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E L L I O T T' S TRAVEL NOTES
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October 3, 2003

Worst Airports — Batten down the hatches! My latest screed on the worst international airports got a few hours of front-page time on MSN yesterday, and the e-mails are still piling up. In 12 hours, nearly 800 messages — many of them from angry airport users — landed in my "in" box. There are so many, I can't even read them all. The feedback seems to confirm my suspicion that a majority of American air travelers support a completely smoke-free airport. What do you think? > By the way, this Web site's October pledge drive starts this weekend. Check out the premiums ... they're very cool.

October 2, 2003

Dumb Choice? — If you're smart, which airline do you fly? Why, Northwest Airlines, of course — at least according to a new advertising campaign unveiled yesterday. The airline declined to say how much it was spending to promote its new planes, online ticketing and new Detroit terminal. But the money could be better spent elsewhere, according to many passengers who have written me to complain about poor customer service and cramped flying conditions on the carrier. Like on what? Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe addressing the 16,529 pieces of luggage it mishandled in August? Or the 1,014 passengers it involuntarily bumped from its flights during the second quarter of this year? At the very least, its new ads should acknowledge these customer-service issues — and tell us how it intends to do better. That's what a smart airline would do. > Personal note: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published a story today about hidden hotel fees in which I'm featured.

October 1, 2003

Who's Behind SkyHigh? — On close examination, the new SkyHigh Airlines site looks like an ad masquerading as satire to me. Specifically, the numerous positive references to Alaska Airlines are a giveaway that this is no ordinary grassroots gripe-site in the vein of Untied.com or Northworstair.org. But that hasn't stopped a lot of readers from sending me a link to the dot-com with a tip to check it out. So I did. "It's ours," admits Alaska spokesman Jack Evans. "It was put together as an afterthought to our new advertising campaign and posted a day before the campaign launched." Evans says the carrier is surprised by the reaction to the Web site, but he believes readers will know that it's an airline ad. Well, they will now.

September 30, 2003

Box Boy Goes Free — Remember Charles McKinley, they guy who shipped himself to Texas from New York earlier this month? The 25-year-old is reportedly free on bond this morning after being charged with stowing away on a cargo jet, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Maybe McKinley took that spoof about the FedEx PeoplePak too seriously. But those of us who travel by air know something the casual reader doesn't: All things being equal, he probably didn't suffer any more than the average economy-class passenger when he traveled. > Speaking of suffering: Word of the Knee Defender is getting around. Charlie Leocha's review of the device just posted on Ticked.com. I think Knee Defender is going to be the equivalent of Pokémon for business travelers.

September 29, 2003

Dodgy Deals — A report published in an Australian newspaper this morning concludes that about one in five tours purchased online are "dodgy" and have cost consumers thousands of dollars. What makes these vacations so questionable? Prices often don't include agency charges, credit card fees and ticket taxes, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. I wonder if our own Federal Trade Commission will ever conduct a similar study here in the States. Based on my troubleshooting caseload, I believe the figure will be as high in the U.S. — maybe even higher. > Noted: Reader Terri Thornton adds, "The FTC lists online travel scams as one of its top 12 scams most likely to hit your e-mail. The Better Business Bureau regularly gets complaints from online, fax, bulk mail travel scams that are never-ending."

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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