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

August 15, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Sorry, Charley
* Question of the Week: Blocked ISP Numbers at a Hotel?
* Clever As Travelfox.com
* This Week in Travel
* Tips On Tipping For Travelers
* Flying The Funny Skies
* Keep Your Passport Warm
* Where's The Kid Repellent?
* All Choked Up
* Murphy Goes On Vacation
* Flashback: That's Funny
* Flying For Fun and Profit
* 5 Reasons to Check Out Early
* Traveling? Don't Forget Me
* Shutout On Sanibel

>> First Off <<

** Sorry, Charley
With two storms bearing down on us here in Florida - including hurricane Charley - we're sending this week's issue of Elliott's E-Mail out a little early. And since it's summer, we have a combination of new material and the best from our archives. There's a brand-new Troubleshooter column about a family vacation gone terribly wrong. James Wysong is back with the true story about how he barfed on his CEO. And if you thought that was funny, check out more columns that will make you snicker, if not laugh out loud - including commentaries on Southwest's legendary sense of humor, my "talk-to-the-hand" take on tipping, and much, much more. Until next time, stay out of the storm's way.

>> Underwritten By <<

** Cheapflights.com
Flights price comparison site. Compare sales, specials and cheap flights to New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, London, Cancun, San Jose and over 600 more destinations. Cheapflights.com provides a quick and independent picture of the market for cheap flights from airlines (including Southwest and JetBlue), travel agents and specialist discounters. > Find cheap flights now.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Blocked ISP Numbers at a Hotel?
Ever tried to call your Internet Service Provider from a hotel phone, only to find out that the property blocked access to the number? If you've ever experienced that, 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.

** Clever As Travelfox.com
If you don't think there's much to laugh about in the travel business these days, you haven't clicked on Terry Riley's Travelfox site. Every week or so, Terry (who many of you know as the guy who writes "Err Travel" on Ticked.com) spoofs the latest travel headlines, with news items like "SFO is first airport in nation to be Feng Shui compliant." Travelfox is a guilty pleasure. > Click on Travelfox for more information.

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Charley Takes Aim At Tampa Area (8/13)

> Hurricanes Force Airline Cancellations (8/12)

> Gun-Toting Congressman Pleads Guilty (8/11)

> Delta on the Verge of Bankruptcy (8/10)

> For Airlines, Worst June In Four Years (8/9)

> 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 <<

** Win a Trip to London on edate.com
The world's largest travel dating site is giving away a trip to London every month, courtesy of Virgin Vacations. Plus, if you sign up now for edate's state-of-the-art features like private e-mail, public or private pictures, instant messaging, and mobile notification, your membership is completely free. > Register now.

>> On Elliott.org <<

** Tips On Tipping For Travelers
Teresa Morris is the kind of person who always leaves a tip - generous for good service, small if it's substandard. But when the Dallas business-development manager and her husband recently split the tab with another couple at an Italian restaurant, and their friends neglected to leave a tip, she was left wondering about the whole system. "As we left the restaurant and were getting in our car, the owner of the restaurant came running out to us and wanted to know why we didn't like the dinner," she remembers. Why the question? Because Morris and her husband put down only a 10% tip - an amount equal to their share of a customary restaurant tip. > In an archived Power Trip.

** Flying The Funny Skies
The airline industry's current malaise is no laughing matter. Or is it? Yeah, things are bad. The nation's carriers could lose more than $8 billion this year. They're hitting up Congress for billions in aid, and they're cutting flights and adding onerous new fees to their tickets. At a time like this, the whole industry should feel dejected. So what's with all the jokes? "We're loading some air freight on the plane," a pilot explained over the intercom on Robin Archey's delayed flight from Baltimore to Albany. "We've gotta make money somehow. Because we sure didn't charge you people much." > Details in an archived Opinion.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Keep Your Passport Warm
It's getting difficult to be cheap with the airlines these days. They just don't even give you enough time. Heck, even a writer with his eye out for cheap airfares can't write about bargain airfares these days unless he has a daily column. I returned home last Tuesday after a weekend trip to find the Wall Street Journal waiting for me. After being gone for five days, and away from newspapers, it would be nice to catch up on the world. Flipping through the paper I came across a US Airways advertisement stating, "Keep your passport warm." Mine was. > Read more in Charles Leocha's archived column.

