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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

July 15, 2002

> Inside

* Worth Saving
* Surprise Flight Surcharges
* Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
* Capital Savings in Washington
* Blindsided By American's Fee
* Shutout on Sanibel
* Hotel Doublespeak
* Too Stupid TSA
* Leave Home Without It

> This Week in Travel

** Worth Saving
Like that $69 plane ticket you just booked? The dirt-cheap rental car you picked up at the airport? The free travel agent's advice that came with it? Kiss it all good-bye. Big changes are coming to the travel industry, and when the dust settles you could pay more for your next trip. A lot more.

> By the Way

** Surprise Flight Surcharges
Have you encountered a surprise fee or surcharge on a flight? Tell us about it. Send an e-mail at us 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.

** Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
We've postponed the planned split of the Ticked.com newsletter from Elliott's E-Mail. It's impossible to find a reliable newsletter publishing service that will handle the transmission of the newsletter at a reasonable cost. But once we find one, we hope to finally resume publishing Ticked.com Talk independently.

> Our Sponsor

** Dare to Travel
Jessica Stockwell's new e-mail newsletter offers techniques and tactics that help you discover how to travel in today's uncertain times. Stockwell is the author of "Dare to Travel the World," billed as a "must-read" for post 9/11 travelers who plan to travel outside their comfort zone and across cultures and continents for business or pleasure.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Capital Savings in Washington
The nation's capital is the only city in which I almost always end up getting lost, no matter how many maps or Internet driving directions I carry. It doesn't matter that I've been a regular visitor to Washington since 1975, or that I lived just a short drive away, in Annapolis, for four years. D.C. confuses me. Bargain-hunters often feel the same way. In The Travel Tightwad.

** Blindsided By American's Fee
He booked a ticket on American Airlines' Web site using his frequent flier miles. But after he approved the purchase, he noticed a $50 "expedite fee." That's no mistake, the carrier told him: the surcharge was incurred because he booked less than 21 days before his flight. So what's the story behind American's extra fee? Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

** Shutout on Sanibel
Rob stares at the bulge under Kari's jacket, the only outward sign that she's two months shy of having a baby, and there's a pregnant pause. Our guide had been animatedly talking about what's biting out in the flats near Sanibel Island, Fla., this time of year - Snook, Redfish and an occasional Cobia - until his eyes settled on my fishing buddy's midriff. In Destinations.

** Hotel Doublespeak
I had just finished the most expensive lunch of my life at the chichi Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, when I glanced at the clock and noticed I was late for an appointment. An hour late. I sprinted to the lobby and zeroed in on the concierge desk. "Please," I gasped at the young attendant who looked as if he was dressed for a St. Patrick's Day parade. "I need the phone number for the observatory in Green Bank. I'm late for a meeting." The employee slowly bent over and picked up a phone directory from under the desk. "Perhaps," he sniffed as he slid the book across the counter, "you'd care to look it up yourself?" In The Travel Critic Archives.

> Ticked.com Talk

** Too Stupid TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has become the focus of airline and airport security over the past six months. They pledge to straighten out the supposed security mess at our airports. There is only one big problem. There is no mess and never was. In fact as the realities of 9/11 sink in, nine months later, America is learning that perhaps the only portion of our security net that functioned as designed was the airport security system.

** Leave Home Without It
In his training clinics and book, Terry Riley recommends seven items - and only seven items - to pack for personal protection while on the road. Of those seven, he carries along the following five items every time he travels.

> Other 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.

** 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.

** Carlson Wagonlit Travel Tips
This week's tip: What will they think of next? New TSA regulations now forbid any open container to be brought through a security line in an airport. That means you will need to ditch that coffee or soda before security or curb your thirst until after security where there will be drinks aplenty at the shops on the plane side of the checkpoint. Visit our site or give us a call toll free at (877) 288-3138 and see what an experienced travel agency can offer! To subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, send an e-mail to carlsontravel@jvegroup.net and type "subscribe" in the subject line.

** JohnnyJet
Ever wish there were one site that listed every possible link to other travel-related Web sites? Johnny Jet.com does just that, and more. The site has links to practically everything you need to know that's travel-related. From general sites for airlines, trains, cruises and booking sites to maps and ground transportation, to practical information for pet, student, and senior travel, to the quirkier sites, such as places to buy beer or gas and a language translator. Everything is divided into categories, and this makes maneuvering very easy. Be sure to sign up for Johnny Jet's free newsletter that has the week's travel news, tips, webcams, websites, and where's Johnny Jet.

> Your Opinion Matters

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