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

May 12, 2004

Hotel 'Rocket Tax' Blasts Off in Ala.
The cost of a hotel or motel room in the Huntsville area will go up in September due to a new lodgings tax to benefit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Gov. Bob Riley has signed a bill approved by the Legislature last week that adds 1 percent to Madison County's lodging tax, starting Sept. 1. The tax is designed to produce $500,000 annually for the space center, which is a major tourist attraction. Executive Director Larry Capps said the bulk of the money initially will be used to restore the Saturn V rocket that is in the center's rocket park. The tax is set to expire in 10 years. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- TC Herald: Hotel fee sought to promote tourism
-- News-Star: Another tax proposed for hotel guests

• Suddenly, the hotel surcharges are everywhere. And here's something I don't understand about them: In almost every case, hotel guests are paying to underwrite the costs of promoting a destination - as if it's OK to do that. Is it? (Here's my take on fees from a recent column.) Send us your comments.

Attendants: Not Prepared for Terror
More than two years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, many flight attendants say they're still poorly prepared to defend themselves and their passengers. Current law doesn't provide for adequate security training, and the level of training varies widely from one airline to the next, said Dawn Deeks, spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants, a labor union with 45,000 members, including Midwest Airlines employees. Today, the association plans to deliver 10,000 letters from flight attendants to the federal Transportation Security Administration demanding that the agency review security and counter-terrorism training programs of every U.S. airline. Some airlines. Journal Sentinel | Posted 6:45 a.m.
-- Biz Journal: Delta offers self-defense training

Travel Adaptors Recalled
A Yonkers, N.Y., company is recalling some 187,000 outlet plugs because of electric shock risks. E&B Giftware LLC has not received any injury reports but is recalling the product because touching an exposed plug while inserting the adaptor into an outlet can result in a shock, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday. The Worldwide or Universal Electric Outlet Adaptor Plugs, used by travelers abroad to connect electrical plugs into sockets, have three adaptor plugs and "MODEL: 1840" appears on the bottom. AP | Posted 7 a.m.

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• And finally ... I'm in Philadelphia today, the scene of a ferocious fight between Southwest and US Airways. The evidence is everywhere ... in TV ads and on billboards. Everyone expects Southwest to win and US Airways to declare bankruptcy and eventually liquidate, but for now, both are fighting like there's no tomorrow. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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