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

August 29, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Warning: It's a Fee-For-All
* Question of the Week: Keep Those Stories Coming
* This Week in Travel
* More Fees, Please
* TSA Introduces New Kids Lines
* Someone to Lean On
* Nude-Only Screening
* Smooth Move, Northwest
* Stranded in San Francisco
* Flashback: Learning Experiences
* Airline Bumping Addicts
* Stupid Users? No, Stupid Technology
* Surviving a Trip With the Boss

>> First Off <<

** Warning: It's a Fee-For-All
I remember when August used to be a slow month. Not this one. Northwest Airlines' shocking announcement that it will add new fees for tickets not booked through its Web site has the industry buzzing - and we've got it covered. From the latest issue of our blog, Travel Notes, to John Frenaye's column about what the fees mean to you and your travel agent, to my essay on the "importance" of fees, it's all in this issue. We also have James Wysong's poignant story about a flight attendant on the verge of ending it all. And this week's troubleshooter tackles the case of family stranded in San Francisco by their travel agent's error.

>> Underwritten By <<

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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Keep Those Stories Coming
We had such a tremendous response to last week's question about the most interesting trip you've ever been on that we want more! So if you travel a lot, and if anything really interesting has ever happened to you while you're away, then speak up. We're looking for compelling stories from the road - brushes with celebrities, danger, romance, or just your tales of a favorite journey. You know, the kind that you always find yourself telling other people about (and it seems to get better with each telling). 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.

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> U.K. Airports Ban Heavy Luggage (8/27)

> New Hawaii Cruise Isn't Ship-Shape (8/26)

> Northwest, United Add New Fees (8/25)

> Thousands of BA Passengers Stuck (8/24)

> Nervous Passengers Avoid US Airways (8/23)

> 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 <<

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

** More Fees, Please
True, its executives are incompetent. Its service is inadequate. But grant our failing airline business this: it certainly is inventive. I admit, I doubted America's worst-run industry had any creativity left in it. Despite generous government loans and subsidies, at least one major airline, Delta Air Lines, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Another, US Airways, is reportedly close to insolvency. But I was wrong, so very wrong. In the middle of our summer vacation, when it apparently thought no one was paying attention, Northwest Airlines announced new fees that stunned most industry observers. > In Opinion.

** TSA Introduces New Kids Lines
It's expected to be the busiest summer for air travel in three years. And that puts a strain on passengers - especially parents with young kids. For them, a big source of anxiety is getting a toddler through a security checkpoint. But a new federal plan would create special lanes for children at airport security checkpoints. The lanes are designed to make the process less intimidating for families. > Details in NPR's Day to Day.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Someone to Lean On
Most everyone in this world reaches a point in their lives where nothing will ever be the same again. It's the moment when all hope disappears and the future is suddenly frightening instead of encouraging. It's when everything you've worked for has lost all sense of value. Maybe it's the death of a loved one, a breakup in a relationship or a debilitating illness. Sarah recently reached that point, and I happened to be involved. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a female flight attendant. It read simply, "What do you do when all hope is lost?" > In A Frank Steward.

** Nude-Only Screening
As a part of a "nude week" package to Mexico, Castaways Travel is organizing "the first ever nude airline flight." Come this spring, "taking-off" will have a whole 'nother meaning for the 170 passengers on a Cancun-bound, chartered 727. Soon after lift-off from Miami International, these vacationers will not only be loosening their seat belts but just about everything else they have wrapped around them as well. According to the Woodlands, Texas travel agency this flight will become "a permanent part of nude history." Right off the bat, I can think of a dozen things I'd rather be than a permanent part of nude history. But hey, that's just me. > Read more in an archived Err Travel.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Smooth Move, Northwest
Last time you walked into a bank to deposit your paycheck, were you charged extra because you dealt with a person instead of an ATM? When you bought a magazine at the bookstore, were you slapped with a "service fee" because you purchased from an employee instead of its Web site? No, of course not. But that's not true if you're buying a ticket on Northwest Airlines. Starting next month, it's going to cost you an extra $5 if you call Northwest to buy an airline ticket. If you book through an agency, you'll pay a $7.50 surcharge, and if you go to the airport, the markup will be $10. > In John Frenaye's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Stranded in San Francisco
What happens when you book an airline ticket through a travel agency, then make a change to your itinerary - only to find out when you show up to the airport that you don't have a ticket at all? That's the question one traveler has when he, his wife and infant daughter are stranded in San Francisco after their airline tickets have been mysteriously voided. Who is to blame for the missing tickets? And how can you prevent the same thing from happening to you? > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also 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.

>> Flashback: Learning Experiences <<
Next week is the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of school. Here are a few of our favorite stories about what life on the road can teach us. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** Airline Bumping Addicts
On their return trip from a conference, Timothy Johnston, his wife and two students traveling with them tried to connect in St. Louis to their scheduled flight back to Paducah, Ky. They couldn't. "We were told there was only one seat left on the 16-passenger plane," the Murray State University professor recalled. It was the last flight of the day, and they were eager to get home. No problem, a gate agent said, and promptly issued each passenger $100 in cash compensation for the inconvenience. They ended up renting a car and driving home to Paducah. Later, Johnston's carrier even refunded $418 for the unused portion of their tickets. Good customer service? Yes. Good business practice? Maybe. > In Opinion.

** Stupid Users? No, Stupid Technology
Ever heard the one about the traveler who kept getting paged by someone named Lucille? The despondent user phoned tech support for help. He wanted to call Lucille and ask her to stop beeping him, but she hadn't left a return number. After a few minutes of back and forth, the technician finally asked: "How does Lucille spell her name?" To which the customer replied: "L-O-W C-E-L-L." > In the Travel Technologist.

** Surviving a Trip With the Boss
Leo Bringer remembers his flight with the know-it-all boss. It was mercifully short. He and another co-worker were sitting in economy class - three across with their boss in a nearby seat - waiting to take off. "He knew everything you could think of," remembers Bringer, an Elmhurst, Ill., human resources manager. "He was telling us how far it was to the airport from our hotel and what was there to do at our destination." So when a crew member asked for volunteers to take the next flight, guess who raised their hands at virtually the same time? Bringer and his colleague. > In Power Trip.

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>> 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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