• 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 22, 2004

For Airlines, it's All About the Food
Airlines are trying to find the right formula for food. American Airlines recently decided to treat first-class customers lavishly, while letting its coach customers be satisfied with pretzels and nonalcoholic beverages. Some discounters, such as Denver-based Frontier Airlines, don't charge for food, saying it's better to treat all customers equally. Many major airlines are asking passengers to fork over $2 to $10 for "gourmet food." Food has become another competitive tool in the post-9/11 era, in which airlines are moving to a mix of free and fee-based amenities ranging from satellite radio to cable channels, video games and movies. Denver Post | Posted 6 a.m.
-- Dave Barry : Please don't make us eat airline food

• Air travel has always been synonymous with bad food. Even when you haven't taken off yet, as I observed in a column a few years back. Send us your comments.

Business Travel Costs Dropped in '03
It may not be much fun anymore, but at least it's cheaper. Stingy bosses will find cause for cheer in the results of the latest business travel cost survey released by Rochester, N.Y.-based Runzheimer International, which studies such things. Efforts by corporate travel managers to shave expenses have resulted in tabs that are shrinking faster than a bar of hotel soap. Last year, the average cost of a domestic business trip was $915, down from $1,027 in 2002 and $958 in 1996, according to Runzheimer's survey of 168 travel professionals. That's the lowest in seven years. Arizona Republic | Posted 6:20 a.m.
<-- HW: NBTA predicts costs will rise 7% in 2003

Song Scores Highest in No-Frill Contest
Time was, Southwest was the only discount airline most people knew. No more. The "bus of the skies" has a host of imitators, all promising low fares and high fun. Now the question is this: Who really delivers? To find out, I rode four self-proclaimed low-cost carriers — Delta's Song, JetBlue, United's new Ted and Southwest — plus United on a cross-country barnstorming tour last month to compare service, entertainment options, food, comfort levels, fares and more. My main impression of these five (chosen because they serve this market or they're new): Song was a standout, with its cheerfully corny crew, wacky color scheme, gourmet food and onboard trivia contests. JetBlue pulled up second. Los Angeles Times | Posted 6:30 a.m.
<-- BW: Will Ted and Song solve parents' problems?

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

• And finally ... many thanks to all of you who stopped by and said "hello" at the Miami Herald Travel Expo over the weekend, where I was a speaker. I enjoyed meeting all of you! Posted 6:40 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