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

July 2, 2004

>> Inside <<

* False Advertising?
* Question of the Week: Is Travel Too Expensive?
* Happy Fourth of July
* Still Time to Qualify for Terry's Newsletter
* Not Too Late to Rate the TSA
* This Week in Travel
* False Forecasts
* Road Rage On Holiday
* Expecting the Worst
* The Walks of Life
* No Excuse
* Flashback: The Lowdown On Web Fares
* What a Tangled Web We Weave
* A Winning Ticket Strategy
* Look Before You Book

>> First Off <<

** False Advertising?
It's difficult to read Charlie Leocha's devastating expose about newspaper airfare maps this week and not wonder if the newspaper travel sections we rely on have sold out (I leave you to make that judgment). Terry Riley's commentary on travel advertising will probably make your decision a little easier. And if you believe the pundits will help debunk any of that - well, then just catch my archived opinion column on false forecasts. There's also the unbelievable story about a real-life episode of 'Fawlty Towers' and the unbelievable way in which the hotel allegedly misrepresented itself online. Good thing James Wysong is here with a more lighthearted take on how passengers walk through the terminal. Otherwise, we'd probably all stay home.

>> Underwritten By <<

** Journeyware.com
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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Is Travel Too Expensive?
You've probably read the stories about the rise of travel expenses across the board (whether it's at hotels, car-rental companies or airlines). But this week, we want to know how much more, specifically, you're paying for travel. By how much have your travel bills increased? Is it still worth it, or are you starting to get sticker shock? 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. It did for Robert Johnson, our May winner.

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

** Happy Fourth of July
In honor of the Independence Day holiday in the United States, we're publishing the newsletter early, boarding up the office, and heading to the beach. Here's hoping you have a great Fourth of July weekend.

** Still Time to Qualify For Terry's Newsletter
We've extending the special offer for "Terry Trippler's Pricing Strategies" through this newsletter for another week. Terry has generously offered a subscription for Elliott's E-Mail subscribers at $14 for 48 issues - $10 off the cover price. You won't find it cheaper anywhere, not even on Terry's site. > Interested? Here are the details.

** Not Too Late to Rate Your TSA Experience
There's still time to cast your vote on the TSA. It's your opportunity to sound off - anonymously - about how the screeners are doing. The poll collects certain demographics but does not gather any respondent-traceable data. Results will be published soon. Your help is much appreciated and will make a big difference. > Here's the survey.

>> This Week in Travel <<

News, opinion and analysis from Elliott's Travel Notes is underwritten by Travel Hunters - the bargain travel community.

> It's Going to Be a Busy, Busy Weekend (7/2)

> California Senate Passes Car GPS Bill (7/1)

> Ship Repossessed Before Cruise (6/30)

> Air Travel is Up - Way Up (6/29)

> Theme Park Prices On Rollercoaster (6/28)

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

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Travelhunters.com
If you like to find great travel bargains, you've got to check out TravelHunters.com - the bargain travel community. The site was created by two brothers from Minnesota who love to help people find the best travel bargains. You'll find numerous hot deals for vacations and cruises, bargain travel articles, travel resources, and a comprehensive travel message board. Be sure to sign up for the free monthly newsletter - the Travel Hunters News - dedicated to helping people find amazing deals. > Need more information? Here it is.

>> On Elliott.org <<

** False Forecasts
What's the summer travel season going to be like? Will airfares rise or fall? How about hotel rates? Will the roads be busy? In newsrooms across the country, reporters are gearing up to answer those questions, just as they do every year. And the same pundits are stepping forward to make their travel forecasts. But unlike other industries where predictions are closely tracked - stock-picking and sports come to mind - these travel gurus are rarely held accountable for what they say. If they were, the editors and producers who rely on their knowledge would realize that they're wrong almost as often as they're right. Maybe it's time to start keeping score. > In an archived Opinion.

** Road Rage On Holiday
Peter Green got an early taste of summer traffic when he drove from San Jose, Calif., to Mendocino, a small resort town north of San Francisco, over Memorial Day weekend. "The trip up the coast requires that you travel through San Francisco proper and there are no freeways through the city," he says. "It took more than an hour to get through the city. It was so frustrating, I was actually tempted to turn around and go home." > Details in an archived The Travel Critic.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Expecting the Worst
Have you ever had a business trip where everything - and I mean everything - went perfectly? Me neither. Yet while paging through a periodical that targets business travelers, I noticed that the people in the ads appear to be on trips that couldn't be more pleasant. What gives? I fly with the same airlines as the pictured passenger who is sitting next to an elegant seatmate while being attended to by attractive and cheery flight attendants. > Read more in Err Travel.

