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ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
http://www.elliott.org

August 1, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Making My Day
* Question of the Week: Wireless E-Mail Etiquette?
* The Guy With The Mic? That's Me
* What? You Haven't Signed Up For Travel Notes Yet?
* This Week in Travel
* Fares Take a Fall
* Die, First Class, Die
* 'We Have Different Rules'
* Bidet Mayday
* Flying With Granny
* Hard-Core Shelling Safari
* Help, I'm Stuck in Houston
* Flashback: Getting Off With a Warning
* This Story Will Self-Destruct in 10 Seconds
* Why Don't Rental Cars Come With Warning Labels?
* Flying The Stormy Skies
* Myths Travel Fast

>> First Off <<

** Making My Day
Like any job, editing a travel Web site has its ups and downs. But on the days when your columnists file their stories, you wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'll never forget the weeks in which Terry Riley sent in his series of columns about bidets (it still makes me laugh, and we're featuring part two in this week's newsletter). I had the same reaction when James Wysong submitted this week's column about flying with granny. There are moments, too, when you're grateful to have a desk job (yep, being a travel writer means you're chained to your desk, ironically). When Charlie Leocha sent his story about navigating Delta's fare rule maze, that's how I felt. I hope you enjoy this week's issue, which also features a column about fall fare sales and a Travel Troubleshooter, solved in real time. Well, almost.

>> Underwritten By <<

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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Wireless E-Mail Etiquette?
You probably know all about the rules for sending e-mail (be brief, include a signature, no unrequested attachments). But what if you're sending to someone's wireless device, which has very limited screen space? What are your pet peeves for receiving e-mail wirelessly, and what are some of the rules you've come up with to make handling wireless e-mail more tolerable? We'd like to hear about it. Send us an e-mail at and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Remember, your story could mean free luggage.

> Trying to e-mail me? Please read this first.

** The Guy With The Mic? That's Me
It turns out yours truly won't just be roaming the convention center at the National Business Travel Association convention in Orlando without purpose next week, as I previously though. I'll also be taping a story for NPR. So if you don't want to be on the radio, better bring your running shoes. Because if you introduce yourself, I just might interview you.

** What? You Haven't Signed Up For Travel Notes Yet?
Come on. 1,500 other active travelers have subscribed to Travel Notes by E-Mail, the free newsletter featuring the day's top travel stories. Why? Could be because it's doing "a bang-up job summarizing the day's travel news and offering brief commentary," according to View From the Wing. Or because, as Err Travel puts it, you'll find "quick summaries of the day's top travel stories delivered to your desktop every weekday morning." > Sign up here.

>> This Week in Travel <<

News, opinion and analysis from Elliott's Travel Notes.

> Price, Security Fears Stunt Dot-Coms (7/30)

> Glitch Forces Philly Mass Evacuation (7/29)

> US Warns Visitors to ... Cancun (7/28)

> Song: An Airline That Really Rocks (7/27)

> CDC: More Travelers Need Shots (7/26)

> See archived blog postings or catch up on today's news.

> NEW! Sign up for Travel Notes by e-mail. Find out more.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** ProTravelGear.com
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>> On Elliott.org <<

** Fares Take a Fall
Fall is turning into a bargain-hunter's free-for-all. Led by feisty JetBlue Airways, airlines launched a fall fare sale in early July, weeks earlier than in summers past. The low-cost carrier cut some fares by half, with prices starting at $98 roundtrip between New York's LaGuardia airport and Fort Lauderdale (though taxes and other fees can push fares higher). Another no-frills competitor, ATA, has roundtrips from Chicago's Midway airport to Pittsburgh for $90. Delta Air Lines' low-fare spinoff, Song, is handing out Apple iPod minis (buy three tickets on the same itinerary to score the digital music player). > In U.S. News & World Report.

** Die, First Class, Die
Maybe it's time for domestic airlines to stop pretending they offer first-class service, at least on domestic flights. Doing away with the premium seats makes economic sense, not only for the struggling carriers and the increasingly cost-conscious businesses whose employees often sit up front. It also works for passengers on both sides of the curtain: the frequent travelers looking for a better flight experience and vacationers who want a cheap ticket without being insulted. > Details in Opinion.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** 'We Have Different Rules'
I never realized just how complex the mental process of picking an airline flight has become. As an expert on the subject, I was surprised to discover that I didn't know all the facts, fare restrictions and customer-service limitations when I selected Delta Air Lines for two roundtrip tickets from Boston to New York's LaGuardia airport. I was connecting to an Iberia Airlines flight to Spain out of JFK. Not that Delta cared. > Read more in Charles Leocha's column.

