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

September 5, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Here We Go Again
* Question of the Week: Scammed
* Big Changes Ahead
* This Week in Travel
* Waiting For Frances
* Northwest Commits Corporate Suicide
* It Takes a Big Man
* Fighting Their Way Back
* Playing the Name Game
* Flashback: Disasters
* Bad News? What Bad News?
* Fed Up With Flying
* Solving the Help Desk Dilemma

>> First Off <<

** Here We Go Again
Since this newsletter originates in Florida, it's a little preoccupied with hurricanes this week. Indeed, as I write this, Frances is closing in on us. I have a commentary that suggests the only worse thing than being hit by a hurricane is waiting to be hit by one. There's also a whole "Flashback" section about disasters of all kinds, whether it's cruise ship viruses or technological snafus. James Wysong sounds off about fat airline pilots. Charlie Leocha berates Northwest about its new fees. Joel Widzer has an archived column about how the legacy airlines will survive. And catch a brand-new troubleshooter column about a traveler who couldn't get the name on her ticket changed.

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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Scammed
Ever get taken when you were on the road? Maybe you were overcharged for a hotel room ("oh, no one mentioned anything to you about the resort fee?"). Maybe there was a "surprise" surcharge on your car rental ("ma'am, did you really think it doesn't cost anything to dispose of those used tires?"). This week, we need your stories about being scammed while you're away. The extras charges that were criminal. Send us an e-mail at and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Remember, your story could mean free luggage.

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

** Big Changes Ahead
This newsletter and its affiliated Web sites is about to undergo some big changes. During the coming months, we'll be streamlining and simplifying the information you get here every week, plus upgrading our look so that you'll have an even better user experience. There may be a few false starts and hiccups along the way. But stick with us - it'll be worth it!

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Travelers Flee Hurricane Frances (9/3)

> Monster Storm Targets Florida Again (9/2)

> Gap Seen in Airport Screening (9/1)

> Why Are the Airlines Failing? (8/31)

> Cold Winter Ahead for U.S. Airlines (8/30)

> 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 <<

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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.

>> On Elliott.org <<

** Waiting For Frances
If there is anything worse than being hit by a hurricane, then it must be waiting to get hit by a hurricane. And if you live in Florida, you've been doing a lot of waiting lately. It started in late July with Hurricane Alex, which appeared just north of Jacksonville and then barreled up the eastern seaboard of the United States before disintegrating in the cool waters of the North Atlantic. Then there was Bonnie, who whipped through the Gulf of Mexico but lost momentum just before making landfall, faking out frightened residents of the Panhandle. Her brother Charley, who arrived a few days later, wasn't so kind: he chiseled his way through the center of the state, taking 27 lives and inflicting $20 billion in damage. Now we're waiting for Frances. > In Opinion.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Northwest Commits Corporate Suicide
Northwest Airlines recently announced a series of new fees for anyone not using its online booking sites. In typical airline method, it made what could be simple fees complex and onerous. Northwest is going to charge $5 to book a ticket over the telephone, $10 for anyone buying a ticket at the airport and $7.50 for anyone purchasing a ticket through an agency (and yes, there is more fine print). This pronouncement by the Northwest hierarchy was met with immediate disbelief, scorn and howls of protest in the travel world. > In Charles Leocha's column.

** It Takes a Big Man
The next mechanical delay you experience could be the pilot, not the plane. On a recent flight to Cancun, I learned that sobering truth firsthand. Towards the end of boarding process, a rather obese passenger greeted us with a big hearty hello. I returned the greeting, but was already wondering how many seatbelt extensions we were going to need. The jolly man made a move towards the cockpit. "Excuse me, sir," I said. "Wrong way. That's where the drivers sit." > In A Frank Steward.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** 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 archived column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Playing the Name Game
When you buy an airline ticket on the Web, but the site gets your name wrong, what can you do to make things right? For one traveler who books a ticket to Rome through Expedia, the answer is: not much. After the site erroneously issues a ticket in her husband's name, the best it can do is to issue a $700 credit - to him. How do you prevent this from happening to you? And will this Expedia customer ever see her $700 again? > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** FirstClassFlyer.com
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>> Flashback: Disasters <<
It's hurricane season, which means it's time to dig into the archives for stories about travel that ends badly. We have so much to choose from. Flashback is sponsored by Dream of Italy, the award-winning newsletter about Italy.

** Bad News? What Bad News?
Fires. Viruses. Sexual assaults. Sound like a plot for a summer disaster movie? Wrong. More like a documentary on the cruise industry, 1998 to present. Consider: A few months ago, Sun Cruises' Sun Vista caught fire and sank off the western coast of Malaysia. More than 1,100 passengers jumped into life rafts as the luxury liner went down. Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean Cruises pleaded guilty to falsifying oil discharge records on the Nordic Prince. It faced more than $1 million in fines. > In The Travel Critic.

** Fed Up With Flying
After surviving an aborted takeoff five years ago on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dianne Weissman is now partial to ground transportation. How partial? Well, when the New York market researcher commutes from Rochester. N.Y., to New York City, she opts for a seven-hour train ride rather than a 45-minute flight. "I just feel better on the ground," she says. Weissman isn't alone. > In The Travel Critic.

** Solving the Help Desk Dilemma
When Mark Ellis' office recently switched to a new computer server, the tech guys tried to reconfigure his laptop to access the new system. They almost succeeded. "The software was only set up to work when the computer was actually logged on to the server," remembers the healthcare manager based in San Antonio, Texas. "It forced me to draft e-mails in Word while on the plane and then cut and paste them into e-mails when I got to the hotel to log in. Needless to say, this bug got fixed as soon as I got back to the office." Ellis was one of the lucky ones. > In The Travel Technologist.

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

* Demographics
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Travelcomment.com - 12,996
Total network visitors - 124,886

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