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

December 17, 2004

Indonesia on High Alert After Warnings
Indonesia is mounting its largest security operation in four years after it received intelligence from the U.S. and Australia on possible terrorist attacks during the Christmas and New Year season. "We have launched a special operation called Candle 2004 for all areas of Indonesia," National Police Chief Da'I Bachtiar said today. "Our aim is to secure people and the places of worship, and recreational places and shopping centers." Two-thirds of the police force in each city will be deployed, Bachtiar said in Jakarta. Police today found nine homemade bombs on a bus in West Java province, he said. (Bloomberg) Posted 5:35 a.m.
• Britain Warns Citizen of 'Imminent' Attacks (Reuters)
• Hilton: Not Associated With Hotels (Bloomberg)

I have a follow-up on the Mizener story. During the last few days, I've heard from the mother of another passenger who went overboard on a cruise ship under mysterious circumstances. I also received an e-mail from a passenger on Mizener's cruise, who said rumors were circulating that a male passenger was giving "date-rape" drugs to female passengers and was thought to be involved in Mizener's disappearance. The man was seen being taken off the ship in handcuffs.

Screeners Disciplined for EWR Bomb
A second U.S. Transportation Security Administration employee has been disciplined after this week's security breach at Newark Liberty International Airport in which screeners and supervisors lost a bag containing a fake explosive, an agency official said yesterday. The bag was missed by Newark Airport's baggage screeners in Terminal C during a test and ended up aboard a Continental Airlines flight Tuesday night to Amsterdam, where it was recovered by TSA the next morning. Advertisement Ann Davis, a TSA spokeswoman, said a screening manager involved in the failed training exercise was forced to change posts. A day earlier, a screening supervisor who oversaw the test also was transferred. (Star Ledger) Posted 5:45 a.m.

US Airways Attendants Approve Deal
US Airways flight attendants on Thursday approved a tentative contract agreement that met the bankrupt airline's demand for $94 million in labor savings over each of the next seven years. The agreement, along with previous pacts with pilots and gate and reservations agents, increases US Airways' chance of emerging from bankruptcy reorganization a second time in three years, company executives have said. Counting an additional $50 million a year the airline expects to reap by terminating the flight attendants' defined-benefit pension program, and termination of retiree medical benefits, the 5,200-member Association of Flight Attendants' giveback rises to more than $150 million a year. (Tribune Review) Posted 5:50 a.m.

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Doggone Sun Valley
The spring water is served in plastic bowls - on the floor - at Sun Valley's finest restaurants. The biscuits are cold and hard, and they taste doggone funny, come to think of it. But patrons pant for more. Sometimes they bark, too. Welcome to the most dog-friendly resort in America. (Not2far.com) Posted 5:55 a.m.

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Southwest Wins Battle of Midway
Southwest Airlines today said ATA Airlines selected its bid for certain assets over competing offers. The airlines expect final approval from the court overseeing ATA's bankruptcy restructuring on Dec. 21. The $87 million proposal would see Southwest acquire six Chicago Midway Airport gates and build a codeshare arrangement with ATA initially covering flights between Midway and unspecified ATA destinations. If the City of Chicago also approves, the agreement positions Southwest to compete more aggressively against American and United for a portion of the Chicago business travel market. (BTN) Posted 6:05 a.m.

Travel Site Traffic Up 13 Percent in November
One in four Americans, or 68 million Web surfers, used online travel sites in November, up 13 percent from a year earlier, Nielsen//NetRatings said on Thursday. The market research company said 23 percent of Americans and 46 percent of all active Web surfers visited a travel site during the month. (Reuters) Posted 6:10 a.m.

His Joke Really Bombed
A family was banned for life by an airline after a teenage boy made a joke about a bomb being in his aunt’s hand luggage. Ryan Sherwin, 16, was due to fly from Manchester Airport to Malaga, Spain, yesterday morning with his mother, aunt and cousin. But as he walked through the security gate ahead of the 9.45am bmibaby flight, he allegedly joked that there may be a bomb in his aunt’s bag. (Scotsman) Posted 6:15 a.m.

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