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ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
The Last Honest Travel Newsletter
http://www.elliott.org

August 13, 2001

> Inside

* This Week: Are the Airlines Playing 'Survivor'?
* Censored: When the Shark Bites
* Would You Lie for a Cheap Fare?
* Ta-ta, Travel Technologist? Not Quite
* Ticked.com Returns!
* Mad as Hell
* Adding Padding
* Blocking Cellular Calls
* Ticked Off?
* Riley: Women Only?
* Nelson: Bumped - Now What?
* Perkins: Open Jaws Can Smile for You

> This Week in Travel

** Are the Airlines Playing 'Survivor'?
American Airlines held a rare one-day ticket sale last week. So did Continental Airlines. United Airlines also slashed its fares, lifted Saturday-night stay restrictions to eight destinations. Delta, Southwest and Northwest, have already pared prices. And, of course, US Airways is practically giving away seats. This is good news for passengers but it doesn't bode well for the carriers. In fact, many industry observers are baffled by the fare cuts, wondering how it could all end. Do the airlines have a death wish? Do they fancy themselves as 'Survivor' contestants, waiting for the next player to drop out? Is this what they mean by airline "consolidation"? More important, when the economy swings back, will travelers be better or worse off? - CE

> Censored from the Sunday Travel Section

** When the Shark Bites
Here's a company you're not likely to read about in your Sunday travel section: HotelShark (http://www.hotelshark.com) is a maverick Web site that runs guest reviews with teeth. "This high-limit table loses for imperfect housekeeping and leaky shower doors," it raves about the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. "The hotel's neighborhood becomes a prostitution zone at night," it complains of the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. HotelShark is a no-nonsense, no-frills Web site with no discernable business model - just like almost everything else online that's worthwhile. It doesn't participate in affiliate programs offered by Expedia, Travelocity and other online agencies, because its says, "Such programs create unnatural incentives to review hotels positively." Eat your heart out, Zagat.

> By the Way

** Would You Lie for a Cheap Fare?
Last week United Airlines decided to suspend some of its Saturday-night stay restrictions in an effort to lure business travelers back. But if all goes back to the way it was - and if airlines fail to enact ticket reform - would you be willing to lie about your itinerary in order to use a cheaper back-to-back ticket? That's this week's question. Send your responses to feedback@elliott.org and please include your full name, city and contact information.

** Ta-ta, Travel Technologist? Not Quite
Effective Oct. 1, the Travel Technologist is being re-launched as a syndicated feature about gadgets on the go. It will include tips, ideas and helpful advice on technology for leisure travelers as well as business travelers. If you're a content developer and are interested in syndicating the new Travel Technologist column, drop us a note at syndicate@elliott.org and ask about our pre-release special.

** Ticked.com Returns!
Only three more weeks until the return of Ticked.com. The staff is tanned, rested and ready for another year of can't-miss travel commentary. Look for the return of Terry Riley, Charlie Leocha and yours truly as Ticked.com starts its third season on the Web.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Give Us Dirty Laundry
Got dirty laundry? Skip a hotel's laundry services and visit a Laundromat. Hotel laundry services are typically priced 80 to 90 percent over what you'd pay for outside dry cleaning. Do the ironing yourself and you can save on pressing. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org.

> Our Sponsors

** SmarterLiving's "Guides to Travel"
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How to Book a Flight: http://rd.SmarterLiving.com/flightguide How to Book a Hotel: http://rd.SmarterLiving.com/hotelguide

** Readers Like You
If you care about quality travel industry coverage and want to support the leading consumer advocacy Web site, you can become an underwriter, too. It's easy, it's painless and it's totally anonymous. Just click on http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P34Z3D2F0Z734N for details.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Mad as Hell
What ticks you off about technology when you travel? Is it those surprise hotel phone surcharges that no one told you about when you checked in? How about your crash-prone computer operating system? Maybe it's your crappy cell phone? You know. But do you know what your fellow road warriors think? If you're interested - and don't lie to me, I know you are - then skip those statistically meaningless polls and ignore the tidy sound bites delivered by the overpaid analysts in cheap suits. Just click through this column's archives. A pointless exercise? Not if you want to have a better trip. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/mad.htm

** Adding Padding
Hollywood television producer Ed Shaw recalls his days as a corporate traveler, when he jetted between Los Angeles and New York regularly, with an uneasy mix of nostalgia and dread. "One time," he remembers, "I flew in to New York to visit Anthony Quinn. And we were in his hotel room at four in the morning, and he says, 'Aren't you hungry?' And I say, 'Well, yeah, I guess.' And he orders four cheeseburgers from room service." Shaw's weight ballooned accordingly. From the archives of The Travel Critic at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/fat.htm

** Blocking Cellular Calls
If you're really annoyed with cell phone users around you, why not do what Jim Klein recently did. He wrote to the Travel Troubleshooter and asked him how to build an 800 MHz jammer. How do you get a schematic for such a device? And, most important, is it legal? The Travel Troubleshooter investigates. (As part of a rebranding initiative, the column formerly known as "Ask Chris" will be renamed "Travel Troubleshooter" this fall. It is also being syndicated.) For the full story, click on http://elliott.org/ask/2000/crtraincell2.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Ticked Off?
So is commentator Christopher Elliott, whose weekly audio feature explores the things that makes frequent travelers angry - and what you can do about it. In Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/tickedoff.mp3

> Other Voices

** Riley: Women Only?
Citing female passengers who claim that it's too stressful to sit next to men, Skymark Airlines has set aside ten adjacent seats available only to women on some of its flights between Tokyo and Fukuoka, reports Terry Riley. Similarly, Airport Press reported that "a Japanese railway recently said it would start women-only night trains after complaints about unwanted attentions from male passengers." It wasn't clear if the "women-only" extended to the crew as well. Find out more at http://www.errtravel.com/archives/today.htm

** Nelson: Bumped - Now What?
Airlines consistently overbook their flights by at least twenty percent in order to compensate for the volume of "no-show" reservations. But what happens when all the confirmed passengers actually show up for the flight? Someone gets "bumped," and if that's you, what do you do? Find out. Click on http://airtravel.about.com/library/weekly/aa071501a.htm

** Perkins: Open Jaws Can Smile for You
Ed Perkins is always surprised at how many travelers seem unaware of the uses of "open jaw" airline tickets. If you want to visit two or more destinations that are distant from each other, an open jaw ticket can often save you the time and cost of doubling back to an originating city or destination. Get the details on this ticket-buying strategy at http://www.smarterliving.com/columns/ed/Open20010809.1.html

** Heard a Rumor? Got News?
If you've come across any interesting travel or technology-related news, let us know at Elliott's E-Mail. We'll check it out. Send a note to editor@elliott.org or call (410) 626-9618.

> Other Sponsors

** GreatCruises.com
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** AirJet Airline News
This issue of Elliott's E-Mail is also underwritten by AirJet Airline News, the largest electronic airline news magazine on the Internet. News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com/wire/

> Your Opinion Matters

Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Your opinion can make a difference. E-mail editor@elliott.org or call (410) 626-9618 with any comments, feedback or suggestions about anything in this newsletter. Your participation won't just make it a better service, but it could also improve travel.

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