** Bidet Mayday
In the past few weeks, e-mail has been flowing in on the issue of bidet use. Readers are flush with ideas, but many have no more of a clue on how to use a bidet than do I. Here are a few samples (with a lot of editing on my part for purposes of propriety). > Read more in an archived Err Travel.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Flying With Granny
How many times have you boarded a flight and discovered that the elderly lady you were about to help to her seat was actually one of the flight attendants on your trip that day? Come to think of it, whatever happened to "Fly Me," or "Coffee, Tea or Me"? Today it's more like "Help Me," or "Coffee, Tea or Geritol". It's not like the typecast stewardess - the lovely young women always looking for that pilot to settle down with. This is real life. These are the women who turned a part-time, single, young female-type job into a life career for anyone. > In James Wysong's column.

>> On Not2far.com <<

** Hard-Core Shelling Safari
The storm sweeps across Sanibel Harbor at dawn, drawing a dark curtain over the island. Gray water churns angrily, spitting foamy waves on the beach. Gale-force wind gusts rage. What a perfect day to go shelling. Yes, shelling. Mollusk collecting - the epitome of low-impact pastime on Florida's West coast - is getting a makeover. > In Not2far.com's Destination of the Week.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Help, I'm Stuck in Houston
Checking in for a flight can be a stressful experience. But what if a series of misunderstandings at the counter make you miss your plane? That's not a theoretical question for one Northwest Airlines passenger on his way to India. After getting sent to the back of the economy-class check-in line and getting stranded in Houston, he shoots an e-mail to this problem-solver asking for help. Find out if he makes it to his destination, and whether Northwest is to blame for his plight. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Net-roamer.com
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>> Flashback: Getting Off With a Warning <<
This week, as a tribute to those poor Cancun vacationers caught up in the violent protests, we devote our entire retrospective issue to warnings. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** This Story Will Self-Destruct in 10 Seconds
Worried that a virus might infect your laptop computer while you're traveling? If you've read your e-mail lately, you probably are. "There's a new virus which was found recently which will erase the whole 'C' drive," an earnest e-mail from a colleague warned me recently. "If u get a mail with the subject 'Osama Vs Bush' please delete that mail right away. Otherwise it will erase the whole C drive." It followed another hysterical note that I'd gotten only a few days earlier. > In The Travel Technologist.

** Why Don't Rental Cars Come With Warning Labels?
Rental cars ought to come with warning labels. That way other motorists would know which cars to avoid. While highway safety statistics don't separate rentals from regular cars, it's pretty obvious that a vast majority of out-of-towners aren't on their best behavior when they get behind the wheel. Otherwise, why would rental companies be pushing for new laws that would limit damage awards and reduce their liability in rental car accidents where the driver is at fault? In Florida, a state that has almost as many rental autos as visitors, the bill is widely expected to speed through the legislature. > In The Travel Critic.

** Flying The Stormy Skies
Some people just don't know how to fly. Ask Daniel Nazar and that's what he'll tell you. Stranded for four hours in Kansas City on a recent Vanguard Airlines flight, the computer repairman from Milford, Texas, was denied meal vouchers or a reasonable explanation for the delay. "Passengers were informed that the airline was not responsible for providing meals to the stranded passengers 'because if we don't serve in the air, we don't serve on the ground,'" he remembers. "Several passengers had been in the gate waiting on that flight since early that morning, as they had been bumped off the earlier flight from Kansas City to Dallas, without warning or reason." > In The Travel Critic.

** Myths Travel Fast
In Las Vegas and New Orleans, a sophisticated crime ring is seducing visitors, drugging them and stealing their kidneys. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, bio-thieves are harvesting a variety of human glands from unsuspecting out-of-towners. And south of the border, they're snatching travelers' testicles. I'm not making this up; someone else did. There are no kidney thieves. Your glands are safe and so are the family jewels. Seriously. > In The Travel Critic.

>> Even More Underwriters <<

** FirstClassFlyer.com
Fly first class for less than what others pay for coach? Looking for free and purchased upgrades, 2-for-1s, advanced ticketing techniques, and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further ... these hot deals and more are available at First Class Flyer's Web site.

>> Who's Reading Elliott's E-Mail? <<

* Demographics
* Elliott's E-Mail newsletter circulation - 27,246
* Travel Notes by E-Mail newsletter circulation - 1,501
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 62,027
Ticked.com - 35,474
Triprights.com - 11,080
Not2far.com - 3,802
Travelcomment.com - 14,380
Total network visitors - 126,763

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