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http://www.elliott.org

October 21, 2002

> Inside

* A Southwest Solution?
* Holiday Tips
* No Ads? OK, Here's the Deal
* Five Best Airports for a Layover
* Rights or Wrong?
* Thrills for Sale: Deadly Adventures
* The Good Guys
* The Good Airline
* Leg Up on DVT

> This Week in Travel

** A Southwest Solution?
The books just closed on another miserable quarter for the airline industry. American Airlines led the flock with a loss of $924 million, followed by United Airlines, which is $889 million in the red. Delta Air Lines hemorrhaged $326 million, while Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines bled $46 million and $37 million, respectively. The only standout? No-frills Southwest Airlines, which posted a profit of $74.9 million. >> Read the whole story in Opinion.

> By the Way

** Holiday Tips
If you have to travel during the holidays, are there any special strategies you use to make the trip more comfortable? Share your advice! 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.

** No Ads? OK, Here's the Deal
You hate the banner ads that appear on elliott.org whenever you try to check out a story. So do I. The ads are outsourced to a company that resells them, and I have almost no control over the content. It annoys me, particularly when travel companies that I regard as second-rate buy that space. So here's the deal. It's our third week of fundraising, and I will make you this bargain: If just ten of you sign up for any level of support - any at all - I will be able to afford to take ALL the banner ads off the site. Here's your chance to get rid of the stupid commercial messages! Click here.

> Our Sponsor

** The Magic For Less
A full-service travel agency specializing in family vacations, romantic getaways, and cruises. The hallmark of our travel consulting is personal attention mixed with a bit of "magic" for the very best prices. A graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge is available on staff to offer advice, share recommendations and help you plan a magical Disney theme park vacation. For a limited time, The Magic For Less Travel is offering discounts of up to $200 on all qualifying travel. The Magic for Less Travel will help you get where you want go - for less.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Five Best Airports for a Layover
Airport layovers are as inevitable these days as cramped economy class seats, annoying security checkpoints and nitpicky ticket agents. But unlike the other realities of flying, you've often got a choice about the terminal you're trapped in. Which airport should you pick? J.D. Power and Associates tried to answer that question a few years ago when it released its "inaugural" customer satisfaction study on U.S. airports. >> In Microsoft bCentral's Power Trip.

** Rights or Wrong?
What does an airline owe you if your flight is delayed? A passenger wants to know after he's forced to wait at the airport when his plane has mechanical problems. He wants a full refund on his nonrefundable ticket; the airline won't budge. Who's right? And what does the airline's contract say about this situation? >> Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

** Thrills for Sale: Deadly Adventures
Dog sledding in Alaska. Off-roading in Baja. Running with the bulls in Pamplona. Marc Madnick has done it all, and that's just for starters. Next year, the 34-year-old father of two is heading to Morocco to cross the desert. "I'm also planning to go shark-cage diving in South Africa soon," he says. But Madnick is no modern-day Marco Polo. He's the chief executive of an Encino, Calif., software company, a self-described "couch potato" and part of one of the biggest travel industry trends since the advent of air travel. >> In The Travel Critic.

> Ticked.com Talk

** The Good Guys
I love a cheap success story. When Freddie Laker took off across the Atlantic with his low fares, it changed the airline world. But eventually Freddie Laker and his airline went bankrupt. He was driven out of existence by his competitors. It was enough to make me cry. It was an ugly story. Every anti-competitive action that the major airlines could take was employed. In almost every other business environment, these activities would have been termed unfair and monopolistic. >> Read Charles Leocha's column.

** The Good Airline
And now for something completely different: The Good Airline. With all due respect to Southwest (which alone among the major carriers reported a third-quarter profit this week) and JetBlue (which has style and in-flight television and profits) and Midwest Express (which has that great 2x2 coach seating), Aloha Airlines is probably the nation's best carrier. For most of the last 20 years, working in its little inter-island Hawaiian niche, Aloha has wowed travelers with everything from its ability to run an on-time operation to its willingness to serve you a beverage on a 20-minute flight. And most years, it has even made a few bucks. In other words, the very model of a modern American airline that almost no one in America knew. >> In Joe Brancatelli's column.

** Leg Up on DVT
Deep vein thrombosis. You've probably heard of it. If not, you've probably heard of the media term for it: economy class syndrome. Prior to September 11, it was gaining front-page and primetime, newspaper and television attention. It is a popular, bite-size, travel topic. (Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have heard of it for sure. They may be looking at $14 million in damages for failing to tell British travelers about its "dangers.") Adding to its popularity is its distinction of being awarded a three-letter acronym - DVT. >> Read more in Terry Riley's column.

> Other Sponsors

** 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.

** 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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