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E L L I O T T' S TRAVEL NOTES
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September 28, 2003

Never Say Never — Yesterday's improbable triple-overtime victory of my alma mater, the University of California over conference rival USC is a reminder that nothing is impossible — even in the travel business. For example, who would have ever thought that upstarts like Southwest, Spirit and JetBlue would ever be credible threats to the legacy carriers? And who could have predicted that I'd finish this week's newsletter a full day early (hey JJ, I even remembered Site of the Week)? > Personal note: I learned yesterday that I've been elected to the board of directors of the Fulbright Association's South Florida chapter. It's a real honor for someone who was hardly a model Fulbright scholar to begin with. Never say never.

September 27, 2003

US Airways Deathwish? — The "in" box is overflowing with flames from US Airways employees upset about a Troubleshooter column published more than a week ago that included the line: "Stories like this make me wish US Airways would just do us all a favor and go out of business." Here's one of the more levelheaded responses: "Although I agree that this event was mishandled from the get go, to wish that a company go out of business ... is certainly a cruel and thoughtless comment." For the record, folks, I do not want US Airways to go out of business. But when it treats passengers the way it did in this column, it makes me wish it would. > Noted: Some of the airline-employed critics also accused me of always siding with travelers. Maybe they should listen to this weekend's Savvy Traveler segment.

September 26, 2003

Baby, You're Popular — Not to get too far off-topic this morning, but in reviewing this site's hits, I've found that Aren's blog is the single-most accessed page, with more than 50,000 visits this year. It could be the fact that I mention Aren in a lot of my stories, including a recent essay in USA Weekend. Then again, it could also be that given the choice of reading more depressing travel news or clicking on a baby blog, a lot of folks prefer the baby. Can't say I blame 'em. > Interesting stat of the day: About 8 percent of air travelers are flying free, according to a Wall Street Journal story. Here's hoping you're one of them.

September 25, 2003

Space Wars Heat Up — When you're flying in economy class, who does the space in front of you belong to? Is it yours ... or is it the property of the passenger in front of you? Flight attendants normally side with travelers who want to recline, but now there's a new device that promises to even things out. The Knee Defender is a tiny plastic clamp that prevents the passenger in front of you from leaning back. One tester I spoke with says it works like a charm. "The seat wouldn't budge," he told me. So far, none of the airlines have weighed in on the legality of the Knee Defender. But it sure is better than having to repel a leaning passenger with your knees.

September 24, 2003

Agent Provocateur — The Travel Weekly agent's forum is abuzz this morning with a critique of my latest Troubleshooter column which advised a reader to fire her agent. Instead of lamenting the travel counselor's obvious incompetence, they've piled on yours truly over editing out details of the transaction that were irrelevant to a vast majority of travelers. I don't mind the criticism (even if it's a tad over-the-top ... I mean, what's with the name-calling? Didn't we get over that in grade school?) but would any of these so-called travel experts care to argue that the agent wasn't negligent for selling a client useless insurance? I'm waiting, folks.

September 22, 2003

Jet Blues — Word that media darling JetBlue is in trouble for sharing passenger data with a government contractor has readers of my newsletter up in arms. I posted the carrier's mea culpa on Triprights.com over the weekend. "That JetBlue did this without the permission of the individuals affected seems to me to border on criminal behavior," one traveler told me. "They should be jailed." I wouldn't be surprised to see a lawsuit or two coming out of this incident — and in time, I expect other airlines to reveal they've done the same thing. > Noted: Does anyone remember who broke this story? No, not Wired News as The New York Times claims. It was Edward Hasbrouck.

Note: This Web log represents my personal views at the time of their writing. My views are subject to change without notice. Further, I can't vouch for the accuracy or integrity of links to source information.

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