• 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

May 5, 2004

Cheap Ticket Tricks Airlines Hate
The airlines are against the travel secrets we're about to tell you. They warn that they'll find you and fine you, and even bump you off flights if they catch you. The truth is, airfare pricing has become so confusing that travelers are getting creative about finding good deals. Here are some of their ways to beat the system, which the airlines strongly discourage. The Pittsburgh Channel | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- St. Pete Times: Southwest invades Philadelphia

• I have no doubt that these ticketing strategies are perfectly legal. But if an airline catches you using them, there'll be hell to pay, as I observed in a 2000 commentary. Remember, don't check your luggage on a hidden-city itinerary, don't claim frequent flier miles (makes you easier to track) and above all, don't involve your travel agent. Send us your comments.

CEOs: Some Airlines Will Collapse
The chief executives of three major airlines predicted some carriers will fail as the industry deals with a long slump. The CEOs of American, Continental and Southwest airlines didn't identify the likely losers nor predict when they might collapse. But Continental CEO Gordon Bethune said, "There is no reason to have six hub-and-spoke carriers." Bethune said even some low-cost carriers -- who have performed better recently than traditional airlines -- could fail. American CEO Gerard Arpey said airlines are squeezed by competition in the form of low fares and high costs. Southwest CEO James Parker said while some carriers may fail, they could be replaced by new entrants, leaving the skies as crowded as before. Boston Channel | Posted 6:45 a.m.

TSA Starts Screening Rail Passengers
A test program to screen rail passengers for explosives got under way outside Washington D.C. Tuesday and federal officials have recently begun requiring more stringent security measures for "flights of interest," but neither is a result of new terror threat information. Transportation Security Administration personnel started screening commuters passing through the train station in New Carrollton, Maryland, which serves about 1,000 Amtrak and commuter rail riders per day. During the monthlong pilot program, officials plan to screen passengers only during the busiest hours. CNN | Posted 7 a.m.
-- Newsday: "You have wide open stations"

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

• And finally ... are agents dinosaurs? Responding to my story on saving or splurging, reader Tom Lacey wrote: "As far as the travel agents go, I can see absolutely no use for one unless you're planning a complicated overseas itinerary or planning a cruise. Domestically, there's nothing they can't do that I can't do better because I can keep looking around or checking back until I find the deals that I like." Posted 7:10 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