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

June 27, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Out of Bounds
* Question of the Week: When Service Isn't Up to Snuff
* Rate Your TSA Experience
* Subscribe To Terry's Newsletter (And Get a Huge Discount)
* This Week in Travel
* Facts That Don't Fly
* 5 Keys to Getting The Right Rental
* Hold The Mayo … Please
* Questioning Your Agent's Loyalties
* Fighting Their Way Back
* A Missing Refund On Travelocity
* Flashback: Flight Attendants Unleashed
* Attendants Strike Back
* Attendants With Attitude
* Lighten Up
* Pursers - Or Peacekeepers?

>> First Off <<

** Out of Bounds
From time to time, some of the columns on this newsletter push the limits of journalism. But rarely do so many. John Frenaye's commentary on where your travel agency's loyalties lie is an eye-opener (and will definitely get the poor guy flamed). Ditto for Joel Widzer's defense of the legacy carriers. James Wysong's unbelievable but true story ("Hold the Mayo … Please") manages to fit stripping and projectile vomit into the same column. I join in the fray with an op-ed about how the entertainment industry lies about travel. And be sure to catch a flashback about flight attendants.

>> 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.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: When Service Isn't Up to Snuff
This week, we're looking for your stories about the decline of service in the travel industry. Specifically, is there a hotel where you used to get good service and things have just gotten so bad that you refuse to stay there any longer? Is there an airline you used to always fly that just isn't cutting it anymore? A car rental company you rented from that you now refuse to do business with? 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.

** Rate Your TSA Experience
Our friends at Innovation Analysis Group have teamed up with Travel Agent Magazine to poll travelers about their airport security experiences. OK, I know for a fact that all of you have opinions about the TSA. Well, here's your chance to sound off anonymously. The survey 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. > Click here to take the survey.

** Subscribe To Terry's Newsletter (And Get a Huge Discount)
I've been longtime admirer of Terry Trippler's work (I've always said that Terry will forget more about airfares than I'll ever know). So when Terry launched a new newsletter, "Terry Trippler's Pricing Strategies," I was hooked right away. Where else can you find detailed write-ups on every airline contract of carriage, or real insider stuff on airfares that even the airlines probably don't know? Terry has generously offered a subscription for Elliott's E-Mail subscribers at $14 for 48 issues - $10 off the cover price. How'd I get it so low, you wonder? I told Terry to take my commission and pass it along to you (our charter prohibits any kind of affiliate relationships). > Interested? Click here for details.

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Booking Hotel Room No Longer Simple (6/25)

> Four More Airlines Shared Data (6/24)

> Should Volunteers Fly Delta's Planes? (6/23)

> Space No Longer The Final Frontier (6/22)

> Duluth Demands Jobs From Northwest (6/21)

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

>> Also Underwritten By <<

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

** Facts That Don't Fly
When it comes to travel, the entertainment industry has never really bothered separating fact from fiction. Turn on your TV if you don't believe me. Or catch a summer movie. See the film 'The Terminal,' for instance, and you might wonder if getting stuck at the airport is such a dreadful thing. (In fact, most experienced travelers would do anything to avoid spending even a few hours in a terminal). Watch the new A&E series 'Airline,' and you could be left with the impression that airline employees are just one big happy family who tell passengers jokes. (Actually, most airline workers I know are neither happy, nor are they allowed to kid around with customers.) > In Opinion.

