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

June 1, 2004

Hotels Get Pushy About 'Rewards'
Hotels are turning aggressive in recruiting business travelers to their loyalty programs. In the past, properties pretty much limited their sales pitch to pamphlets at the check-in counter, and tended to emphasize the perks of membership, like upgrades and gift baskets. But in recent months, travelers say, they have become more vocal about the benefits of joining - and have begun punishing guests who refuse by putting them in less desirable rooms or saddling them with surcharges. "If you're not part of a hotel's frequent-guest program, you'll get a brochure pushed in your face when you check in," said Frank Kwan, a communications director for the Los Angeles County Office of Education in Downey, Calif. "They strongly encourage you to join the program. And if you don't, you pay for it." The New York Times | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- Globe and Mail: Aeroplan rebrands and expands
-- USA Today: Fuller flights mean more bumping

• Say, that byline looks awfully familiar. Send us your comments.

Air Marshals Clash With Passengers
As they settled into first class on American Airlines Flight 1438 from Chicago to Miami, they were supposed to be the last line of defense against terrorists -- two highly trained U.S. air marshals who would sit unnoticed among the ordinary travelers but spring into action at the first sign of trouble. Imagine their chagrin when a fellow passenger coming down the aisle suddenly boomed out, "Oh, I see we have air marshals on board!" The incident, detailed in an intelligence brief, is an example of something that happens all too often, marshals say. The element of surprise may be crucial to their mission, but it turns out they're "as easy to identify as a uniformed police officer," the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association said in a complaint to Congress. The problem is not security leaks. It's the clothes. Los Angeles Times | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Class System for Cruises is Dead
It's unlikely that the three-class system used during the Golden Age of ocean liners will ever return, in part because the North American cruisers who make up at least two-thirds of the market aren't thrilled with the idea of being excluded from parts of the ship (must be a Manifest Destiny thing). Even Cunard, which for more than a century kept the walls between classes well defined with doors and guards, has disposed of most of the separation, making exclusive dining rooms and a lounge for suite passengers on QE2 and Queen Mary 2 the last bastion of a bygone system. (On the first Queen Mary, the ship was class-divided not by level of deck, but from fore to aft, with first class in the middle third because that's where the best ride is.) San Francisco Chronicle | Posted 7 a.m.

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• And finally ... as the dust settles from last week's move, I'm deeply grateful to several organizations and people. To Hampton Inn, for allowing us to extend our stay when we couldn't close on our house last week. To U-Haul and "the man upstairs" in Key Largo, who allowed us to keep the moving truck a few extra days. And last but not least, to you, the readers of this blog, for being patient while I looked for the closest dial-up connection. It's good to be back. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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