• 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 31, 2004

Northwest Passengers Nearly Riot
Some of the 300 passengers stuck on an international flight that was delayed 18 hours by fog, regulations and mechanical glitches said the passengers were almost ready to riot as the wait dragged on. Food and water ran short, and the toilets stopped working before Northwest Airlines Flight 33 finally reached Seattle early Wednesday, 28 hours after leaving Amsterdam. One man with an infant punched a wall, then ran up an aisle and "charged the cockpit with his baby," passenger Barry Wallis said in an interview broadcast Thursday on NBC's "Today." "At one point it seemed like we would have a riot towards the end," Wallis said. (AP) Posted 5:35 a.m.
• 'It's Like We're Hostages' (KOMO)
• Earlier: Northwest Passengers Sue Over Wait (BizJournals)

Makes you wonder if Northwest learned from its mistakes back in '99. You don't keep passengers on a plane for 18 hours. It's bad publicity, and it's torture.

A Busy New Year For Travel
Travelers can expect full flights and crowded highways during the New Year's holiday as two airlines continue to recover from a troubled Christmas weekend that left thousands of people stranded or without their bags. Up and running: Comair is back, but the New Year's weekend could bring more travel delays. Meanwhile, a pair of winter storms will turn western mountain resorts into a skier's paradise, but they'll skirt major transportation hubs in the central and eastern USA, says Buzz Bernard, a meteorologist with The Weather Channel. (USA Today) Posted 5:45 a.m.

Airline Fee Lawsuit Expands
Airlines are bilking passengers and the government out of more than $50 million a year by keeping fees and taxes that they should be refunding, alleges a Framingham attorney who hopes to press a class-action lawsuit against 15 airlines. Evans J. Carter, who currently represents 14 frequent fliers from across the country, claims that major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and British Airways, pocket unprocessed fees and taxes collected on certain tickets that are nonrefundable and valid only for the day, time, and flight for which they were sold. "This has become a little treasure trove for the airlines," Carter said. (Boston Globe) Posted 5:50 a.m.

On Carnival, a Cruise to Nowhere
Barry Jones and his wife, Elizabeth, drove seven hours from Athens, Ga., to Mobile's cruise-ship terminal. He was anticipating a walk among the Mayan ruins near Cozumel, and she was looking forward to basking in the warm Caribbean rays aboard Carnival's cruise ship Holiday. But Thursday afternoon, cruise-line officials told the Joneses and some 1,700 others that the Holiday, slowed by mechanical problems, couldn't reach Cozumel and instead would simply motor around in the Gulf of Mexico until Monday. (Mobile Register) Posted 6:05 a.m.

Disney Cruise Worker Found Dead in Cabin
An off-duty Disney Cruise Line worker died Monday of an unexplained cause in her cabin aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship while it was docked in Nassau, a company spokeswoman said. Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Rena Langley said a memorial service was held Thursday for crew members who were friends with the worker, 24-year-old Anna Maria Parzysz, an assistant beverage server from Poland. (Sentinel) Posted 6:10 a.m.

Aloha, Bankruptcy!
Aloha Airlines, the Hawaii based airline, has become the latest US carrier to seek bankruptcy protection. Parent group Aloha Airgroup said escalating fuel costs, above average plane leasing rates and tough competition forced it into the move. (BBC) Posted 6:15 a.m.

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

E-mail Elliott | Other bloggers | About this blog

Latest Travel Notes | Complete Archives