• 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

March 3, 2004

Car Rental Industry Bounces Back
The car rental industry rebounded last year after two years of declining business travel, according to a survey of car rental operators. Despite the war in Iraq, SARS and travel jitters, the industry's financial situation remained stable in 2003 as car companies maintained tight fleets, controlled costs and generally managed to avoid rate-cutting. According to Abrams Consulting, there are a number of factors pointing to a strong 2004, including a benchmark survey gauging the car operators' "confidence level," which revealed that 21% of respondents were "very optimistic" and 45% were "somewhat optimistic" about business during the next six months. Travel Weekly | Posted 6 a.m.
-- Auto Channel: Enterprise to hire 6,500

• It's about time. The car-rental companies have been hurting for a long time. But remember, not all car rental firms are created equal, as I pointed out in a recent column. Send us your comments.

Can United's 'Ted' Deliver?
If the airline industry offered frequent marketing miles, United Airlines executive Sean Donohue would pile up plenty of points. Donohue recently launched the low-fare spinoff airline that United calls Ted, introducing Tedtunes and Tedevision as in-flight music and video to the already quirky arena of airline marketing. Ted also has been promoting itself by using the Internet to sell items with the Ted logo, from gel ink pens to sanded twill shirts. The discount carrier may not have the large inventory of a typical professional sports team, but it's a healthy start for an airline that started last month. As Ted continues to add markets with today's launch of service between Tampa and Denver, it must deliver a profit as readily as it delivers marketing gambits. Tampa Tribune | Posted 6:20 a.m.
-- Denver Post: United 'confident' amid loan questions

Tall People Come Up Short in Suit
Tall people will have to go on feeling a bit cramped while riding on airplanes. A California Court of Appeals panel rejected a lawsuit against several airlines, including American and Southwest, by the Tall Club of Silicon Valley which sought preferential seating in roomier exit rows for men at least 6 foot, 2 inches and women at least 5 foot, 10 inches. The court panel, which ruled on Friday, refused to get involved in airline regulations, Thomas Cohen, a lawyer for the group, said on Tuesday. Reuters | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- SM: American settles with government over bias

-----------------------------------

• And finally ... here's another entry in the US Airways deathwatch column. Word now is that the ailing airline is going to try to merge with another carrier. Hmmm, I wonder if there are any takers out there? Posted 6:30 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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

E-mail Elliott | Other bloggers | About this blog

Latest Travel Notes | Complete Archives