• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

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

August 27, 2001

> Inside

* Thanks, Paul
* Do You Trust the DOT Numbers?
* Happy Labor Day
* Pssst! RyanAir is Better than Eurail
* Technology or Toiletries?
* Top Airport Annoyances
* Saturday Night's All Right
* Luggage Dilemma
* Tips and Tricks For Getting Cheaper Airfare

> This Week in Travel

** Thanks, Paul
No one ever accused a legendary travel journalist like Paul Grimes of mincing words. That's not the way they do things at The New York Times, where he spent most of his career, or even at Conde Nast Traveler, the magazine he helped create. So while the bluntness of the note at the bottom of his latest column took few by surprise, its content probably did. After 55 years in journalism, Grimes is retiring. In the spirit of his announcement, I will keep this commentary equally brief - except to say that Grimes was without a doubt the best in the business. He's a true role model and we'll miss him. This week I've made his final column for SmarterLiving the only one in "other voices." Here's wishing you a great retirement, Paul. - CE

> By the Way

** Do You Trust the DOT Numbers?
This week we're looking for your opinion on the U.S. Department of Transportation's on-time arrival and departure numbers for the major airlines, plus the figures release on involuntary bumping and other delays. Do you believe them? If so, why? If not, why? Send your thoughts to feedback@elliott.org and please include your full name, city and contact information.

** Happy Labor Day
Elliott's E-Mail isn't being published next week because of Labor Day. The next issue will be published Sept. 10, 2001.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Pssst! RyanAir is Better than Eurail
Reader Brooke Babcock wrote last week to remind us that in Europe, it's often cheaper to fly than to take the train. "I got flights on RyanAir (www.ryanair.com) from London to Stockholm and from Brussels to Edinburgh for less than $50 each," she says. "Amazing bargains they offer." You can also thank deregulation for that deal. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org.

> Our Sponsors

** Frugal Fun
Save thousands of dollars a year on travel. Discover secrets of big savings on travel, fine food and drink, live music and theater, romance, weddings, sports, activities for children and so much more. It's all in the amazing 280-page book, "The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook." Also, sign up for FREE Monthly Frugal Fun Tips/read back issues http://www.frugalfun.com - over 450 pages of moneysaving content.

** 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

** Technology or Toiletries?
The number of air rage incidents could be cut in half if carriers stopped serving alcohol on planes and lifted on-board luggage restrictions, if you believe the conventional wisdom. And most of my colleagues do. Not a week seems to go by that I don't read a story taking a hard look at liquor on flights. But fewer travel pundits bother to check into the luggage dilemma, which is a considerable issue for leisure travelers - particularly those who want to walk on board with the kitchen sink - and a jumbo-sized problem for the jet set. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/toiletries.htm

** Top Airport Annoyances
What's the most annoying thing about airports? The luggage carts, says San Francisco traveler Barbara Burdick. "Why do they have to charge $1.50 for a cart?" she wonders. "It's just a rip-off. Not only do you not have quarters handy but there's nowhere to get them." Ask any frequent traveler to list his or her top airport gripes, and the costly luggage carriers are sure to rank high. Burdick refers to the racket as the "cart cartel" because people have no choice but to cough up the change. If they've got it. From the archives of The Travel Critic at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/annoy.htm

** Saturday Night's All Right
Modern-day airline tickets come with strings tightly attached. Most tickets can't be transferred to another person, for example, and travelers who can't stay over a Saturday usually pay plenty more than those who do. In the past year, however, airlines have stepped up their battle against travelers who have come up with creative ways to skirt the rules. Now travelers are fighting back. In US News & World Report at http://www.elliott.org/vault/usnews/2001/saturday.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Luggage Dilemma
When space is tight, what do you pack? Christopher Elliott has an opinion, plus thoughts on the latest luggage innovations that may mean you don't have to make a hard choice. In Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/techtoilet.mp3

> Other Voices

** Tips and Tricks For Getting Cheaper Airfare
Travelers won a major victory in early August when several airlines, led by United, eliminated the Saturday-night stay requirement on some highly competitive routes to and from Chicago, writes Paul Grimes. The policy change was an effort to bring back business travelers who had cut back their travel expenses in a soft economy, a move that apparently will continue indefinitely. Read more in Paul's final column on SmarterLiving.com at http://www.smarterliving.com/columns/paul/Tips20010823.1.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

** Notes from the Road
Social commentator and writer Erik Gauger uses photos and stories to get to the bottom of sometimes eerie, sometimes humorous cities and landscapes in Notes from the Road (http://www.notesfromtheroad.com), and award-winning site that illustrates travels in city and country. Track his journeys online or subscribe to his monthly newsletter at http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/join.htm

** Bonjour Paris
Bonjour Paris is a virtual trip to France for lovers of all things Parisian and French. Visitors to http://www.bonjourparis.com will find travel information, food, wine and hotel tips, as well as lively cultural information.

** GreatCruises.com
Learn insider cruise information. Be an informed cruiser. Subscribe to GreatCruises.com's free monthly e-mail cruise newsletter, "All Cruise E-News." Get breaking news on new ships, new itineraries, price trends, cruise lines, health and safety inspections, cruise line awards and cruise tips of the month. Sign-up at http://www.greatcruises.com/Newsletter1.htm

** 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.

> Be an Underwriter!

This site relies on support from travelers like you. If you care about journalism that's uncompromising, cutting-edge and consumer-focused, then you're invited to become a member of elliott.org. Your contribution will help keep the Last Honest Travel Site operating. For more information, go to http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P34Z3D2F0Z734N

ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL is published weekly by http://www.elliott.org. To unsubscribe, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elliottslist and follow the directions or send an e-mail to elliottslist-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com