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E
L L I O T T' S TRAVEL
NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis
February 11, 2004
Car,
Hotel Surcharges Just Aren't Right
Is there anything
more galling than checking out at the hotel front desk or car-rental counter
and getting hammered with hidden fees? Hey, I'm as big a sports
fan as the next guy -- but don't ask me to help foot the bill for Comerica
Park, American Airlines Arena or any of the other new sporting digs in
somebody else's town. Not even Reliant Stadium, the fancy host to Super
Bowl XXXVIII. Actually, nobody bothers to ask -- and that's the
problem. SI
| Posted 6 a.m.
<-- ARN:
Dallas approves hiking stadium tax
<-- Elliott.org:
How to steer clear of car surcharges
• Car rental taxes are often unfair to people who rent, because they don't benefit the people who are paying them. It's a classic case of taxation without representation, as I noted in a recent column. Send us your comments.
Government
Questions Cabin Air
The Federal Aviation
Administration isn't doing enough to find out whether people are more
likely to catch the flu or other diseases when they fly, a congressional
report said Tuesday. The report by the General Accounting Office recommended
more research into the health effects of the dry, recirculated air inside
commercial airplanes. Many suspect that airplane air causes upper respiratory
illnesses. "It would be hard to find an airline passenger who
has never come down with a cold or a sore throat and runny nose after
flying,'' Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon Democrat who requested the
report, said in a statement. AP
| Posted 6:15 a.m.
<-- Elliott.org:
Stale air on planes can be a problem
United
Needs More Time in Bankruptcy
United Airlines has asked a U.S. bankruptcy court to extend until
June 30 a March 8 deadline for it to submit its own reorganization
plan. It was the third time that the carrier, the world's second largest
airline had asked the Chicago court to extend the period of exclusivity
under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In a court document dated Feb.
6, United said it remained on track to emerge from Chapter 11 protection
during the first half of 2004 but had yet to resolve a number of issues.
"Certain of the debtors' key remaining restructuring initiatives, though
nearing completion, remain unresolved," the airline said. Chief among
them was an application the airline has made to the Air Transportation
Stabilization Board to guarantee a $1.6 billion loan package, United
said. Sunday Times | Posted 6:20 a.m.
<-- CFO:
United Airlines declares bankruptcy
-----------------------------------
• And finally ... I've been asked what I thought of USA Today's recent announcement of my successor. I think they made a great choice. But I also thought USAToday.com's statements sounded defensive and insecure about its place in the world of travel journalism. I guess when you're paying your writers an average of 25 cents a word — about a quarter of the going rate for freelance work — you'd feel insecure, too. Posted 6:30 a.m. | Send us your comments.
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