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

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November 2, 2004

FAA: O'Hare Can't Handle Flight Load
As a third round of flight cuts to ease delays at O'Hare International Airport begins Monday, a new FAA study shows the airport is able to handle fewer flights without creating gridlock than previously thought. O'Hare can accommodate between 190 and 200 arrivals and departures each hour under excellent and marginal weather conditions without tie-ups, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's updated analysis of a landmark capacity study. The airport can efficiently handle a maximum of 136 to 144 flights when visibility is poor, the study said. The original study, released three years ago, said O'Hare could handle 200 to 202 flights hourly under good weather conditions. It also said the airport could handle more flights each hour in bad weather, 157 to 160 flights. Chicago Tribune | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Chicago's Main Airport 'Extremely Overscheduled' (AP)
• Deadline Reached For 20 Percent Cuts (WLS)

Don't look now, but with Southwest expanding at Midway, the other Chicago airport may soon face similar problems.

Getting Off a Watch-List is a Challenge
The TSA's watch list is a generic term for at least nine government databases estimated to include more than 40,000 names. The names are divided into a no-fly list of a few thousand people suspected of terrorist activity or believed to be a threat to national security and a much larger list of "selectees" who are required to be questioned by the security administration before boarding. Despite its size, that second database remains something of a mystery. According to people with access to it, air travelers can be put into it for activities like paying for a ticket with cash, booking a seat at the last minute, flying one way instead of round trip and even arriving at the airport without luggage. There is no way to find out if you are on the list until you check in for a flight. Worse, there may be no way off. The New York Times | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Agents Struggle Amid Travel Rebound
Many travel agents are still figuring out how to profitably operate in a business climate changed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the growth of the Internet as a travel planning venue, and amid the major airlines' attempts to avoid bankruptcy. On the upside, Michael McCabe, president of Advantage Travel Inc. in Albany, grew sales 125 percent in 2003 by wooing state agencies. Slowly rebounding since the Sept. 11 attacks, the travel industry's recovery now looks like it has taken hold. The Travel Industry Association of America predicts travel expenditures nationally will hit $592.6 billion this year, up 6.9 percent from $544 billion in 2003. But, consumers are increasingly used to planning and booking travel via the Internet, leaving agencies with the challenge of selling customers on their services. MSNBC | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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My Closest Call - One of the most frequently asked questions is: "What was the worst, or scariest, incident that has ever happened to you on an airplane?" A long time ago I was a passenger traveling from Athens to Corfu on vacation. I was alone, because my girlfriend and I had broken up at the last minute, but I had decided to go on anyway. The wind was ferocious that night, but we still took off. If you have ever been on a Greek airline you know that almost everyone smokes, including the flight attendants. The bad turbulence had brought an extra thick cloud to the cabin air. We were bouncing around worse than I had ever experienced. > All-new featured story from Travelcomment.com | Posted 7 a.m.

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Companies Irked By Rising Room Rates - Road warriors and their employers are starting to fight back against soaring hotel room rates. Rooms have risen 12% in New York from a year ago to an average of $199 a night, says tracker Smith Travel Research. Other destinations have seen much of the same: Detroit, up 12%; Los Angeles, up 7%; Houston, up 6%. "The business climate is improving, (so) they're getting their rate increases one way or another," says Tom Barrett, a manager at fixture maker American Standard. USA Today | Posted 7 a.m.

Delta Raises More Money, May Avert Bankruptcy - Delta Air Lines got another key financial lifeline in the form of $500 million in additional financing Monday from General Electric and American Express. The commitment from GE Commercial Finance follows a week in which Delta made significant progress in averting a trip through bankruptcy court, including getting a tentative agreement on $1 billion in concessions from pilots. AJC | Posted 7:05 a.m.

At Ski Resorts, Moguls are Endangered Species - Are moguls doomed? Once thrill runs dotted the West, but now they're being smoothed away as resorts and skiers buy into a new trend: "brutal grooming." Los Angeles Times | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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