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

June 11, 2001

> Inside

* Desperate Times, Desperate Promises
* Ever Used Text-Messaging on Your Cell Phone?
* Clarification
* What Ticks You Off About Travel?
* Collect the Carts
* Sidestep Holds its Own Against Orbitz
* GPS Modules Break New Ground
* No Strings Attached
* Can You Trust a Travel Writer?
* Where Are You?
* Riley: Safe Places for Your Stuff
* Lappin: Curating Relics as TWA Nears Depart
* Perkins: Ticket-Swap Goes Online

> This Week in Travel

** Desperate Times, Desperate Promises
Sensing that the government is about to re-regulate the airline industry, the nation's major carriers last week pleaded for one more chance to get their act together. They agreed to make their hopelessly vague voluntary service commitments legally binding and to tell passengers the lowest available fares when they buy their tickets by phone or at a ticket counter. They also said they'd ensure that information on the airport monitors is correct. Should we believe them this time? Absolutely not. They lied to us in 1999 and they're lying again. The airlines are stalling - counting on the short attention spans of the general public and hoping to capitalize on the brave last days of the Republican revolution. If Congress lets the powerful airline lobby negotiate another chance then come election time, representatives will not only face the wrath of this newsletter's readers, but of travelers everywhere. -CE

> By the Way

** Ever Used Text-Messaging on Your Cell Phone?
If the answer is "yes" - whether you've just dabbled in it or are a hard-core text messenger who is proficient in typing on a phone keypad - then let us hear from you. What do you think of text messaging? Is it useful? Efficient? Too expensive? Please send your comments to feedback@elliott.org.

** Clarification
Last week's collection of Orbitz commentaries featured an incorrect link for the story 'Airlines Double as Travel Agents.' The full article, which also appeared in US News & World Report, is at http://www.elliott.org/vault/usnews/2001/orbitz

** What Ticks You Off About Travel?
During the next few weeks, Elliott's E-Mail will be welcoming subscribers from Ticked.com Talk, Ticked.com's weekly newsletter. As you may know, Ticked.com is on a summer hiatus, but none of the editors at Ticked.com wanted readers to go without their travel fix. So this week Elliott's E-Mail adopts one of Ticked.com Talk's most popular features: What ticks you off about travel? Are you tired of cramped airline seats? Bad service? Expensive hotel rooms? Send your comments to ticked@elliott.org. Results will be posted soon.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Collect the Carts
This week's cheap travel tip comes from reader Joe Luehrmann, who's discovered an innovative way of getting free money while abroad. If you're leaving from an international airport and want to buy a candy bar or chips, but don't have any currency, here's what to do. Just collect a few unreturned luggage carts and bring them back to their stalls. You'll often get a deposit back - enough to buy a snack. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org.

> Our Sponsors

** Err Travel
Travel smarter, travel safer, and travel with more confidence. Click on Err Travel, security expert Terry Riley's informative Web site. While you're there, sign up for his free e-mail newsletter so you won't miss the latest news in travel safety. Visit Err Travel at http://errtravel.com

** You
That's right, you. If you care about quality travel industry coverage and want to support the leading consumer advocacy Web site, you can become an underwriter. 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

** PlacestoStay Takes Forbes Top Honors
It's easy to see why travelers booked over $2 billion worth of rooms online last year. They have immediate access to room inventory, detailed property specs, even photos. And many sites run specials on hotel rooms for last-minute travelers. But which hotel site is the best? Reviewer Christopher Elliott takes the best dot-coms for a test-drive and finds that PlacestoStay is the most intuitive and useful of the lot. Read more in Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=195

(By the way, if you think there's a travel category that should be covered in a future Forbes "Best of the Web" section, send a note to feedback@elliott.org. We'll make sure the right editors see it. But before you do, check out the current travel categories at http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/section.jhtml?id=3 Thanks!)

