May 23, 2007

ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
First aid for travel
May 23, 2007

Just the thing for a bad air day. How bad will air travel get this summer? Two surveys — one by the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, which I blogged about last week, and the other by J.D. Power and Associates, which I write about this week — offer discouraging answers. But you don’t have to have a “bad air” day. Or week. In this week’s issue of Elliott’s E-Mail, I’ve got plenty of insightful news, commentary and tips designed to help you get through the summer. (And don’t forget to catch the next installment of my TV show, What You Get For The Money: Vacations, on the Fine Living TV Network.)

» Read this week’s newsletter online.

This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is 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.

FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel

Burning question … Have you flown on a small jet recently? They call them “regional jets” or “RJs” — smaller aircraft meant to serve short-haul routes. Been on one lately? What was it like? Was it comfortable — or cramped? Better than the big planes? Worse? Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).

Introducing Travel Cheat Sheets. Call it CSR 2.0. We’ve folded the CSR blog into a new section on the site called Travel Cheat Sheets. It contains new information on how to complain about a problem — and get what you deserve — plus unpublished contact information for key customer-service executives.

Get your feed fix now. If you receive blog or e-mail newsletter updates by RSS feed, please note that there’s a new address for this site’s feed. Here’s where to sign up. Note: the old feeds no longer work. (Don’t know what a “feed” is? Read this.)

SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline

Insurance claim denied — Because he’s traveling during hurricane season, Al Cooper takes out an insurance policy for his Mexico vacation. It’s a good call. A few days later, Cooper is diagnosed with cancer and has to cancel his trip. But now his insurance company, Access America, refuses to honor his claim. What gives? (From The Troubleshooter)

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.

BLOGGED | New posts on Ellipses

Left behind — Oh, the things we fail to pack. Since travel season is just around the corner, I thought a reminder of our forgetful ways might be useful. But first, an admission: I overlook things all the time. Once, I even neglected to pack underwear. Yes, it’s true. You can read all about it here. (From Ellipses)

Worst airports? The envelope, please — The latest North America Airport Satisfaction study is out from J.D. Power and Associates, and the news is not good for air travelers. Bottom line: If you want a good vacation this summer, stay home. Customer service levels remained flat from last year, which wasn’t a very good year to begin with. From Ellipses)

Ramada Plaza Resorts ripoff? — There is no such thing as a free vacation. But at least one company — and who am I kidding, there’s probably a lot more of ‘em — would have you believe otherwise. Reader Marianne Ventruella recently came across one offer that’s so unbelievably suspect, I just had to write something about it. From Ellipses)

Fee alert: two for the road — Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the travel biz, you realize you haven’t seen it all. This week brings two fresh reports of evil surcharges in both the airline and hotel industry. As one of my readers said, caveat aviator. From Ellipses)

FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives

More on airports. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Five worst airports — No airport is perfect. Each one has its flaws, whether it’s Palm Beach International Airport’s confusing access roads, Juneau International Airport’s maddening fog or Las Vegas airport’s omnipresent cigarette smoke. From Power Trip)

Worst international airports — The good airports are easy to find. They pop up on every “best-of” list. They’re no secret. The bad ones? Well, that’s another story. No one I know of conducts “worst-of” polls. If they do, they’re not widely publicized. That’s a shame, because it’s these terminally awful terminals that you need to know about. From Power Trip)

POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photo blog

Magic Mike’s party — Aren and his buddy Tyler had a magic birthday party today (Aren turns five on Wednesday). Magic Mike showed him how to make a dog out of a balloon. How cool is that?

Name those kittens — Here are the two newest members of the Elliott clan. They’re red-spotted Bengals, and we’re adopting them in June. These babies are so new that we don’t even have names for them yet. What would you name them? Send us an e-mail with your suggestions!

Friends — Kyle, Aren and Tyler after graduating from pre-school. Hey guys, where’s the party?

Staring — Erysse patiently waits while her brother Aren graduates, giving her father time to take another artsy photo of his little girl.

The graduate — Aren gets his pre-school diploma from Lutheran Haven. Horray!

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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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