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

October 29, 2001

> Inside

* Dot-Com Travel's Not Dead - Yet
* Holiday Deals?
* Disney Insider
* Don't Panic, It's Not a Redesign
* Euro Tip
* Tech Help Isn't Everything - It's the Only Thing
* Kicked Off a Flight
* Internet's No Match for a Good Agent
* Getting Stoned in Marathon
* Petersen's Air-a-Thon
* Age of Hijacking Ends
* Safety Checks Unsettle Fliers
* Your Money or Your Life

> This Week in Travel

** Dot-Com Travel's Not Dead - Yet
Ouch! Online travel insiders flamed me after last week's commentary about the demise of cybertravel. How could I even suggest that Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz were on the verge of expiring? The short answer is: I didn't. Rather, I addressed public perception of the online travel business, which after this week's news that Continental Airlines eliminated its online commissions, is once again suffering. I noted my hope that dot-com travel wouldn't die. That hope remains, despite the burns that the indignant e-mails left. - CE

> By the Way

** Holiday Deals?
Have you been tempted to take advantage of an airline's holiday fare specials or a hotel's vacation rate? Did you save a lot of money - or was it a disappointing experience? Here's your chance to sound off. E-mail feedback@elliott.org and please don't forget to include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Your answer may appear in a future column.

** Disney Insider
That's no typo. Next week, the Crabby Traveler himself is putting a pair of mouse-ears on so that you can have a better Disney vacation. I'll be in Orlando checking out Uncle Walt's theme park. And I'll offer my observations, tips and notes on how to make the most of the MCO theme park thing in future editions of Elliott's E-Mail. So send your questions about Disney to tip@elliott.org and I'll research them.

** Don't Panic, It's Not a Redesign
The front pages of both elliott.org and Ticked.com may look a little different to you this week. But don't panic - it's not a redesign. At least not a full-fledged one. We went from a two-column layout to a three-column presentation. After almost four years of minimalist influence, our page designers decided to try something different. Your feedback is always appreciated at feedback@elliott.org.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Euro Tip
Last week's tip about Mexican currency prompted several questions about the Euro. The new European currency is being introduced on the continent in early 2002. If you're traveling to Europe for an extended period of time, you can avoid holding useless currency by keeping your cash reserves low and using a credit card. In the past, this newsletter has suggested keeping enough cash on hand to pay for a taxi and tips, and that's still a good idea. But don't stockpile European cash unless you plan to make a major transaction early next year. (And if you are, I probably don't want to know about it.) Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org

> Our Sponsors

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> Elliott's Commentary

** Tech Help Isn't Everything - It's the Only Thing
Interested in buying a new laptop? If you travel a lot, chances are you'll check the price, peripherals, and programs, like any other computer shopper. Maybe you'll pay close attention to the PCs weight. But then, when you've had a chance to mull everything over, you'll buy a new machine based on…its technical support. That's what Ron Greenberg does. "IBM's service and warranty is tops in my book," says the San Ramon, CA, data processing manager. Big Blue's portables are considerably more expensive than rival computers, but that doesn't matter to Greenberg. He cares more about turnaround time on repairs (usually less than a week) accessibility of support staff (the company issues a local phone number for help when he's overseas), and flexibility (IBM once sent a technician to his home for an emergency, same-day fix). In The Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/techhelp.htm

** Kicked Off a Flight
An AirTran Airways flight attendant accuses a reader of "not apologizing" to her after she claims that he bumped her with his bag. So she waits for him to board his next flight, stands by his seat and announces to everyone on the plane that she is not going to allow him on the flight because he didn't apologize. He's then kicked off the flight. What's a traveler to do? Columnist Christopher Elliott tries to answer this embarrassed reader - and he discovers that this isn't an isolated incident, but part of a much broader trend to remove unwanted passengers from planes, often for the smallest infraction. In The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/crkick.htm

** Internet's No Match for a Good Agent
Click or call? When it comes to making travel plans, I've never hesitated to lift the mouse before picking up the receiver. I used to think travel agents were as obsolete as biplanes. Then I tried to find a reasonable airfare from Miami to Vienna to visit my family this Thanksgiving, and I discovered I'd been dead wrong. In an ideal world, I'd pay a few hundred dollars for a nonstop flight on Austrian Airlines, which is hands-down my favorite carrier to central Europe. But the world after September 11 is anything but ideal. Austrian Airlines suspended its nonstop service between Miami and Vienna after the terrorist attacks, citing a "drop in consumer demand." This meant I'd probably be at the mercy of a U.S. airline for at least part of the trip. In The Travel Tightwad at http://www.elliott.org/tightwad/2001/agent.htm

