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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

November 7, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Don't Get Taken
* Ever Been 'Blacklisted' By an Airline?
* A Footnote About Politics
* This Week in Travel
* My Closest Call
* Don't Get Screwed: A 7-Step Program
* Eating Mickey
* Fire Your Travel Agent
* Flashback: So Many Ways to Save
* Traveling at the Last Minute
* Surprise Savings During the Lull
* Five Clicks to a Car Deal
* Nothing Strange About Odd Discounts

>> First Off <<

** Don't Get Taken
If you're a regular reader of our daily news blog, Travel Notes, you know about all the travel industry shenanigans going on - the agents absconding with tens of thousands of dollars, the tour operators shutting down unexpectedly and taking their clients' money with them. But in this week's issue, we offer useful advice on how to not become a victim. John Frenaye tells you how to protect yourself when you buy travel. We have a brand new troubleshooter about what to do with a bad travel agent. Plus, read James Wysong's harrowing account of a close call on a flight, and find out what they're quietly growing in a lab at Disneyworld. And by the way, if you want to sign up to receive Travel Notes by e-mail every day, you can do that here.

>> Underwritten By <<

** FirstClassFlyer.com
Want to 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.

>> By The Way <<

** Ever Been 'Blacklisted' By an Airline?
Has an airline ever told you that your business was no longer welcome? During the late 1990s, a lot of passengers were kicked off carriers for air rage infractions - but there are other reasons for being denied boarding permanently. If you're on an airline's blacklist, here's your opportunity to tell your story. How did it happen? Do you agree with the decision (and is the feeling mutual)? Please e-mail us. As always, please include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

> Be part of the debate and win Travelpro luggage. Anyone who e-mails us for any reason will qualify for a luggage giveaway (your comments don't have to be published). So if we have your e-mail address on file, you're automatically entered in the drawing.

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

** A Footnote About Politics
We've had an ongoing dialogue about politics in this newsletter during the last three weeks, and it's been very enlightening. I'm grateful to all of you who have weighed in on the question of whether a travel newsletter should ever get political. Some of you think I should stick to travel, and you're certainly entitled to your opinion. Others have written to me wondering how I could possibly ignore politics, particularly when it affects how we travel. But most of you are still steamed that I suggested in advance of last Tuesday's presidential election - to quote the movie Alien vs. Predator - that "whoever wins, we lose." Well, aren't you glad the election is finally over?

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Fat Passengers Weigh Down Profits (11/5)

> Holiday Bookings at Record Levels (11/4)

> TSA Screeners Want to Stop Testing (11/3)

> FAA: O'Hare Can't Handle Flight Load (11/2)

> Another Outbreak at Milwaukee Hotel (11/1)

> 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 <<

** 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.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** My Closest Call
One of the most frequently asked questions is: "What was the worst, or scariest, incident that has ever happened to you on an airplane?" A long time ago I was a passenger traveling from Athens to Corfu on vacation. I was alone, because my girlfriend and I had broken up at the last minute, but I had decided to go on anyway. The wind was ferocious that night, but we still took off. If you have ever been on a Greek airline you know that almost everyone smokes, including the flight attendants. The bad turbulence had brought an extra thick cloud to the cabin air. We were bouncing around worse than I had ever experienced. > In A Frank Steward.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Don't Get Screwed: A 7-Step Program
Your travel agent just bolted with your money. Your cruise line sold your cabin to someone else. Your tour operator went belly up, and there's no chance for a refund. Over the past six months there have been dozens of news stories highlighting the "shady" travel industry. No one can dispute the fact that some travel agents did abscond with some money, Carnival did oversell several sailings, and several tour operators simply ceased operations with little more than a padlocked front door. But how can you protect yourself? > In John Frenaye's column.