** 5 Keys To Getting The Right Rental
To most travelers, a rental car is an afterthought - as in, "Oh, will I need a car while I'm there?" at the end of a reservation. And that's unfortunate. True, the auto rental only accounts for 9% of the average corporate travel budget, according to Runzheimer International. But over several trips, that can add up to a lot of money. In an earlier column, I explained how to avoid the most common car rental traps. I also helped you sort through the best and worst car rental companies. Now it's time to determine which rental company to actually do business with. Here are the five things to consider, plus my insider tips on how to make these strategies work for you. > Details in Power Trip.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Hold The Mayo ... Please
All of a sudden, Tammy dropped a tray. She quickly left her cart and ran down the aisle for the nearest toilet. I watched with concern and horror as she made it only as far as the last row. She didn't throw up in front of the last row; she threw up all over the last row, and all of its occupants. I quickly helped to clean things up, trying to appease the passengers, but how do you appease someone that has just been sprayed with projectile vomit? > In A Frank Steward.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Questioning Your Agent's Loyalties
Whose side is your travel agency on? Is it on your team, ready to help you if something happens on your trip? Or is it busy cashing that commission check from your last reservation? You deserve an agent who works for you. But how do you determine if your travel counselor cares? Here are a few questions that will help you weed out a bad agent. > In John Frenaye's column.

** Fighting Their Way Back
The intensely competitive airline market and the success of the economy carriers are forcing traditional airlines into a reality check. The biggest challenge for the legacy carriers has been to align costs with their shrinking revenue. But over the last few years legacy carriers out of necessity have cut costs, streamlined operations, and introduced quality customer service initiatives. American Airlines, the world's biggest airline, is fighting its way back and is expected to turn a profit. For decades, the airline had operated with a burdensome and expensive structure designed to capture business travelers. > In Joel Widzer's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** A Missing Refund On Travelocity
You book a room at a hotel. You secure the reservation with a credit card. But when the time comes to check out, you discover you're being charged for two extra nights. For one Travelocity customer, that marks the beginning of a four-month odyssey to get her money back. After being put on "hold" for hours at a time and wading through thickets of red tape, she finally loses her patience and calls for help. Find out whose mistake this was - and how you can prevent this from happening to you. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Net-roamer.com
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>> Flashback: Flight Attendants Unleashed <<
Don't your dare call them stewardesses. Modern-day flight attendants won't put up with any passenger shenanigans, as I discovered in a review of stories on the topic. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** Attendants Strike Back
If you're brave enough to complain about bland food, bad seats or below-standard service on a flight, beware: You may get an earful back. Overworked and often underpaid, more flight attendants are striking back at troublesome passengers. While physical assaults are very uncommon, verbal attacks-what the Federal Aviation Administration terms "Category Two" misconduct-seem to be happening with greater frequency. > In The Travel Critic.

** Attendants With Attitude
Do flight attendants hate us? After Jay Johnson's last trip on US Airways, he might be forgiven for thinking so. Traveling from Baltimore to Charlotte, he overheard an elderly woman ask an air host for help lifting her carry-on luggage into an overhead compartment. "She refused," he says. "Then the flight attendant chastised her, saying the airline didn't pay her to lift luggage and that she would not get disability coverage if she injured her back. I helped the woman get her luggage stowed." US Airways refused to comment on the incident. > In The Travel Critic.

** Lighten Up
Are airline flight attendants too fat? Possibly. Passengers, crewmembers and several studies suggest that these airline employees have been packing on the pounds lately. Not that it's any of our business. How much someone else weighs is a private matter - unless their mass affects the safety of our next trip. And then it does, indeed, become an issue. > In Opinion.

** Pursers - Or Peacekeepers?
In his State of the Union address, President George Bush praised American Airlines flight attendants Hermis Moutardier and Christina Jones for stopping accused shoe-bomber Richard Reid and "likely [saving] nearly 200 lives." They aren't the only airline employees who have been singled out as heroes in the war on terrorism: Sandra Bradshaw, a flight attendant aboard the United Airlines flight that crashed in Pennsylvania, was mentioned as a possible Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. And a recent editorial praised all flight attendants as the "unsung heroes" in the current conflict. But there's another side to the story - the passenger's side - that suggests flight attendants are anything but heroes. > In Opinion.

>> Even More Underwriters <<

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** 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
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** Journeyware.com
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>> Who's Reading Elliott's E-Mail? <<

* Demographics
* Average newsletter circulation - 23,976
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 47,311
Ticked.com - 28,554
Triprights.com - 10,289
Not2far.com - 2,288
Travelcomment.com - 4,116
Total E3 Network visitors - 92,558

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