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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

October 14, 2002

> Inside

* Bravo, America West
* I Hate That Airport!
* Check Out Terry's New Site
* Oh, Don't Make Us Beg
* JoeSentMe.com Fundraiser
* Escape from Car Rental Traps
* Tech Travelers Start Over
* No Compassion on Northwest
* Begging Airlines
* Enough AAlready

> This Week in Travel

** Bravo, America West
Criticizing the airline industry is almost second nature to us. We repeat disparaging comments like a tired mantra today. Bad service! Onerous ticket restrictions! Undeserving of government subsidies! Southwest Airlines, the no-frills carrier that has defied the industry's sad decline, is most often mentioned as the only exception among major airlines. But it isn't alone. >> Read the whole story.

> By the Way

** I Hate That Airport!
What is your least favorite airport? This week, we want you to name that terminal and also why, specifically, you dislike it. Is it the delays? The never-ending construction? The crowds? Send us an e-mail at 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.

** Check Out Terry's New Site
It's an honor to recommend Terry Trippler's new Web site to you this week. The new Terrytrippler.com offers an expanded new "Facts On Flying" section that promises to be the most complete airline rules information available anywhere on the Internet. There's a sizeable free section online and subscriptions cost $12 per month or $48 per year. We support Terry's efforts to build quality, independent content on the Web, and hope you will, too.

** Oh, Don't Make Us Beg
Elliott's E-Mail is an independently-produced, reader-supported newsletter. Please pitch in with your contributions. For our October fundraiser, we've lined up a couple of cool premiums, including the EasyTravelAir Security Pouch, a must-have travel accessory to get through the post-9/11 airport; autographed copies of Joel L. Widzer's "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status," plus signed, numbered prints of Jim Hunt's "Fall of Air Travel."

** JoeSentMe.com Fundraiser
On a related note, JoeSentMe.com, the business travel Web site published by Joe Brancatelli, is running a fundraiser this month, too. Joe, Terry and I are three of only a handful of independents out there trying to produce the kind of content that empowers consumers instead of enriching the travel industry. So please click on over to his site and give him your support as well.

> Our Sponsor

** JetReady
The pressures that business travelers face in today's environment are unprecedented. Each element of travel management dramatically affects a business's health and profitability. It is no longer enough to be there; each business trip requires employees to maximize performance creating positive value for their organization. To achieve sustained high performance, travelers need to be mentally focused, emotionally engaged, physically energized and aligned with their deepest values and beliefs. To learn more, call (714) 544-2855.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Escape from Car Rental Traps
If you're like most business travelers, you probably don't pay much attention to the price of your rental car. Bad idea. If you're not careful, your bill could get run up with surcharges, extra fees and other surprises. That's what happened to Sylvia Perryman, who rented a car at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., recently. She returned the car after a day, but had to leave the keys in a drop box because the rental counter was closed. The company charged her for an extra day. >> In Microsoft bCentral's Power Trip.

** Tech Travelers Start Over
Reformatting a laptop computer's hard disk drive - erasing all the data on it - is usually the last resort when a portable PC doesn't work. Not for travelers. At a time when sensitive computer hardware is being run through airport x-ray machines, dropped and mishandled more often, hitting the "delete" button is frequently the first choice for troubleshooting. >> In The Travel Technologist.

** No Compassion on Northwest
Is a cancer diagnosis and painful surgery enough to get Northwest Airlines to waive its $100 change fee for tickets? A reader tests the limits of the airline industry's "no waivers, no favors" policy and discovers what many other travelers with legitimate personal emergencies have: The airlines are hellbent on collecting every dime from their customers. >> Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

> Ticked.com Talk

** Begging Airlines
The airline industry is in a bind. The major airlines, for the most part, have created a business where every time a plane takes off they lose money. From a small businessman's point of view, this situation can't last long without some "white knight" swooping in with a parade of wagons full of money. In the old days, airlines could float bonds and borrow money. Not any more. >> Read Charles Leocha's column.

** Enough AAlready
I noticed in a recent news release that Dr. David McKenas, American Airlines' medical director, had introduced a program where sickies can drag a nurse along with them on an American Airlines flight for a discounted fare. That sounds like an admirable enough program, but what's the deal with the name: Skycaare? At first I thought that this must have been a typo that found its way into your news release. But, because I read about it in so many places, I dismissed this as the reason for the double "aa." >> Read more in Terry Riley's column.

> Other Sponsors

** EasyTravelAir.com
The must-have travel accessory to get through the post-9/11 airport is the EasyTravelAir Security Pouch. The hands-free pouch lets you display your ID and boarding pass and keeps your credit card, passport and other travel essentials safe and secure. Get one free when you buy three. Only $14.99 each. Call (800) 282-1469.

** 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.

** AnitaVacation.com
Do you need a vacation? Do you need fresh ideas, news, and information to be inspired? Look no further than AnitaVacation.com. Editor Anita Dunham-Potter gives you timely insider tips on consumer travel issues, in-depth vacation features, and the best deals to favorite destinations, air travel, cruises, and much more. Sign up today for our free weekly newsletter with even more advice, viewpoints, and deals that show you how to have better travel experiences ~ because everyone needs a vacation.

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