** Getting Stoned in Marathon
To understand what makes Florida's stone crab so irresistible, you have to skip the gruesome parts. Like where you drop a severed pig's foot into an underwater cage to attract the creatures. Or when you forcefully pry the claw off a living crab and then toss the writhing crustacean overboard. Instead, have a seat on one of the outdoor picnic benches at Keys Fisheries in Marathon, Fla., a resort town about halfway between Key Largo and Key West. That's where, after an afternoon aboard a commercial stone crabbing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, your steamed catch is served with a side of either melted butter or mustard sauce. In Destinations at http://www.elliott.org/vault/destinations/marathon.htm

> Ticked.com Talk

** Petersen's Air-a-Thon
Seventy flights. Forty-three cities. Fourteen days. There's only one man we know of who would try to accomplish that kind of "air-a-thon": Frequent flier guru Randy Petersen. The milemaster on Oct. 19 embarked on a 52,495-mile journey to show that airline travel is safe and the travel industry is financially secure. What's more, we're told that most of his travel on US Airways will be in the back of the plane - so it's truly an endurance run. "This is the mileage run to end all mileage runs," says Petersen. "It's important to me, as an American, to demonstrate my confidence in the airlines - that's why I'm taking this trip. Plus, I just love the fact that US Airways is offering double miles on all flights right now." Well, OK. Ticked.com is honored to be tracking Petersen's journey electronically, and you can too. Read Randy's air-a-thon log at http://www.flyertalk.com/fly

** Age of Hijacking Ends
Hijacking is dead, says Cheap Charlie. You'd never know it by the way the security personnel are laying their hands on our bodies, unbuckling our belts, rolling our shoes through the x-ray machines, taking away our nail-clippers. We are being treated as a nation of criminals when we did nothing wrong. In fact, the passenger screeners at Boston and Newark never did anything wrong. The system worked. But our security was organized to prevent the last hijacking that took place over 20 years ago. This was different. Even this never-before-considered threat of having a plane used as a giant kamikaze bomb just doesn't exist any more. Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2001/chhijack.htm

** Safety Checks Unsettle Fliers
The first time Melissa Marcello of Washington had her bags individually hand-searched, she burst into tears from embarrassment and frustration, reports Keith Alexander. It was a few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks and she was flying to Washington out of Westchester County Airport in New York. The security agents pulled her out of line, grabbed her bags and told her she couldn't touch the bags until the search was completed. The agents pulled all of her garments out of her carry-on bags and the luggage she planned to check. When she tried to hand the agents one of her bags, they snapped at her, telling her not to touch it. "It was horrible. Everyone seemed very stressed and agitated, and they kept yelling different things," said Marcello, a vice president for SWR Worldwide, a public affairs research firm. Read the rest of Keith Alexander's column at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42801-2001Oct23.html

** Your Money or Your Life
Joe Brancatelli has been looking over some of the airlines' third-quarter financial results and watching the continuing Congressional machinations over airline and airport security. As much as he tries to take those issues as seriously as they deserve to be taken, he keeps coming back to Jack Benny. You will recall that Benny's greatest routine concerned his confrontation with what we now call an evildoer. Said evildoer accosts Benny, sticks a gun in his ribs and says, "Your money or your life!" Benny hesitates and the evildoer gets angry. "I said, 'Your money or your life!' " Benny then stares into the camera, grimaces, and deadpans, "I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Read the rest of Joe Brancatelli's column at http://www.zyworld.com/brancatelli/branc.htm

> Other Sponsors

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** 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

** AirJet Airline News
After last week's terrorist incident, AirJet offered the most comprehensive coverage of the unfolding drama. No wonder it's the largest electronic airline news magazine on the Internet. News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com

** CruiseMates
How have recent events affected the world of cruise ships? Most ships scheduled to sail abroad next near are being re-deployed to North America, creating a glut of cabins and some of the lowest cruise fares ever. Get the latest perspective on cruise bargains, ship security, new itineraries and cruise industry news at http://www.cruisemates.com. Or subscribe to our newsletter here: http://www.cruisemates.com/linkto/newsletter.html

> 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 (305) 453-4781 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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> Credits and Subscription Information

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