to be the worst summer ever for air travel — how could you not feel that way? But read this week’s newsletter for a different perspective. Yeah, it’s still bad out there. But not as bad as they’re saying.

» Read this week’s newsletter online.

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

Burning question … Stupid travel rules. It isn’t really a question of “are there any stupid rules in the travel industry”? That’s a given. It’s more a question of “which rule is the stupidest?” There are so many to choose from! Don’t hold back. And please send me your stories of how you got stuck on the wrong end of that particular rule. Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).

Feedback needed on TV show. Maybe you’ve seen the first few episodes of What You Get For The Money: Vacations. (If you haven’t, you can catch it every Saturday at noon on the Fine Living TV network.) If you have, please consider letting the network know what you think of it. Here’s how to contact them.

SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline

Help, I trashed my voucher — The gift certificate from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts entitling Ann Mall’s daughter to a free night looks too good to be true, so she throws it away. But wait! It turns out that the voucher is legit — a gift from Mall’s son. Fairmont is balking at sending a replacement. Can this gift certificate be saved? (From The Troubleshooter)

Not so cheap clicks — High-pressure sales pitches used to be limited to slippery timeshare salesmen or telemarketers phoning at dinnertime with fraudulent free-vacation offers. Not anymore. Now travel websites — once low-key booking tools that passively displayed fares and rates — are learning the art of persuasion. And they’re proving to be quick studies. (From National Geographic Traveler)

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

Northwest’s stealth customer service initiative? — Is newly-solvent Northwest Airlines getting back into the customer service game? Maybe. Exhibit A: The latest customer complaints numbers released by the government. (From Ellipses)

Airline complaints up 77 percent — Buried in the latest government figures about the airline industry is one number that is bound to fill every air traveler with dread: Complaints are up an eye-popping 77 percent from a year ago. (From Ellipses)

Got luggage? Get to the airport extra early — Checking luggage on your next flight? Better get to the airport early. Very, very early. US Airways appears to have a new policy for domestic travelers who want to check luggage in one of 12 cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Philadelphia. Those customers must be there a full two hours before their flight leaves. (From Ellipses)

TB on planes! — Let us all take a deep breath. No one is dead — yet. Word that Andrew Speaker, a 31-year-old personal injury lawyer from Atlanta, carried a dangerous and drug-resistant form of Tuberculosis (TB) on Air France Flight 385 from Atlanta to Paris on May 12 is infecting the mainstream media and scaring air travelers worldwide.

(From Ellipses)

FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives

Flying sick. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. Let’s hit “rewind” for the details.

A pox on passengers — Does flying make you sick? Not the cargo-class seats or the C-ration meals, but the recycled, bone-dry cabin air. Does it make you ill-literally? (From The Travel Critic)

Sick ticket rules — My husband and I booked a flight on the Northwest Airlines Web site from Cincinnati to Harrisburg, Pa. A day or so before the trip, I contracted a terrible virus, and so did my husband. We were unable to travel due to extreme vomiting and diarrhea. We were also contagious. (From The Troubleshooter)

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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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