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

August 5, 2004

FAA: Cut O'Hare Flights, Or Else...
Mixing threat and persuasion, the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday gathered dozens of executives from 15 airlines that fly into O'Hare International Airport and asked them to cut their schedules by about 5 percent to reduce delays so extensive that they ripple from Chicago through the whole country. Officials said they had never tried negotiating landing slots among so many airlines before. O'Hare can handle without delay 86 arrivals an hour from domestic airliners, and no more than 22 in any 15-minute period, but more than 40 are scheduled to arrive between 8 a.m. and 8:14 a.m., and much of the rest of the day is also overcrowded, the F.A.A. says. The New York Times | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Flights 'Holding Nation Hostage' (Sun-Times)
• One-Minute Delay Costs $30 for Airlines (AP)

If nothing else, this event should expose the flaws in the legacy carriers' hub-and-spoke system. On a practical level, avoid O'Hare flights in the morning. But if you're a frequent traveler, you probably already knew that.

Check Out of Your Room, in to Flight
Democratic delegates checking out of the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Boston last week were able to check baggage on to airline flights and get boarding passes - right in the hotel lobby. Doubletree, affiliated with the Hilton Hotel empire, is the first hotel in Boston, and one of the first in the country, to use a system that allows travelers to check their luggage outside an airport - for a $10 fee. "We got it live last Friday,'' said Christian Coffin, DoubleTree's general manager. "The guests that used it really liked it.'' Boston Herald | Posted 6:35 a.m.

Tigger Acquitted of Groping Guest
A Walt Disney World worker who portrayed the character Tigger was acquitted Wednesday of charges he fondled a 13-year-old girl while posing for a photo with the teen and her mother. Jurors found Michael Chartrand not guilty of lewd and lascivious molestation, a felony, after deliberating for less than one hour. He had faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Chartrand hugged his attorneys when he heard the verdict. Earlier this week, he rejected a plea offer that would have given him probation. AP | Posted 6:45 a.m.

JetBlue to Save Old TWA Terminal - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said yesterday that it had reached an agreement with JetBlue Airways to build a new terminal at Kennedy International Airport, a move meant to expand service and reopen Terminal 5, the airport's arching architectural landmark. The New York Times | Posted 7 a.m.

US Airways May Default on Loan - In another sign of its troubled finances, US Airways warned Wednesday that it may default on its federally guaranteed loans by Sept. 30, which likely would send the carrier into bankruptcy for a second time. In a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the airline said it "anticipates risk of failing to comply'' with the terms of the loans, and that it uses cash rapidly to meet debt and lease payments and finance daily operations. Tribune-Review | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Unions: Delta is Gouging Employees - Delta Air Lines' latest $1 billion concession proposal is a way to "exploit the current situation" and "gouge" the pilots, the chairman of the airline's pilot union said in a strongly worded letter to the rank-and-file today. The letter was yet another sign that the cuts the company says are needed to survive could take awhile. Enquirer | Posted 7 a.m.

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• Off the Record... hey, what happened to all of those "no smoking" signs? An investigative report by Sky News reveals that at least one hotel in Ireland is not pleased with the new countrywide smoking ban. It found guests lighting up in defiance of the new rule. But if you're a traveler, there are worse things that can happen to you while you're abroad than waking up smelling like unfiltered cigarettes. According to one study, you could come home pregnant. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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