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http://www.elliott.org

February 29, 2004

>> Inside <<

* The All-Controversy Issue
* Question of the Week: Tipping Tips?
* A Brief History of Controversy
* New 'Rights' For Air Travelers
* Bothered at a Bed and Breakfast
* Major Airlines Take Wrong Turns
* Cell Phone Chatters Persecuted
* Brave New Mickey
* Steer Clear of Car Rental Surcharges
* Protect Yourself from Cruise Repricing
* This Week in Travel
* An AAwful Flight
* Have a Nice Bidet
* Air WWF for the Complaint-Challenged
* Speechless on Delta Air Lines

>> First Off <<

** The All-Controversy Issue
This week, we're featuring the most controversial stories and commentaries published on Elliott.org and its partner site, Ticked.com, since 1997. With more than 3,000 original articles in our database, selecting just a few wasn't an easy task (in fact, we had to save the Triprights.com columns for later because we ran out of space). If you've been a regular reader of this newsletter, you'll probably recognize some of the stories. If you've just subscribed, then you're in for a treat. Enjoy!

>> Underwritten By <<

** Award Traveler
Award Traveler buys and sells transferable frequent flier mileage awards and upgrade certificates. We are a broker between frequent fliers who choose cash rather than miles and air travelers who want first- and business-class service at a reasonable price. > Find out more.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Tipping Tips?
In some places, gratuities represent a "thank-you" for extraordinary service. In other places, they're expected. This week, we want your stories about tipping, and your tips on tipping. When should you do it? How much should you tip? When shouldn't you tip? Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. > Remember, your story could mean free luggage.

** A Brief History of Controversy

Before we get into this week's stories, a note about what makes us tick here at Ticked.com and Elliott.org. Speaking for all of us - Charlie, James, Terry, The Tourist, and our all-volunteer team of editors here in Key Largo - I can tell you that we love what we do. Writing is fun for us. It's also a labor of love (we don't get a paycheck for our efforts). But our reward comes when we've helped a traveler or changed the travel industry for the better. And that's really the reason behind all of this - not so much to make the airline execs squirm (we admit, it happens) but to help them see things from a passenger's perspective.

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** New 'Rights' For Air Travelers
(Most controversial op-ed.) Is the war on terrorism depriving us of our rights? Hardly. Look no further than the airline industry to discover a new set of "rights" we've received after Sept. 11. I'm astounded that no one's reported this because they've been here all along, in plain view for any air traveler to notice. > Details in Opinion.

** Bothered at a Bed and Breakfast
(Most controversial hotel column.) Cynthia Barry became part of the bed-and-breakfast backlash when the proprietor of the inn she was visiting during a trip to England tried to break down the door to her room one morning. "He ranted and raved because we did not take our showers until after breakfast," she recalls. During his door-front tirade, she says, the innkeeper accused the Clearwater, Fla., traveler of "slumming" - visiting a run-down neighborhood for amusement - and threatened her with bodily harm. > Details in The Travel Critic.

** Major Airlines Take Wrong Turns
(Most controversial audio commentary.) Full-service carriers such as American, Continental and Delta - and I use the term "full-service" loosely - have taken all the traditional steps to reverse course. They've pared capacity by 14 percent. They've even done the seemingly impossible - they've added more seats in economy class to squeeze extra passengers into a plane. But they've missed one thing. > On NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.

** Cell Phone Chatters Persecuted
(Most controversial technology column.) These aren't the best of times for travelers who use cell phones. A few weeks ago, a woman on a Czech Airlines flight landed on the wrong side of the law when she whipped out her wireless device in midair, despite repeated warnings from a flight attendant. According to a police spokesman, the call temporarily disrupted the turboprop's navigation devices and jammed communication between the plane and the tower. She faces one year in jail if convicted. > Details in The Travel Technologist.

