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E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

August 4, 2004

Board: Require Child Seats on Planes
Ten years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board turned a bright light on child safety aboard airliners after a 9-month-old infant died when the mother lost her grip on the baby in a US Airways crash in Charlotte. The agency added airline child restraints to its most-wanted list. But a decade later, little has changed, say safety advocates. Yesterday, the NTSB attempted to address the issue, calling for young children to be restrained in their own seats aboard airline flights. The NTSB board voted to red-flag the issue and designated the inaction over the past decade as "unacceptable." The board urged the Federal Aviation Administration to act quickly. Washington Post | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Government Tries to Avoid 'Sofie's Choice' (NY Times)
• Safety Group Says 'Lap Babies' Unacceptable (KRT)

As the father of a two-year-old (and one on the way) I support the idea of restraining kids on the plane. For more than just safety reasons, I might add. But airlines can help by reducing the amount parents would have to pay for a seat, just like they do on international flights.

Driver Who Flattened Crowd 'Panicked'
An 86-year-old driver who plowed his car into a farmers market in California, killing 10 and injuring 63, mistakenly stepped on the gas rather than the brake, federal safety investigators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled the probable cause of the July 16, 2003, accident was "unintended acceleration." The accident was made worse when the driver, George Weller, panicked and continued careening through the crowd, investigators said. The safety board ruled out mechanical failure, weather, alcohol or drugs, and fatigue. AP | Posted 6:35 a.m.

San Diego Votes On Hotel Tax - Again
The Nov. 2 ballot might give San Diego voters déjà vu. For the second time in less than a year, they will decide whether to raise the city's hotel room tax. This time, they won't get to tell the city how they want the new revenue spent. And the campaign to defeat it likely will be fiercer than the low-key but successful approach opponents took in the March election. The City Council voted 6-3 yesterday to place a measure on the November ballot to raise the transient occupancy tax from 10.5 percent to 13 percent. If approved, it would generate about $28.5 million in new revenue each year that would go into the city's general fund and be spent at the council's discretion. Union Tribune | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Cut-Rate Flight Attendants Investigated - Cabin crew working for budget airline Ryanair were not fully trained to get passengers off planes in an emergency, accident investigators have found. Most of the airline's new crew were not properly instructed in opening exit doors, a report into an incident at London's Stansted Airport found. This Is Travel | Posted 7 a.m.

Once Left For Dead, Hotel High-Speed is Hot - In Stat/MDR reports that while the concept of hotel broadband had a rocky beginning, the market has since stabilized, and hotels, guests, and providers alike are embracing the idea. Total properties deployed will grow from 5,207 in 2003 to 26,828 in 2008. HNR | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Independence Liberates Pittsburgh - Low-fare carrier Independence Air officially introduced itself to Pittsburgh yesterday, extolling the benefits of new airline competition as it prepares to launch eight daily nonstop flights to Washington Dulles International Airport starting Aug. 23. "There is a low-fare revolution happening all across America," Independence Air spokesman Rick DeLisi told a small audience at Pittsburgh International Airport yesterday. "Starting on Aug. 23, it is coming to Pittsburgh." Post-Gazette | Posted 7 a.m.

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• Off the Record... getting lost in a strange city is no fun. Now, thanks to Avis, we know which places we are more likely to lose our way in. Survey says: Boston, followed closely by Washington D.C. (2), San Francisco (3), Baltimore (4) and New York (5). Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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