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Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

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

February 8, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Travelers Behaving Badly
* Question of the Week: Your Wi-Fi Tips?
* Why Travelers are Jerks
* No Point Collecting Miles?
* Elliott on Public Radio
* This Week in Travel
* US Airways' Mileage Mess
* Cheap Tickets, Long Wait

>> First Off <<

** Travelers Behaving Badly
After I penned an op-ed about travel manners in the Miami Herald and interviewed angry travelers on NPR one of my editors wanted me to get the details on how travelers were misbehaving. The unfortunate answer is in this week's Power Trip column (a preview: we can be very, very naughty). But we are not alone. Charlie Leocha explains how one airline stole our miles and won't give them back. Also, find out why Cheap Tickets held on to one customer's refund for more than three months, and hear another "Fix My Trip" on public radio's The Savvy Traveler.

>> Underwritten By <<

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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Your Wi-Fi Tips?
Ever check into a hotel, open your laptop, and see a wireless network available - only to find out that it wasn't accessible? This week, we're looking for your tips on how you overcame that problem. Did you tweak your settings and log on? Call tech support? Or did you just resort to a dial-up connection? 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.

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Why Travelers are Jerks
It's about time I let the other shoe drop. I've written a series of stories taking hotels, airlines and car rental companies to task for failing to meet their customer-service obligations to travelers. But travelers themselves aren't exactly known for their politeness either these days. A new poll by the nonpartisan opinion organization Public Agenda suggests a lot of travelers leave their manners at home. > Details in Power Trip.

** No Point Collecting Miles?
A few days ago, I got a letter from US Airways' frequent flier program offering magazine subscriptions for my miles. In the past, I would have preferred to hold on to my hard-earned points for an award ticket. Not now. This year, with US Airways and United in bankruptcy and other airlines struggling, I cashed in as many of my points as possible for subscriptions to Time, Entertainment Weekly and Smithsonian (titles I wouldn't necessarily pay full price for but don't mind having around). > Details in an archived Opinion.

** Elliott on Public Radio
Hear Elliott untangle a paperwork problem on Public Radio's Savvy Traveler and find out how one birth certificate ruined a honeymoon. Don't worry, there's a happy ending - the unhappy couple visits the Florida Keys instead. > In The Savvy Traveler.

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> TSA: Please Delete Testimony (2/06)

> Dog Delivered Dead on Air Canada (2/05)

> Euro Privacy Group Blasts CAPPS II (2/04)

> US Airways' Mileage Mess (2/03)

> Is Airline Security a Joke? (2/02)

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

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** US Airways' Mileage Mess
A "misinterpreted" internal memo circulated to the US Airways reservations staff may have cost frequent fliers tens of thousands of miles last week. The error, which affected travelers booking premium award tickets, applied to reservations made between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2. An airline spokeswoman said reservations agents had been misinformed about an increase from 40,000 miles to 50,000 miles needed for a premium ticket. According to the spokeswoman, the change in required miles is not supposed to come into effect until next year. US Airways hasn't made a decision yet about refunding miles overpaid by frequent fliers. > Read more in Charlie Leocha's column.

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Cheap Tickets, Long Wait
When an airline changes its schedule, what are your rights as a passenger? One traveler thinks she knows the answer after reading her carrier's contract of carriage. But Frontier Airlines has other ideas. Add a travel agency - in her case, Cheaptickets.com - and she's out $1,008. Where's her refund? And whose fault is it that the money she spent on the ticket is in limbo? > In Fix My Trip.

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