• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

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

December 30, 2004

End of the Line For US Airways?
Local airports and competing airlines are preparing themselves for a world without US Airways. The bankrupt airline faces several financial hurdles that will determine whether it survives beyond next month. What's more, the carrier is coming off a Christmas weekend in which a large number of employees calling in sick left thousands of passengers -- and their luggage -- separated from their loved ones. With US Airways the third-largest airline at Logan International Airport and the second-largest at both T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I., and Manchester Airport in Manchester, N.H., officials are bracing for the worst. (Boston Globe) Posted 5:35 a.m.
• Airline's Survival Hangs in the Balance (Sun-Times)
• Smoke Prompts US Airways Jet Emergency Landing (AP)

It looks as if it really might be over for US Airways.

Tsunami Effects On Tourism Minimal
Tourism in parts of Southeast Asia will be devastated by the economic aftershocks of the earthquake-triggered tsunamis, but the broader impact on the Asian travel industry is not expected to be as severe as last year's deadly SARS outbreak. “The impact will be very different,” from the severe acute respiratory syndrome, said Douglas Ludwig, chief financial officer of Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels Inc., an international chain with about 15 hotels in Southeast Asia. “This is a once-in-50-year event. And, other than the areas that were really damaged . . . I'd be very surprised if it had any impact on the rest of the region.” (Globe and Mail) Posted 5:45 a.m.

Another Hotel Falls to Norwalk Virus
A hotel has been forced to close and 45 patients at a city hospital have been stricken in separate incidents involving a viral gastroenteritis bug. A total of 39 people staying at the Moat House Hotel, in Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, were struck down with the Noro virus between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and one person was taken to Peterborough District Hospital after contracting the bug. Today, the hotel was closed as specialist cleaning companies began disinfecting the building to prevent a further spread of the disease. (PT) Posted 5:50 a.m.

----------

Hey, I Didn't Buy That Ticket
There's a mystery charge on Jerry Wilson's credit card. Priceline has charged him $472 by Priceline for an airline ticket from Washington to Colorado. But Wilson never meant to buy the tickets and he has an alibi: the aftereffects of viral encephalitis, which can cause confusion and memory loss. Is that enough for Priceline to refund his ticket? Plus, when should you not consider using Priceline's name-your- price Web site - and what are the alternatives? (Archived from Triprights.com) Posted 5:55 a.m.

---------

Travel Scams Growing Problem in Florida
Complaints about travel and vacation scams topped the list of consumer complaints in Florida this year. Consumers lodged 4,312 complaints involving travel and vacation plans in 2004 -- an increase of about 45 percent compared to last year, according to state Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson. Complaints about telemarketers related to the ''Do Not Call List'' dropped to second place for the first time in years. (Miami Herald) Posted 6:05 a.m.

In Canada, Smoke-Free Means Job-Free
A bartender at a Melfort hotel could be an early casualty in the province's anti-tobacco campaign. On Jan. 1, wait staff in bars and restaurants will find themselves working in a smoke-free environment – if they are working, that is. But Lilian Campbell, who works at the Chances R Hotel, has been told she will be losing her job in anticipation of lower profits at the hotel. (CBC) Posted 6:10 a.m.

Woman Delivers Baby at Atlanta Airport
As packs of holiday travelers waded through lines and traipsed through the airport, one passenger found herself in the solitude of a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport giving birth. The father of the woman, whose name hasn't been released, rushed from the bathroom and alerted the first airline employees he spotted. Airport spokeswoman Felicia Browder said the woman did not feel well and went to a bathroom in the airport's north terminal at about 3:15 p.m. Sunday, before going through a security check. (News Daily) Posted 6:15 a.m.

>> Yesterday's Notes | Tomorrow's Notes <<

E-mail Elliott | Other bloggers | About this blog

Latest Travel Notes | Complete Archives