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

February 5, 2001

> Inside

* This Week in Travel
* Archives: Online Travel 1996
* A Better Way to Cruise
* Protect Yourself from Repricing
* Mysteries of Travel Tech
* Continental Calamity
* Managing Content the Smarter Way
* Audio Commentaries
* Riley: I Was Right
* Maxa: Turbulent Skies for Domestic Airlines
* Reynolds: Airline Mergers Provoke Alarm

> This Week in Travel

Is it time for aviation consumer rights legislation? Peter DeFazio (D- Ore.) thinks so, as does Oregon Senator Ron Wyden. Both lawmakers last week announced they are pushing for new restrictions on carriers, including rules that would require airlines to disclose all available fares, permit back-to-back and hidden city tickets, and allow consumers to sue airlines in state court. While the efforts are being made with the best of intentions, they treat the symptoms rather than find a permanent cure for this complex problem. And whether they succeed or not, one thing is certain: this summer will almost certainly be the worst for air travel - ever. - CE

> By the Way

** Cruise Special
It's "wave" season in the travel industry, and this week, Elliott's E- Mail pays a tribute to all the cruisers and would-be cruisers out there. The special section kicks off with an Access magazine cover story about how to save money when you book a cruise online and tries to answer the enduring question: "Should I book online or through a travel agent?" Part two, an investigative article in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, looks at the disturbing practice of cruise ticket repricing and tells you how to avoid it.

** Archives: Online Travel 1996
The first year of Inside Interactive Travel, the industry's longest- running column about online travel, is now available on the Web. Don't miss:

Meeting Robert Segelbaum, online pioneer and founder of Airhitch - http://www.elliott.org/interactive/1996/airhitch.htm

How travel agents handled the Web revolution in the early days - http://www.elliott.org/interactive/1996/agents.htm

A tribute to Kevin Mitchell of the BTCC - http://www.elliott.org/interactive/1996/btcc.htm

The column's first swipe at Reed Travel Group's Internet strategy - http://www.elliott.org/interactive/1996/reed.htm

The entire index is at http://www.elliott.org/interactive/1996/index.html

> Our Sponsor

This issue of Elliott's E-Mail is underwritten by Tell Only The Women, a free e-mail newsletter for women who travel. Sign up for the newsletter at http://www.women-traveling.com/WTT/newsletter_sign_up.htm or check out past topics at http://www.women-traveling.com/WTT/archiveTOC.htm

And by Bonjour Paris, 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.

> Special Section

** A Better Way to Cruise
This month, which is the busiest of the year for booking cruises, more and more people will be logging on to the Net in search of a good seafaring deal. (The Cruise Lines International Association estimates about twice as many as two years ago.) You might start your trip on the Internet if you're planning to sail. Whether you should seal the deal online is a different story. Even if you're a veteran at booking other travel arrangements on the Net, such as airline tickets and hotels rooms, it's important to know that cruises are more complicated. You have to specify meal arrangements, decide if you want to make onshore excursions and how you're getting to the port, and pick your accommodations - some ships have as many as 30 cabin types. In Access Magazine at http://www.elliott.org/vault/access/2001/cruise.htm

** Protect Yourself from Repricing
Before you take your next cruise, take a close look at your ticket. Notice anything peculiar? A blacked-out section here, a sticker there? If you do, then you may be a victim of one of the fastest- growing scams in the travel business - something known in the trade as repricing. It starts when you book a cruise vacation months in advance, at a time when rates are relatively high. The agent takes your deposit and then waits. Over time, the price may sink as the cruise line scrambles to fill empty staterooms. When the balance is due (usually 75 days before sailing), the agent cancels your full- priced ticket, and buys a cheaper ticket. In Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine at http://www.kiplinger.com

> Elliott's Commentary

** Mysteries of Travel Tech
In technology, as in life, there are things that just don't make sense - issues that defy logic or explanation. Unraveling these mysteries seems to be about as easy as clearing up those lingering questions about black holes or the fate of the dinosaurs. So why try? Because travel tech enigmas are so infrequently articulated that we're resigned to accepting them. Maybe we shouldn't be. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/mysteries.htm

** Continental Calamity
Will legislation proposed by two Oregon lawmakers really improve air travel? Do carriers treat corporate customers better than ordinary passengers? What can you do to make air travel better? Find out when answer guy Chris Elliott responds to a reader's complaint about Continental Airlines' poor customer service. And, as a bonus, learn about the Houston carrier's tricky PR stunt that got overlooked last week. In this week's ChrisCrossings at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/crcare.htm

** Managing Content the Smarter Way
Reaction to last week's column was as predictable as it was disappointing. The travel sites accused of surreptitiously recasting their news sections into electronic ads expressed bewilderment, indignation, and finally, fear. They were scared that I would identify them in a follow-up column. The principals should be more afraid of what their customers will do when they discover that their news sections are for sale. They should worry about how much business they will lose when travelers discover that they've been misled. They should fret over what suppliers will ask for next, now that they've managed to effectively muffle the dot-coms from reporting the news. Get details in this week's installment of Inside Interactive Travel at http://www.elliott.org/interactive/2001/smarter.htm

> Audio Commentaries

** Sticker Shock
Don't become a victim of repricing. Here's how to spot the travel industry's latest scam - and what you can do to keep yourself from becoming a target. Find out about "sticker shock" and get the lowdown on a travel secret your agent may not want you to know about. Listen to more in The Travel Critic at http://www.elliott.org/audio/critic/2001/repricing.mp3

** Questions, Questions
What does DSL really stand for? Why does software that's supposed to help your PC run faster actually make it go slow? Why, why, why? If you don't ask, you'll never know, according to this week's audio commentary. Hear the whole thing in Outtakes from the Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/Questions.mp3

(Please note: these MP3 sound files may take up to five minutes to download from a conventional modem.)

> Other Voices

** Riley: I Was Right
Last January, Ticked.com's Terry Riley took a stab at how crime and travel would intersect during 2000. Now, a year later, he's returning to those predictions to see how he did. Find out what the security expert said back then and what kind of grade he gets for his soothsaying skills. Is he worth the big bucks that we pay him? You decide. Read the whole story at http://www.ticked.com/errtravel/2001/errpredict.htm

** Maxa: Turbulent Skies for Domestic Airlines
Guess which airline had the best on-time performance in November, the most recent month for which statistics are available? Answer: TWA. And which airline has had the worst on-time record on an annual basis for the past 13 years? United. So why is TWA going out of business while United is a 900-pound gorilla of the skies? There are many variables that can affect an airline's success, explains MSNBC.com's Rudy Maxa. Or lack of success. At http://www.msnbc.com/news/518205.asp

** Reynolds: Airline Mergers Provoke Alarm
The sky is shrinking, reports Los Angeles Times columnist Christopher Reynolds. At least, as one major airline after another announces merger plans, the number of competing airlines seems likely to decrease. This makes many travelers nervous, which observers inside and outside the travel industry say is understandable. Since May, United Airlines has been pushing a plan to absorb US Airways, an $11.6-billion proposal that federal regulators won't approve or block until at least April. And since Jan. 10, AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, has been publicly pursuing plans to take over most of Trans World Airlines' assets. That also awaits government approvals. Click on http://www.latimes.com/travel/insider/20010128/t000008128.html

> Your Opinion Matters

Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Your opinion can make a difference. E-mail us at 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.