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http://www.elliott.org

June 17, 2002

> Inside

* Hotel Fee Relapse
* Ever Been Caught Using a Back-to-Back Ticket?
* 50+ Title Challenges 'Penny Pincher'
* Experts Revisited
* Throw Out the Rulebook
* Not Paying $20 for a Receipt
* The Last Cruise
* Searching for 'Hidden Cities'
* Impromptu Safety Courses
* Better Airline Service? Fat Chance!
* Fighting Fat Fees for Hotel Services

> This Week in Travel

** Hotel Fee Relapse
Are hotel surcharges dead? If you've been following the news recently, you might be forgiven for thinking so. A few weeks ago, The New York Times breathlessly reported that because of customer backlash and a slump in business travel, many properties have dropped fees on everything from minibars to room safes. The story suggested that guests would finally pay the actual room rate they'd been quoted rather than being handed a bill with lots of surprise extras on it. That's not necessarily true.

> By the Way

** Ever Been Caught Using a Back-to-Back Ticket?
If an airline has recently threatened to deny you transportation because you used an illegal itinerary called a "back-to-back," here's your chance to tell your story. The incident should have happened during the last few months, and the airline needs to have threatened to either take away your miles, strip you of your frequent flier status or demanded that you buy another ticket. Please send an e-mail to us and don't forget to include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Deadline for your answers is Monday at 3 p.m. As always, your answer may appear in a future column.

** 50+ Title Challenges 'Penny Pincher'
Joel L. Widzer's book "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status" still clings to the top spot on the travel bestseller list this week. But it's being challenged by Joan Rattner Heilman's "Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely Can't Get Unless You're Over 50." (If you'd like to suggest a title to be featured, please send an e-mail to us.)

** Experts Revisited
I'm fascinated by the response to last week's list of "undiscovered" experts. Not only was it one of the most popular pages of the week, but many readers also nominated travel experts who weren't so obscure. This week, I'd like to run a question by you: Should I expand the list to include all experts? If so, how should they be rated? What kind of contact information should I include for them? I think someone needs to publish a more comprehensive list of travel gurus. But should it be yours truly? Shoot your comments over to me.

> Our Sponsor

** 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.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Throw Out the Rulebook
Forget everything you know - or think you know - about finding a cheap airline ticket on the Web. Sites that sell so-called "last-minute" tickets constantly add and remove inventory. But now the pace of those changes is accelerating beyond what most travel experts believed possible. In The Travel Tightwad.

** Not Paying $20 for a Receipt
A passenger asks for a ticket receipt on on Alaska Airlines. No problem, says an airline representative - that'll be $20. Is there some mistake? Or has the price of paper really risen by that much? Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

** The Last Cruise
The USS Spiegel Grove is the biggest, priciest, and most controversial artificial reef in the world. And maybe, the most fun. How else to describe an audacious plan to sink a 510-foot retired Navy landing dock ship that's had more cost overruns than a Navy fighter jet project and more plot twists than a David Mamet movie? In Destinations.

** Searching for 'Hidden Cities'
When the airlines talk about "hidden cities," they're not referring Shangri-La, El Dorado, Atlantis or some other far-off, mythical place. No, hidden cities may be places like Philadelphia, Denver or Charlotte, North Carolina. And carriers view them with the same fondness they reserve for unruly passengers and carry-ons the size of St. Bernards. Scheduling a hidden city is sort of like booking a back-to-back itinerary that circumvents a Saturday night stayover: It's a bit of subterfuge that costs the flier less money and angers the carriers. In The Travel Critic Archives.

> Ticked.com Talk

** Impromptu Safety Courses
Frequent fliers angling for extra leg room in coach class often request an exit-row seat without paying much attention to the safety briefings that outline evacuation procedures. But times are changing - today, such a seat can mean an intensive lesson about what to do in the event of an emergency. Just ask Jeff Meeker. Read more in Jane Costello's column in the Wall Street Journal Online. (Note: this link will take you to a free section of the WSJ.com site.)

** Better Airline Service? Fat Chance!
"The airlines are offering better service to get back into the air those many travelers who quit flying after September 11." That's the gist of a story that's making the rounds these days. I've fielded several calls from reporters about it, and I'm sorry to say it's more PR than fact. The truth is, you'll be lucky if service doesn't get worse. Read more in Ed Perkins' column.

** Fighting Fat Fees for Hotel Services
If Howard Beale, the distraught anchor in Network, were a traveler today, he'd likely throw open his hotel window and shout his now famous harangue: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore." And he'd have plenty of fellow travelers screaming with him over a laundry list of not-so-hidden fees. Read more in Chris Barnett's column.

> Other Sponsors

** First Class Flyer Travel Newsletter
Fly First Class for no more than coach? It's not only possible, such fares are available all the time - you just have to know where to find them. This travel newsletter, published by "Mr. Upgrade," reveals the secrets of First Class travel on a monthly basis. Deals like free upgrades, purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and elite status strategies.

** Volunteer Vacations Guide
Aid a good cause while taking a vacation - the updated and expanded Volunteer Vacations Guide includes nearly 140 organizations looking for domestic and international volunteers. The guide alerts you to volunteering projects, noting length of volunteer stays, age and experience requirements, costs, goals and locations for each organization. The Volunteer Vacations Guide provides a complete picture and explains the advantages and negative points potential volunteers need to consider before signing on.

** DisneyDollarless
Do you wish you could visit Walt Disney World more often - or even at all? DisneyDollarless is a free email list that can help you do just that! DDL is also a unique vacation support network where members answer trip planning and cost-cutting questions, trade used guide books, exchange travel coupons, book group cruises, and earn Disney prizes among other fun activities.

** The Alaska Travelgram
Punchy, timely information on travel in, out and around Alaska. Learn about fares the airlines won't publish. Find the secret spots that local "Sourdoughs" save for themselves. And learn fun facts about the "Last Frontier". Written by Scott McMurren, longtime travel columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. Free subscription.

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