** Brave New Mickey
(Most controversial destination column.) Walt Disney World's newest character is cute, charming - and controversial. My Pal Mickey, a 10½-inch doll stuffed with fluff and microchips, is a state-of-the-art interactive tour guide created just for Disney's theme parks. But this little mouse is rumored to do more than talk. Some of the Magic Kingdom's conspiracy-minded critics have accused My Pal of tracking them on their vacation and using the data for nefarious market-research purposes. > Details in Destinations.

** Steer Clear of Car Rental Surcharges
(Most controversial car rental column.) Rich Swisshelm thought he'd found a bargain when he locked in a rate of $28 a day for a sport utility vehicle in San Jose, Costa Rica. But when he tried to pick the truck up from the Advantage Rent-A-Car counter, he discovered he'd thought wrong. "The agent informed me that I had to purchase liability insurance at $20 per day and personal accident insurance at $8 per day, which doubled the cost of the rental," he remembers. "They said both insurances were mandatory, and I could not rent the car without purchasing the insurance." > Details in The Travel Tightwad.

** Protect Yourself from Cruise Repricing
(Most controversial cruise column.) Before you take your next cruise, take a close look at your ticket. Notice anything peculiar? A blacked-out section here, a sticker there? If you do, then you may be a victim of one of the fastest-growing scams in the travel business - something known in the trade as repricing. It starts when you book a cruise vacation months in advance, at a time when rates are relatively high. The agent takes your deposit and then waits. Over time, the price may sink as the cruise line scrambles to fill empty staterooms. When the balance is due (usually 75 days before sailing), the agent cancels your full-priced ticket, and buys a cheaper ticket. > Details in Kiplinger's.

>> This Week in Travel <<

News, opinion and analysis from Elliott's Travel Notes is underwritten by TravelHunters.com - hunting down the best travel bargains on the planet.

> Will Airline Passengers Get Weighed? (2/27)

> California: Stop Tracking Rental Cars (2/26)

> Airline Liable in Smoke Death (2/25)

> Business Travelers Bend the Rules (2/24)

> EasyJet, the Sequel: EasyCruise? (2/23)

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

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** An AAwful Flight
(Most controversial Cheap Charlie.) Let's take a look at a large and growing problem -- unruly, uncaring and compassionless flight attendants who seem to hate their jobs and dislike the very people whom they are hired to attend. Every member of the flying public can relate a story about terse, uncaring and impersonal treatment at the hands of flight attendants, ticketing and gate personnel. Last week, I learned that, at least in one case on American Airlines, crew contempt for their passengers was exhibited even to those crippled by injury and brought to the plane in a wheelchair. > In Cheap Charlie.

** Have a Nice Bidet
(Most controversial Err Travel.) I get out of town a fair amount and consider myself to be in the top quartile of sophistication when it comes to knowing what's what when traveling. But I am an unquestionable ignoramus when it comes to bidets. I was reminded again of this gap in my education on a recent trip to Spain. As a born and bred American, bidets never made an appearance in my world until I traveled overseas after high school. I was quick to narrow down their probable function. They looked like toilets with seats that had gone missing and with peculiar bubblers in the middle. > Read more in Err Travel.

** Air WWF for the Complaint-Challenged
(Most controversial Occidental Tourist.) From what the Tourist is reading on venting Web sites (other than this one), he concludes that taking an airplane these days must be akin to going to a WWF match: "Passengers fume as pilot feasts . . . . Airlines, FAA debate soaring flight delays . . . . Debonair passengers stranded . . . Britons mutiny as flight is rerouted . . . ." But, fear not, the Tourist does not intend to pile on with a typical, two-part column in which he essentially spews and curses the travel industry. This week and next, he'll provide the skinny to help readers not only complain, but complain well. > In The Occidental Tourist.

** Speechless on Delta Air Lines
(Most controversial ChrisCrossings.) For the first time since beginning to write ChrisCrossings, columnist Christopher Elliott is speechless. Why? He tries to answer a letter about the horrific treatment of a vacationing family at the hands of a Delta Air Lines flight attendant. If you don't have the same reaction, you're probably an airline employee. Get the details of a trip gone bad so that this won't happen to you. > In ChrisCrossings.

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** FirstClassFlyer.com
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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 10% off your entire order.

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