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

ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
http://www.elliott.org

December 9, 2002

>> Inside <<

* Triprights.com Debut
* Bad Routes?
* Reduced Holiday Schedule
* Take the Cautious Road in '03
* Help, My Seat Won't Recline
* Bermuda's Island Life
* A-Freight to Fly
* Free Information!
* Burning Down the House
* United's Customer-Service Troubles
* Stuck in the Middle Seat
* US Airways Hits the Skids
* DOT: Delays, Cancellations Rise

>> First Off <<

After nearly a year of testing, Triprights.com is nearly finished. On Jan. 1, the Web site dedicated to making you aware of your rights on the road is scheduled for takeoff. The early reviews are promising - it's already been written up by the online travel guide TravelCentric, plus it got a mention over the weekend on CBS MarketWatch. Elliott's E-Mail is adding a new feature, Triprights Ticker, to highlight some of the stories featured on Triprights.com every week. How can you help? If you see a story about travel rights that you'd like us to feature, send us a link.

>> By The Way <<

** Bad Routes?
Which flight routes do you try to avoid? The red-eye between Los Angeles and Washington? Any winter flight between New York and Miami? We'd like to know which plane trips you steer clear of because of indifferent flight crews, annoying passengers, or bad service. And tell us why you don't like the flights, too. Send us an e-mail 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.

** Reduced Holiday Schedule
This newsletter will publish at least one more issue this month, on Dec. 16. There may also be an issue on Dec. 30, but I'm not making any promises. If there's no news to report (frequently, there isn't) I won't force the issue.

>> Underwritten By <<

** The Readers of elliott.org
You're the reason that elliott.org is now completely ad-free. Thanks to your generous support during our last pledge drive, all the content on this site is free of banner ads, skyscrapers, pop-ups, and other annoying commercials. Who are you? Here's a list of underwriters by category.

>> This Week <<

** Take the Cautious Road in '03
I know better than to write a column that predicts the year ahead in business travel. And you probably know better than to read any story that claims to forecast what will happen with travel during 2003. That hasn't stopped anyone from trying. The National Business Travel Association, a trade group for corporate travel managers, recently claimed that business travel costs will increase by 5% in 2003. One travel industry guru, who shall remain nameless, actually sends out regular press releases that foretell airfares - something even the airlines, which set ticket prices, are unable to do. > In bCentral's Power Trip.

** Help, My Seat Won't Recline
Her seat on a transatlantic Air Canada flight won't recline. What's more, it's close to a bathroom. Then her companion can't walk because of the close quarters. What does the carrier owe its passengers for the tight squeeze? > Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

** Bermuda's Island Life
If you want an entire tropical island to yourself at this time of year, skip the Caribbean. Try Bermuda instead. Balmy but not oppressively humid, cultured but not pretentious, quaint without being antiquated, Bermuda is practically abandoned between Thanksgiving and Easter and, for all intents and purposes, visitor-free during the two weeks leading up to Christmas. It makes this the perfect time to spend a long weekend on the former British colony, which is located 568 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and a relatively painless hour-and-a-half flight from Washington. > In Destinations.

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** A-Freight to Fly
I've had my say about arming pilots, and I had moved on. But then I read a November 14, 2002 news release from the Air Line Pilots Association, and now I'm drawn back into the fray. Guns in secure cockpits can only add to the danger of flight. > Read more in Terry Riley's column.

** Free Information!
There are few things that I like more than free things, especially when they are worthwhile. This week I'm taking a look at Web sites that offer good, unbiased travel information available on the Internet - for free. The sites I'll feature this week and in future columns still maintain editorial integrity and don't inundate you with annoying, pop-up and pop-behind, advertising. > Read Cheap Charlie's column.

** Burning Down the House
Let me be as clear and unequivocal as humanly possible: America's air-transportation system, as represented by the nation's Big Six carriers, is irreparably broken. I said it a year ago this week and I'll say it again now: The system as managed by the Sick Six cannot be fixed. There is no choice but to burn down the house. > Read more in Joe Brancatelli's column.

** Plus ...
> Anita: Compensation for a Sick Cruise?

> Travelers Ed's Irreverent Holiday Outlook

> Ticked.com Top Ten: 'Penny Pincher' Tops List (Again)

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** United's Customer-Service Troubles
In a business where the size of your network is supposed to be a big advantage, few airlines have as many advantages as UAL Corp.'s United Airlines. United has more hubs than any other carrier, located in large, well-traveled cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington. Why then, is the airline nearly bankrupt? The answer is simple: Because size isn't everything. Service is. > In The Wall Street Journal.

** Stuck in the Middle Seat
If you're stuck in the middle on a packed plane this Thanksgiving weekend - typically the busiest travel days of the year - you might have a horror story or two to tell. Here's hoping it isn't as bad as Dan Elam's experience with center-seat torment: The Richmond, Va., consultant reached his assigned row on a flight to Pensacola, Fla., to find a grossly overweight woman overflowing the aisle seat. > In USA Today.

** US Airways Hits the Skids
Take too much debt, add too few passengers, and multiply by out-of-control operating costs, and what do you get? The bankruptcy of US Airways. How does this bankruptcy affect you? Many passengers will not notice any immediate effects, because US Airways has committed to continue flying. (Compare this experience to Vanguard and Midway, two smaller carriers that ceased operations because there was little chance that they could reorganize successfully.) >> In MyTravelRights.

** DOT: Delays, Cancellations Rise
Flight delays, cancellations, reports of mishandled baggage and complaints about airline service all rose slightly in October compared to September's totals but, with the exception of flight delays, still represented improvements over October 2001 figures, according to the monthly Air Travel Consumer Report issued today by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Ticked.com Top Ten
What are travelers reading? Find out at Ticked.com's Top Ten list of bestselling travel titles. Compiled monthly, the list features the most-purchased travel books on the Internet, thanks to the Web site's affiliate relationship with Barnes & Noble. Whether you're looking for something to read on your next trip or wondering what to buy for the traveler in your life, the Ticked.com Top Ten can help.

** MilesLink Voices
If you rely on Randy Petersen's WebFlyer site for timely news and information about mileage programs, you'll want to sign up for MilesLink Voices, a new electronic newsletter published in conjunction with Ticked.com. It features the sharpest opinions about travel delivered twice a month to MilesLink subscribers.

** The Magic For Less
A full-service travel agency specializing in family vacations, romantic getaways, and cruises. The hallmark of our travel consulting is personal attention mixed with a bit of "magic" for the very best prices. A graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge is available on staff to offer advice, share recommendations and help you plan a magical Disney theme park vacation. For a limited time, The Magic For Less Travel is offering discounts of up to $200 on all qualifying travel. The Magic for Less Travel will help you get where you want go - for less.

>> Talk To Us <<

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