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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 8, 2002

> Inside

* Flying High
* Surprise Cruise Surcharges
* Barrier-Free Book Featured
* Aren Update
* Cut Your Luggage Costs
* Outrageous Change Fee
* Twisted Theme Park
* Nosing Around

> This Week in Travel

** Flying High
The newest poster boys for airline terror have a strangely familiar face. Thomas Porter Cloyd and Christopher Scott Hughes, the America West Airlines crewmembers arrested this week for trying to fly an Airbus A319 from Miami to Phoenix while legally drunk, are two decades older and a shade lighter than the militant Islamists behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

> By the Way

** Surprise Cruise Surcharges
Ever encountered a fee you weren't expecting on a cruise? Maybe it was charge for a drink, meal or amenity? Or a tax that your travel agent forgot to tell you about? Tell us about it. Send 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.

** Barrier-Free Book Featured
Although our bestseller list has migrated to Ticked.com, I've promised to keep you up to date on who's up and who's down. This week I'm honored to feature the title "Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers" by Candy Harrington, which is the bible for barrier-free travel. (Oh, yeah, and we have a new winner, too.)

** Aren Update
By popular demand, here's the latest on the adventures of Baby Ace. This month he welcomed lots of out-of-town visitors to his island, including Cousin Valerie from Texas, his grandparents from New York and Aunt Aimee from Wisconsin. Aren loves getting your mail, so please keep the notes coming.

> Our Sponsor

** 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.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Cut Your Luggage Costs
Tim Dawson doesn't like to travel with flimsy luggage. His tastes run to the high-end, ballistic nylon designer baggage by manufacturers such as Tumi, which he says serve him well on his frequent trips. "It's got a solid reputation," says the Frazer, PA, financial analyst, "but it's also expensive." So you can imagine Dawson's surprise when he found two Tumi bags at Neiman-Marcus at 45 percent off the list price recently.

** Outrageous Change Fee
He booked a one-way ticket on Continental Airlines from Newark to Atlanta recently, and his original ticket cost about $80. Then he had to change his plans. The carrier wouldn't let him fly standby and asked him to pay a $100 change fee. But wait ... how can the change fee cost more than a ticket?

** Twisted Theme Park
Not another theme park. That's the first thing I thought when I saw the enormous construction site rising out of the scorched sawgrass fields two years ago. The last thing we need here is another theme park. Don't get me wrong: I've got nothing against rollercoasters. It's just that I remember the Magic City two decades ago, when there seemed to be more orange groves than people, and I kind of miss it. Instead of tearing out more fruit trees to build a new water slide, or plowing over palmettos to make room for another motel, I wonder why they don't use the land they've already developed.

** Nosing Around
Travel stinks. Take it from Ed Huntsman, who's been gagging his way through airport terminals, aircraft cabins and hotel rooms. "The first thing many passengers do when they get to the airport is to head for the bar and puff up three or four cigarettes in twenty minutes with a beer," complains Huntsman, a Phoenix consultant. "Then they stink up the cabin four rows in every direction while the rest of us have to either smell their stench or suffocate." He's not alone. Numerous readers have written lately to vent about travelers who eat spicy food, have bad personal hygiene, use too much perfume or cologne, smoke before boarding a flight or get juiced in the bar prior to takeoff.

> Other Sponsors

** 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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