** Low-Fare Lies
We've all seen the tables of "lowest air fares" in the Sunday papers. I remember using them regularly. But I've never really examined them for accuracy. I always assumed they were a true listing of low fares. Not so. They're often flat out wrong. In fact, the charts I just examined in the Boston Globe (and many other newspapers) are often wrong and misleading. > Read more in Charles Leocha's column.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** The Walks of Life
Moving through the airport on any given day can seem like an arduous or mundane task but have you ever noticed the many different varieties of airport walks there are out there? First, there is the ever-popular I-am-Late-for-My-Flight Gallop. This is the one where all humility and grace are lost. It is the sweat-pouring, hair's-a-mess, bumping-into-anyone-in-their-path scramble. It used to be called pulling an OJ Simpson, but that is now reserved for quite a few other things. > In James Wysong's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** No Excuse
It was the kind of hotel that Basil Fawlty, the inept innkeeper from the TV show "Fawlty Towers," would have been proud of. Snippy service. Peeling paint. No running water in the shower. But it wasn't the sort of room anyone would pay $146 a night for. When one guest does, she asks Orbitz, the travel agency she booked it through, to remove the charges. When she doesn't get a response, she asks for help. Find out what you're owed if your hotel visit isn't up to your standards - and how you can spot a bad hotel when you book online. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** ProTravelGear.com
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>>> Flashback: The Lowdown On Web Fares <<
Booking travel online? Don't click that "buy" button until you've read this week's series of flashback columns about online booking. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** What a Tangled Web We Weave
When the United Airlines Web site quoted Robert Elleman a round-trip fare of $813.31 for a flight between Cincinnati and Buenos Aires, the first thing he did was make a printout. That's because it looked too good to be true. It was too good to be true. When he tried to book the ticket, the site returned an error message. Then it gave him another price for the flight to Argentina's capital: $1,159. "I called their Web customer support and worked with a representative for more than an hour, to no avail," he says. "After much haggling, I learned that the real problem involved them posting a price that they did not intend." > In The Travel Critic.

** A Winning Ticket Strategy
Finding an airfare at the last minute may seem simple for Enda Carey, a computer systems analyst for a brokerage firm in New York. But the actual process is far from it. "In order to plan trips based on what's available at the last minute, I use a variety of sources," he says. Such as? Carey starts at Orbitz to find the cheapest published fare for his dates and times. Next, he hits Travelocity, but he tells the site that his travel times are flexible, ensuring a lower fare. Then he surfs over to Cheaptickets.com and uses its power-search option to find the lowest fare. He compares the results. > In The Travel Tightwad.

** Look Before You Book
How much cash can you save by booking travel online? Rob Argento saved more than $200 on an Alamo rental car in Los Angeles by clicking on Expedia. The Manhattan marketing executive shopped around online and even checked with the car rental company's site, before finding a $100 weekly rate - for a convertible. Looking for a lower airfare, Sherri Pfefer, a consultant for a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., software company, checked out the Southwest Airlines Web site. That's where she discovered she could whittle down to $161 the $361 fare her travel agent quoted her for a flight from Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans. "I used to call a travel agent first, but now I just go straight online," she says. "The prices are almost always better." > In Access Magazine.

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** edate.com
Where online dating meets travel. With the explosive popularity of online dating including a state of the art dating site, edate.com has teamed up with some of the world's largest travel partners to give away fantastic monthly trips and offer its members great travel deals, tips and more. Thousands of members can hook up in their own town or in some exotic locale. Check it out.

** 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.

** Toursaver.com
Free Alaska travel for companions! Everything in the "Great Alaskan TourSaver" is free or 2-for-1. Frommer's says: "An essential money-saving resource for Alaska travelers." Cruise boats, railroads, attractions, flightseeing, whale-watching, hotels, car rental companies and cultural trips all two-for-one. Just $99.95. Read Frommer's review, learn more.

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

* Demographics
* Average newsletter circulation - 26,508
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 53,005
Ticked.com - 29,456
Triprights.com - 10,707
Not2far.com - 2,834
Travelcomment.com - 10,491
Total network visitors - 106,493

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