** Where's The Kid Repellent?
On a recent flight, I found myself paging through a SkyMall catalog. SkyMall is testament to simple consumerism-so many impractical products, all available for purchase in one place. Anyway, I noted that many of the weird gadgets offered for sale were combinations of otherwise useful products. I also noticed some products were missing. > Read more in an archived Err Travel.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** All Choked Up
It's one thing to fantasize about meeting your airline's chief executive officer on a flight and giving him a piece of your mind. It's quite another to share a piece of your dinner. Or, to be specific, to throw up on him. Here's my true story of regurgitating revenge. > In James Wysong's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Murphy Goes On Vacation
Ever felt as if your vacation couldn't get any worse? For one family, a string of mishaps - including a rescheduled flight, a hospital stay and a misunderstanding with a car-rental company - leave them feeling like they could really use … a vacation. Their biggest gripe: A Hertz bill that mushroomed after their flight was rescheduled. Can the Murphy's family vacation be saved? > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Journeyware.com
The new destination for exceptional luggage, business/tech cases and travel accessories from leading brands like Travelpro, Lewis N. Clark, RoadWired and more. Great prices, fast, free UPS ground shipping on orders of just $50 or more! All with a level of uncompromising, personal service that you might not be used to getting these days (especially if you are a frequent traveler). Enter coupon code ELLIOTT and click "update" at checkout for an additional 10% off any order.

>> Flashback: That's Funny <<
We continue with our funny theme this week with a look back at some of the things that have made us laugh in the past. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** Flying For Fun and Profit
When it comes to air travel, the thrill is gone. Flying just isn't fun anymore. But that's more than a morale problem for the nation's airlines - it's a money problem. The dreadful, humorless state of the aviation industry is keeping them from a recovery. The formerly polite passengers have been replaced by travelers like Pablo Moreira Mosca, a 29-year-old bank employee from Uruguay who is accused of kicking in a cockpit door on a United Airlines flight from Miami to Buenos Aires last week because he "wanted to destroy everything." > In Opinion.

** 5 Reasons to Check Out Early
If you're an experienced traveler, you know the TV show "Fawlty Towers" is based more on fact than fiction. The 1970s sitcom, set in a small British inn that's mismanaged by a young John Cleese, features every imaginable hotel horror: Rodents in the food, deranged guests and awful service. For anyone who's spent some time on the road, every episode offers something to laugh - and cry - about. > In Power Trip.

** Traveling? Don't Forget Me
On a recent trip to Quebec City, Canada, I opened my suitcase to find that a mission-critical item hadn't made it with me. It was something so essential to the success of my trip, in fact, that immediate action needed to be taken. I'd forgotten to bring any underwear. I found a department store the following morning and bought several replacement undergarments, but I made the mistake of confiding my forgetfulness to a colleague attending the same meeting I was. Within a few hours, everyone knew about my predicament. I had to endure underwear jokes for the rest of the conference. > In Power Trip.

** Shutout On Sanibel
Rob stares at the bulge under Kari's jacket, the only outward sign that she's two months shy of having a baby, and there's a pregnant pause. Our guide had been animatedly talking about what's biting out in the flats near Sanibel Island, Fla., this time of year - snook, redfish and an occasional cobia - until his eyes settled on my fishing buddy's midriff. "How far along are you?" he asks. "Seven months." "You gonna be okay to fish?" Kari nods. But I suspect it isn't her Rob ought to worry about; it's the fish. > In Destinations.

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** ProTravelGear.com
The new SearchAlert re-settable combination padlock from Outside The Box offers unique innovations in luggage security. SearchAlert may be opened with an override device controlled by Transportation Security Administration agents. No SearchAlert lock should be cut off by TSA agents. In fact, we offer a free replacement if it's ever cut off. SearchAlert features a Security Window which changes color from Green to Red when any override device is used. $9.99 each or two for $17.98 Available exclusively online. Enter coupon code: ELLIOTT for a discount. Click here to order.

** 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
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* Last month's total unique visitors
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Not2far.com - 3,802
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Total network visitors - 126,763

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