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

May 13, 2004

Airline Offering 1-Euro Flights Folds
A new Irish airline offering flights for 1 euro — about $1.19 — shut down services yesterday after a week's operation, stranding hundreds of passengers in Spain. In a brief statement, JetGreen Airways apologized to customers for closing without warning but said it would not repay any of the more than 40,000 people who had bought tickets, including more than 400 people expecting to fly home yesterday from their Spanish holidays. The airline advised customers to seek compensation instead from their own travel insurance company or, if they had no policy, from Ireland's aviation regulators. But travel agents, politicians and business rivals criticized regulators for granting JetGreen a tour operator's license in the first place. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- Ireland Online: Airline says take claims to government
-- Reuters: Airline's slogan was 'Fly The Difference'

• It's like my mother used to always say. If it looks too good to be true, it is. What were these people thinking, flying to Spain for one euro? Send us your comments.

Band: Travel Agent Took $100,000
Members of a California high school marching band say they're out more than $100,000 as well as a trip to Hawaii, and blame a Kalamazoo County travel agent. 24 Hour News 8 has learned the band isn't the travel agent's only dissatisfied customer. The company in question is Richland based Richland Travel Service, doing business as Performing Artist Abroad. The group with the most recent complaints hasn't decided if it will file suit. A check of court records turned up two lawsuits from other schools, one in Apopka, Florida and the other in suburban Chicago. WOODl | Posted 6:45 a.m.
-- Telegraph: Don't be bullied by your travel agent

Watchdog Calls For More Protection
As Air Canada struggles to pull back from the edge of bankruptcy, the federal air travel complaints commissioner is calling for greater protection for customers who pre-pay for their airline tickets. Consumers shouldn't be on the hook if airlines fail, Liette Lacroix Kenniff said in her annual report Wednesday. It's in the interests of the entire industry to find ways to safeguard consumers' spending on airline tickets, she said. "I believe that if the airline industry is to keep consumers' confidence, it is imperative that all of the various players in the industry actively begin seeking a timely solution to this problem," said Lacroix Kenniff. "The risk of airline failure should not rest entirely on the shoulders of consumers." CP | Posted 7 a.m.

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• And finally ... Here's a pet gripe with an open end. I rented a full-size car from Avis six days ago. It was an almost-new Buick with about 1,000 miles on it. Very nice. But the CD player didn't work. Today, I'm returning it to Newark before flying back to Miami. My bet is that the car rental company won't lower my bill for the inconvenience, and may in fact offer nothing for the trouble (even though I specifically asked for a CD player because I had a long drive ahead of me). But I'll let you know what happens in tomorrow's blog. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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