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

January 28, 2002

> Inside

* Missing the Train
* Unusual Discounts
* Take Our Survey, Please
* Fractional Hotel Pricing
* No Luck With Expedia
* Which Camcorder?
* Le Massif's Surrealism
* Liar, Liar, Industry on Fire
* Bargains Up North
* Navigating Security
* Fee-Finding Mission

> This Week in Travel

** Missing the Train
Sept. 11 didn't push the aviation industry to the brink of a collapse as much as it exposed our almost complete dependence on airlines. But instead of rethinking our transportation infrastructure, the government reflexively propped up these mismanaged businesses with $15 billion in federal aid. The money would have been better spent on other forms of mass transit that are less vulnerable to acts of terror. Read the whole story at http://www.elliott.org/vault/oped/2002/train.htm

> By the Way

** Unusual Discounts
What's the oddest discount you've ever gotten? Did you get a price break because you booked a room, car or flight on a certain date? Or maybe someone offered you a discount because they just felt like it. Tell us your story. 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.

** Take Our Survey, Please
Got a second? You can help make this newsletter and its sister Web site a better place by taking a quick survey. Just click on http://38.148.250.3/cgi-win/client.exe?readers,welcome,ad9331a,1304 and push the "submit" button to get started. (Note: if the URL doesn't work, please cut and paste it into your browser.)

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip
Hotel Reservations Network is offering special Valentine's Day rates in New York, San Francisco and Paris. Stay at the Ramada New Yorker for $89.95 a night or the Astra Opera in Paris from $109.95 a night. Just click on http://www.hoteldiscount.com and click on the "Sealed With a Kiss" link. Travel must be completed through Feb. 14.

> Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org <

> Our Sponsor

** Breckenridge Ski Resort
Snow conditions are prime and there's no better time to explore our vibrant mountain town! Planning a visit? Pre-purchase lift tickets for savings of up to $12 per day or take three half-day ski or ride lessons for $99! Click on http://breckenridge.snow.com for details.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Fractional Hotel Pricing
Does your hotel charge by the hour? I didn't have the nerve to ask the clerk when I checked into an Ontario, CA, airport inn at 2 a.m. recently. I should have. Fractional pricing, or charging a guest for only part of the day, isn't limited to the no-tell motels of the world. Legitimate properties can, at their discretion, lower your room prices based on the time of occupancy, saving you up to half off the daily room rate. In The Travel Tightwad at http://www.elliott.org/tightwad/2002/fraction.htm

** No Luck With Expedia
Expedia offered a weekend package from San Francisco to Las Vegas with rates "as low as" $100. But a reader can't find the price, and now he's threatening to never use the site again. Should he boycott Expedia? The Travel Troubleshooter checks out his grievance and finds out what happened to the mysterious rate. Read the details in The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2002/vegas.htm

** Which Camcorder?
I know the suspense must be too much for you to handle. After last week's column on buying a camcorder for your spring travels, you just had to know which one I picked. And where I bought it. Well, wonder no more. Check out The Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2002/camcorder2.htm

** Le Massif's Surrealism
Le Massif is the kind of winter resort that surprises you at every turn. Often, without even trying to. There's the St. Lawrence River, the frozen-over waterway at the base of the mountain, stretching almost as far as the eye can see. At times you find yourself slowing to a snowplow because the river looks so close that you're afraid of hitting a mogul and tumbling into the water. The view is utterly spectacular, in a league with the aquatic backdrops found at resorts such as Heavenly in Lake Tahoe, Calif., or Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska. In Destinations at http://www.elliott.org/vault/destinations/2002/massif.htm

> There's much more news and commentary about travel. Click on http://www.elliott.org for details. <

> Ticked.com Talk

(Note: Some of these URLs are long and may break up in your e-mail program. If they do, just cut and paste them into your browser, or go directly to http://www.ticked.com and follow the hard links.)

** Liar, Liar, Industry on Fire
A distressing, but absolutely predictable, story about airline duplicity appeared in last Friday's USA Today. As reporter Jayne O'Donnell wrote, "nearly all the endorsements" of the proposed American Airlines-British Airways code-share pact "were solicited from people who were working for the airlines." In stomach-turning detail, O'Donnell explained how the talking-head "experts" American has put forward to support its BA deal were on the payroll of American, its lobbyist, its public-relations agency or one of its consulting firms. O'Donnell also showed how some "independent" opponents of the AA-BA code-share pact are actually on the payroll of American and BA's competitors. Read more in Joe Brancatelli's column at http://www.zyworld.com/brancatelli/branc.htm

** Bargains Up North
Every so often Cheap Charlie takes a trip where value hits him in the face.He stays and dines and plays where the deals are breathtaking even to his cheap nature. This past week, he was on one of those rare trips. No, he wasn't in some underdeveloped third-world country. He wasn't bartering with natives wearing sarongs or grass skirts. He wasn't staying in mid-level hidden-away hotels in a major city. He wasn't at an unknown all-inclusive resort. Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2002/chnorth.htm

** Navigating Security
The American flying public, not to mention the airlines, have made it past an air security milestone. As part of November's aviation security law, all airlines were required to begin screening baggage checked on domestic flights or match the bag with the owner, so both were on the same flight. The result: long lines, but few delays or cancellations. Read the details in Kathy McCabe's column in USA Today at http://www.usatoday.com/life/travel/column/informed-traveler.htm

** Fee-Finding Mission
The Internet is the latest playing field in the tug-of-war over how service fees and other add-ons should be presented to buyers of airline tickets, reports Jane Engle in the Los Angeles Times. One team is made up of Web travel seller Orbitz and its supporters. On the other team, so far, are competitor Travelocity and a group of travel agents. The U.S. Department of Transportation is the referee. And the fraying rope is us, the traveling public. Read more of Jane Engle's column at http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-000005082jan20.column?coll=la-travel-headlines

> For links to other engaging travel opinions, visit http://www.ticked.com today. Don't forget to bookmark the site. <

> Other Sponsors

** Journeywoman
Tell your mother, daughter, sister, aunt and grandma. Featured in Time and People Magazine, Journeywoman.com (http://www.journeywoman.com) is the premier travel resource for women on the Internet. Filled with thousands of travel tips and articles from a female's point of view, this website created by Evelyn Hannon recently welcomed its millionth visitor. This award-winning site offers a terrific FREE travel tip newsletter as well. To register go to: http://www.journeywoman.com/form.html

** 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. Click on http://webflyer.com/newsletters/newsletter.htm

** 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

** Resortspace.com
Want to take a ski vacation? Click on Resortspace.com, the authoritative online guide to skiing in North America and Europe. Recently named "Best of the Web" by Forbes as a ski and snowboard resource, it's got everything you need to plan your winter vacation. Click on http://www.resortspace.com for more information.

> Charter Underwriters


* AirJet Airline News - News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com

* Applied Psychology - Security tips online at http://www.appliedpsychology.com

* Bonjour Paris - This site's French connection at http://www.bonjourparis.com

* Journeywoman - The premier travel resource for women on the Internet at http://www.journeywoman.com

> Your Opinion Matters

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