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

May 19, 2001

> Inside

* Don't Take the Bribe
* Winning the Airfare Game
* Exclusive: Spa Query
* Media Mentions!
* Car Rental Tip
* Technology That Makes You Less Dependent
* Agents Lie
* Truth Not Always a Frequent Flier
* Easy Trip
* Leocha: Space Madness
* Grimes: Travel Problems Are the Airlines' Fault
* Brancatelli: One-Sentence Solutions

> This Week in Travel

** Don't Take the Bribe
Business travelers, listen up. In an effort to lure you back, three airlines last week slashed first-class airfares up to 60 percent. Concerned that you might find another way to get where you're going, or worse yet, that you might choose to stay put, the carriers are rolling out the red carpet. But should you take the bribe? No way. Once you've returned, the sales will end, and things will go back to the way they were ... full-fare economy class tickets at outrageous prices. Hold out for more. You deserve it. - CE

> By the Way

** Winning the Airfare Game
Charles McCool's insightful book "Winning the Airfare Game" is a great guide for travelers who want to save money on their next plane ticket or just understand the system better. Elliott.org is pleased to offer autographed copies of this just-released tome for readers who pledge at the $50 level this week to become underwriters of The Last Honest Travel Site. Support quality consumer advocacy journalism by clicking on http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P34Z3D2F0Z734N

(Since the online system used to administer the underwriting program is completely anonymous, you will need to send your transaction ID, name and mailing address to underwrite@elliott.org in order to qualify for the premium.)

** Exclusive: Spa Query
Have you ever taken a vacation at a destination or resort spa? Did you like it - or not? Did you think it was worth the money? For a story about spa vacations that will appear in a late summer issue of a major personal finance magazine, I'm looking for travelers who want to talk about their last spa vacation. If you're interested, please send an e-mail to spa@elliott.org with your name, city and don't forget to include the spa you visited.

** Media Mentions!
Just when you thought it was safe to read your newspaper or magazine, they call the travel critic and - if you can believe it - actually publish what he says. This month's hits include nice mentions in BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur and the American Way magazine. Thank you!

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Car Rental Tip
This week's cheap travel tip comes from reader Cowart Fairley, who saves money whenever he gets a rental car by "modifying" his arrival time. Why would he do that? Even when you're on schedule, there's airport transit time that the car rental companies generally won't credit you for. "Sometimes I simply get my confirmation number and then go to the Web site and modify my arrival time there," he says. The 20 extra minutes have saved him serious bucks when he returns the car. Got a great moneysaving tip? E-mail cheap@elliott.org with your tips!

> Our Sponsor

** The FrequentFlier Crier
Want to travel faster, safer, smarter, cheaper, better... and earn more frequent flier miles in the process? Every week, The FrequentFlier Crier delivers travel news you can use: frequent flyer program updates, special fares, industry news and trends. Sign up free at http://frequentflier.com/subscribe.htm

> Elliott's Commentary

** Technology That Makes You Less Dependent
Let's start at the end this week - the end being the joyful moment when we power down our PCs, switch off our PDAs or flip our cell phones shut. Kinda brings a smile to your face, doesn't it? When I mused about the difficulty of disconnecting a few weeks ago, many of you agreed that the jet set can't effectively sever its connection to technology. All of which makes unplugging such a beautiful thing. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/less.htm

** Agents Lie
Do travel agents lie in order to collect a fatter commission check? Travel critic Chris Elliott's recent commentary about a Consumer Reports survey drew a response from a hotel insider who insists the newsletter survey suggesting almost half of all travel agents misrepresent the truth when asked about the lowest airfare is true. So what's it going to be? Are the retailers giving us bad advice - or not? Get the answers in this week's ChrisCrossings at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/cragentslie.htm

** Truth Not Always a Frequent Flier
All right, I admit it. Sometimes I bend the truth when I'm traveling. I've plugged my headphones into the armrest without paying the $5 in-flight movie fee. When the air host came by to collect, I'd say, "It's just a noise-canceling headset," which it is, but that's not all it can do. I've complained about an old back injury when picking up my rental car in the hopes that a sympathetic agent might upgrade the cheapo matchbox car that I ordered. I neglected to mention how old the injury was (almost two decades). In other words, I've lied with the best of 'em. From the vault at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/2000/lies2.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Easy Trip
Amazing as it may seem, there's new technology out there that can make your trip easier. Imagine that ... a break from all those troubleshooting audio commentaries! Click on Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/easytravel.mp3

> Other Voices

** Leocha: Space Madness
The travel and tourism industry just passed an important milestone in package tour history - over the dead body of NASA's bureaucrats. Like all rarified bureaucracies, NASA is threatened by the change in perception that they are the only people in the country who can deal with the dangers and rigors of space travel, says Ticked.com's Cheap Charlie. Guess what? The first tourist managed quite well much to the chagrin of the U.S. space mavens. Click on http://ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2001/chspace.htm

** Grimes: Travel Problems are the Airlines' Fault
If SmarterLiving.com's Paul Grimes' readers are to judge, the airlines are to blame for most of the travel problems that exist today. Most readers he's heard from were sharply critical of the airlines. Others, however, felt that the airlines might do better if passengers kept their anger and frustration under control. Read all the details at http://www.smarterliving.com/columns/paul/Readers20010517.1.html

** Brancatelli: One-Sentence Solutions
As declared by Bill Clinton, this week is National Transportation Week. In honor of this observance, Biztravel.com's Joe Brancatelli offers some one-sentence solutions that could improve the state of the air-travel system. Despite what regulators and airlines claim, we can fix it - or at least mend it - quickly and cost-effectively if we use common sense and a commitment to fair play, he writes. Go to http://www.biztravel.com for the rest of the story.

** 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

** 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

** Bonjour Paris
Have questions about visiting or living in France? Or the French way of life? Access www.bonjourparis.com for travel information, food, wine and hotel tips, as well as lively cultural information. Bonjour Paris isn't the usual travel site that reports only the pluses and none of the negatives. We tell it as it is. If you have any questions, post them on the discussion board http://www.bparis.com/homepage1513/index.htm and you'll get the real inside scoop.

** SmarterLiving.com
Find the best travel deals of the web for airfare, hotels, car rentals and more to save you the time of searching the net. Sign up for free newsletter alerts for last-minute airfare bargains from your departure city of choice, travel specials from airlines, hotels and vacation providers, frequent flier mile earning info, and more. Join now for free and receive special travel discounts from our partners! Visit http://www.SmarterLiving.com/Elliott0501

> 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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