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

September 19, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Disagreements? Work 'Em Out
* Question of the Week: Ever Been Blacklisted?
* This Week in Travel
* US Airways Ends With You
* A Final Word on Fees
* Airline Fees Are Good
* Plane Torture
* Dead Men Don't Fly
* Flashback: Getting Away From Everything
* Did Somebody Say 'Shark'?
* Finding Old Florida
* The Squares of Savannah
* Going Down in Curacao

>> First Off <<

** Disagreements? Work 'Em Out
We have a contentious issue for you this week. Two of our columnists - Charlie Leocha and Joel Widzer - have a serious disagreement about the new airline booking fees. Who's right? Read both stories and decide for yourself. I have a post-mortem on US Airways, and on who gets to pay for the party. As you can imagine, there are a few people at the airline that don't like my analysis (isn't that what they have letters to the editor for?). Plus, we've got more from James Wysong and a brand new troubleshooter column. And when you're all argued out, check out the latest flashback about getting out of town.

>> 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.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Ever Been Blacklisted?
You've heard a lot about the federal "no fly" list. But what happens when an airline tells you you're not allowed to fly on it any longer? Or when a hotel tells you that your business is no longer welcome? Has that ever happened to you? If so, let us know - and tell us how you coped with it. Send us an e-mail at and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

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

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Hotels Try to Dispel Hurricane Myths (9/17)

> Hurricane Ivan Slams Into Gulf Coast (9/16)

> Radar Failure Affects 800 Flights (9/15)

> Hotel Workers Prepare For Strike (9/14)

> US Air Files For Bankruptcy Protection (9/13)

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

> NEW! Sign up for Travel Notes by e-mail. Find out more.

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>> On Elliott.org <<

** US Airways Ends With You
So long, US Airways. Now that the nation's seventh-largest carrier has filed for bankruptcy protection a second time in as many years, many industry-watchers give it only a few months before it liquidates. Even David Bronner recently predicted it wouldn't be saved from Chapter 11, and he ought to know. He's the airline's chairman. But while most of the pundits are fixated on the reasons for US Airways' likely demise, one question has gone largely unasked: Who is going to pay for this failure? Certainly, its employees will. Since 2001, the company's rank-and-file workers have given up an unprecedented $1.9 billion in wages and benefits - reductions they willingly accepted in order to keep US Airways flying. When the airline goes belly-up, these loyal employees will also pay with their jobs. But they aren't alone. You'll pay, too. > Details in Opinion.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** A Final Word on Fees
My last column on Northest Airlines' new ticketing fees accused the airline of committing corporate suicide. But the column made some readers so mad that they wanted me to drop dead. Among the flames were missives insisting the Northwest consumer Web site was excellent and easy to use. Other readers claimed I am a "flunky in Econ 101." Let me clarify my comment regarding Northwest's "clunky, inefficient, isolated and "inferior" in-house Web sites." > Read more in Charles Leocha's column.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Airline Fees Are Good
Air fares normally drop faster than leaves during the fall. But this autumn, a series of ticketing fees promise to keep prices a little higher. Northwest Airlines announced it would add a surcharge of between $5 and $15 for tickets booked offline. As I write this, several other airlines, including American Airlines, Continental Airlines and US Airways, have matched the fees. Most travel pundits say these new charges are terrible. I disagree. Consider how some travelers reacted to the news. When asked if the fees would change the way they purchased their tickets, 61 percent of travelers told Cyber Survey "no." > In Joel Widzer's column.

** Plane Torture
Frustrated by the boarding and deplaning torture? Sure you are. The airlines are trying to cut costs while trying to be your carrier of choice. I don't have a problem with that, but it's when the airlines spend a bundle of money only aggravate their passengers that I have to step in and say something. Many carriers have researched, tinkered with, and spent millions on the most effective way to board an aircraft. The turnaround times for flights are decreasing so speed is of the essence. So some genius comes up with the idea of boarding by zones. It sounds more efficient until you realize the zones are announced from the front of the aircraft to the back, thus the lines are eventually longer than before. > In James Wysong's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Dead Men Don't Fly
When an airline says your ticket is non-refundable, does that mean you'll never see that money again? Not if you're flying on Northwest Airlines - and not if you're dead. But one widow's efforts to get the money back from Northwest hit a snag when the airline tries to issue a refund to his closed credit card. Find out what the airline definitions of "non-changeable" and "non-refundable" really are - and if Northwest makes good on its promise to refund the money to a deceased passenger. > In Fix My Trip.

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>> Flashback: Getting Away From Everything <<
Wanna get away from it all? Who doesn't? This week, we take a look at some of the place we've been (and some of the trouble we've gotten ourselves into). Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** Did Somebody Say 'Shark'?
After reeling in one fish after another - redfish, sea trout and catfish - Richard Stanczyk quietly announces that it's time to go after "something bigger." We're a one-hour boat ride from Islamorada, Fla., drifting somewhere in the Florida Bay, and it's difficult to imagine that our 16-foot vessel can accommodate anything much larger than the gamefish we're catching and releasing. Stanczyk, a veteran fishing guide, slices a live ladyfish in half, hooks it, and casts the line in a wide arc alongside a sandbar. He chops the rest of the baitfish into smaller pieces and tosses the bloody remains overboard. "Time to catch a shark," he says. > In Destinations.

** Finding Old Florida
A steaming plate arrives at our table with bite-sized servings of alligator, catfish and frog legs. It comes with a side of cocktail sauce for dipping, in case we're feeling adventurous. We aren't. "Wait, wait," we hear from the kitchen, just as we're about to sample from the so-called "critter platter." "You have to try this." Ben Bishop, the general manager of Marsh Landing restaurant, emerges with yet another delicacy: a dense, spicy broth. He slides our dish aside to make room for the bowl. Mmmm. What is it? "Turtle soup," he proudly says. > In Destinations.

** The Squares of Savannah
Savannah is for squares. The 24 open areas that define this Southern city tell a bittersweet story you won't read in any tourism brochures. It's a tale that pits preservation against 'progress' - parks versus three-story parking garages and advocates of renovation against the market forces that want to raze every architecturally significant building. I set out on this unauthorized tour of old Savannah on a late Winter morning. It was cool and sunny, and I was armed with a good book. No, not Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the enduring John Berendt bestseller. I mean, A Visitor's Guide to Savannah, by Emmeline King Cooper and Polly Wylly Cooper. > In Destinations.

** Going Down in Curacao
After my first bite of barbecued iguana, Vicki the diving instructor asked, "So?" I was tempted to say, "Tastes just like chicken," because it did taste like chicken, but that's not what she wanted to know. Curaçao's giant lizards, when properly prepared, are thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. Even the word for iguana in native Papimentu sounds suggestive: yawanna. I jokingly raised my eyebrows. Vicki laughed. The rest of the students giggled. They looked as if they were wondering too - well, is he or isn't he? When I passed the plate of hot lizard around the table for everyone to sample, those that dared took small, cautious nibbles. > In Destinations.

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