** Sidestep Holds its Own Against Orbitz
How does Orbitz, the controversial new Web site owned by five major airlines, stack up to its competitors? Not badly. Not badly at all. I tested Orbitz against three other Web sites - Expedia, Travelocity and Sidestep on four city pairs. Result: Orbitz won one of the searches hands-down and tied with Sidestep for the other. Expedia and Travelocity took top honors for the other two queries. Read more in Inside Interactive Travel at http://www.elliott.org/interactive/2001/sidebyside.htm

** GPS Modules Break New Ground
In an age of plug-and-play devices, hot-swappable peripherals and self-repairing operating systems, we expect our technology to pretty much explain itself. We insist on the instant gratification of unwrapping our hardware, turning it on, and having it do exactly what the box says it's going to do - no "ifs," "ands" or "buts." Unfortunately, in the case of the newest Global Positioning Systems modules for the Handspring Visor, you have to drop those demands - otherwise, you might end up getting lost. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/unmapped.htm

** No Strings Attached
Throw away your wires: Airports are untethering travelers from their laptops. Delta Air Lines plans to offer wireless Internet connections this year in its hub cities of Atlanta, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Washington, DC. United Airlines is hoping to install wireless Internet technology in up to 50 air terminals this year. And United will soon offer high-speed wireless technology in its first-class and frequent-flier lounges. Read this month's travel column in Entrepreneur Magazine at http://entrepreneur.com/Magazines/Copy_of_MA_SegArticle/0,4453,289487----1-,00.html

(Long URLs tend to break when they're e-mailed. If this link doesn't work, simply cut and paste it into your Web browser.)

** Can You Trust a Travel Writer?
Travelers like a sure thing. Whether it's the certainty that their plane will fly or knowing their rental car is properly maintained, people want to deal with someone they trust. So why do we settle for "iffy" when it comes to information? Why do we take advice on where to go and how to get there from writers who are being subsidized by the travel industry? From the vault at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/writers.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Where Are You?
Your Handspring Visor knows - but do you want it to? And how much is it worth? Listen to commentator Christopher Elliott's take on new GPS add-ons for your Palm-OS compatible device. Are they worth the fuss? Click on this week's Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/where.mp3

(Note: You need an MP3 player on your computer to listen to the audio commentaries.)

> Other Voices

** Riley: Safe Places for Your Stuff
Where is the safest place to keep my valuables when traveling? Ticked.com security expert Terry Riley offers two answers this week. First: leave them at home. If you don't want your valuables to go missing while on a trip, simply don't take them with you. The second answer is, "It depends." It depends on the kinds and locations of the valuables that need protection. Click on http://errtravel.com/archives/today.htm

** Lappin: Curating Relics as TWA Nears Departure
If midcentury modern is your thing, you probably covet an Eames chair. If you're into Pop Art, you'll want a Warhol. For photography connoisseurs, it may be an Edward Weston. But Todd Lappin of The New York Times isn't interested in any of that stuff. He's going for the airport look. Specifically, a T.W.A. departure lounge, circa 1962. Go to http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/07/living/07TWA.html

** Perkins: Ticket-Swap Goes Online
For years, travelers have been clamoring for exchangeable tickets they can transfer or sell to another traveler. A new online agency, FairAir, is finally meeting that request, reports SmarterLiving.com's Ed Perkins. But there are two very big catches: 1) You can exchange only a ticket you bought originally from FairAir, and 2) so far, FairAir sells tickets only on one giant airline and three smaller ones. For more, point your mouse to http://www.smarterliving.com/columns/ed/Ticket20010607.1.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

** Alaska Travelgram
Scott McMurren's Alaska Travelgram e-mail newsletter. Punchy, timely information on travel in, out and around Alaska! For a free subscription, click on http://www.alaskatravelgram.com

** 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/

** RoadNews.com
Subscribe to the Laptop Warrior Digest, a free monthly e-mail discussion list newsletter published by Roadnews.com that shares reader exchanges on today's hot mobile computing issues. Sign up for the newsletter at http://www.roadnews.com/html/Digest/i-lw-signup.htm or check out past topics at http://www.roadnews.com/html/Digest/archive-index.htm

> 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.

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