>> On Not2Far.com <<

** Eating Mickey
In a greenhouse on the perimeter of Epcot largely off-limits to park visitors, scientists are discreetly growing produce to look like the Mickey Mouse. Rodent-shaped fare has been a staple at Disney's theme parks for more than a decade - everything from waffles to pasta are shaped like the cartoon icon. But now, food engineering is quietly being taken a step further. > In Not2Far.com's destination of the week.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Fire Your Travel Agent
The name on your airline ticket is wrong - it's your husband's last name, not yours. But instead of fixing it, your travel agent wants you to buy a new ticket for $450. When you balk at that, he recommends that you just change your last name to fit the ticket. With only a few weeks until her vacation, is this air traveler out of options? Find out who is responsible for an incorrect name - and what this traveler can do to make things right. Plus, learn how an incorrect name on your ticket can ruin your next vacation. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Journeyware.com
The new destination for exceptional luggage, business/tech cases and travel accessories from leading brands like Travelpro, Lewis N. Clark, RoadWired and more. Great prices, fast, free UPS ground shipping on orders of just $50 or more! All with a level of uncompromising, personal service that you might not be used to getting these days (especially if you are a frequent traveler). Enter coupon code ELLIOTT and click "update" at checkout for an additional 10% off any order.

>> Flashback: So Many Ways to Save <<
Everybody loves a bargain. But the opportunities to save money are everywhere - and in places you wouldn't expect. Here's a look back at the best of them.

** Traveling at the Last Minute
Sarah Murphy doesn't consider herself a spontaneous person. The Miami financial analyst likes to plan everything, including her vacations, with time to spare. She booked her last getaway, a seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean ports of Grand Cayman and Cozumel, half a year in advance through a travel agent. It cost her more than $1,000. But Murphy suspected she could do better on shorter notice after seeing an ad for icruise.com, a Web site specializing in last-minute sailings. "I had some vacation days left over, and I thought going on a cruise would be a good way to spend time before the busy holidays," she says. > In Access magazine.

** Surprise Savings During the Lull
Kathleen Kowalczuk thought she'd found a bargain Caribbean cruise to help her escape Alaska's arctic winter. But the real deal, it turns out, was the hotel she booked in Fort Lauderdale, FL. "It was a huge surprise," says the Anchorage, Alaska, real estate broker. She knew the daily rate at the Gold Coast Beach Hotel was $59, which is a steal even during the off-season. She didn't know that it meant she'd stay in the equivalent of a suite that came with an attractive water view. Welcome to the "Lull," the stretch that began with Dead Week in early January and ends with Spring Break. > In The Travel Tightwad.

** Five Clicks to a Car Deal
Before she discovered Hotwire, Anna Blackman routinely reserved her cars through a rental company website. She says she did it for the frequent flier mileage credit and because the rates were better. But she recently snagged a great price on Hotwire for a one-week rental in Baltimore - a brand-new midsize car from National Car Rental for $22 a day - that made her forget about her miles. "It was much cheaper than my reservation with any other car rental company," says the El Sobrante, CA, executive. > In The Travel Tightwad.

** Nothing Strange About Odd Discounts
Even though she dialed mostly toll-free numbers from her hotel room, Kepi Peterson thought her phone bill would be outrageously high. After all, the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas, warned that a $3 connection fee applied to "800" numbers, too. So you can imagine the Mesa, AZ, homemaker's surprise when the charges mysteriously disappeared from her account at checkout time. "Without us even asking, the desk clerk removed all fees incurred when we used an 800 number," she remembers. "We didn't even ask why." > In The Travel Tightwad.

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** Net-roamer.com
Access the Internet anywhere in the World through a local call, keeping your own email address and home ISP at a reasonable cost per minute. User-friendly point and click software enables analog dial-up, ISDN, and broadband. Thousands of access points, many "all-cities" and "toll-free" with access throughout the country that you are visiting. No sign-up fees. No minimum usage or monthly quotas. Pay for usage only. Detailed usage reports. First half-hour free. Professional, personal service. > Check it out.

** FrequentFlier.com
Want to travel faster, safer, smarter, cheaper, better... and earn more frequent flier miles in the process? Subscribe to the Internet's premier travel newsletter. Every week, The FrequentFlier Crier delivers travel news you can use: frequent flyer program updates, special fares, industry news and trends. > Sign up (free).

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

* Demographics
* Elliott's E-Mail newsletter circulation - 31,811
* Travel Notes by E-Mail newsletter circulation - 4,545
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 56,411
Ticked.com - 24,520
Triprights.com - 8,037
Not2far.com - 3,578
Travelcomment.com - 13,269
Total network visitors - 105,815

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