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

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November 4, 2004

Holiday Bookings at Record Levels
Travel agents and industry executives say bookings for the Christmas holiday period are at their highest level in at least four years. An unusually large number of prime warm-weather destinations in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida already are sold out for the week between Christmas and New Year's. Hotspots such as Rosewood's Jumby Bay on Antigua and One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico, have been booked solid for months now, while the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach recently filled up ahead of schedule. A confluence of factors -- from the spate of hurricanes that closed some choice destinations in Florida and the Caribbean, to the timing of the holidays this year -- are exacerbating the supply crunch. Wall Street Journal | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Earlier: Don't Sleep On These Deals (News)
• Act Now Before Bargains are Gone (DMN)

Relax. There are still plenty of deals out there for a holiday getaway. But this year, there are no rewards for following the herd to the usual tourist traps.

San Diego Says 'No' to New Hotel Tax
A ballot measure to raise the city of San Diego's hotel room tax was failing in partial returns last night. Proposition J asked voters to raise the transient occupancy tax from 10.5 percent to 13 percent, with the extra $28.5 million a year going to the city's general operating budget. At the lower rate, the tax is expected to bring in nearly $120 million this fiscal year. The measure needed a simple majority to pass. A similar measure failed in March. It required a two-thirds vote because it set aside the revenue for specific purposes such as tourism and public safety. Union Tribune | Posted 6:45 a.m.

American to Cut Staff, Add Surcharges
Looking to boost flagging revenue, American Airlines Inc. will try charging its lowest-paying passengers for some of the services they now get for free. Chairman Gerard Arpey didn't release details of the planned experiments during a wide-ranging discussion Wednesday with analysts and investors near the company's Fort Worth headquarters. He said the carrier is serious about finding ways to "drive incremental revenue" without increasing fares, as the entire airline industry struggles with skyrocketing fuel prices and intense competition over prices. American has instituted some fare increases in the past month, amounting to about $200 million more in annual revenue. The Dallas Morning News | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Fire Your Travel Agent - The name on your airline ticket is wrong - it's your husband's last name, not yours. But instead of fixing it, your travel agent wants you to buy a new ticket for $450. When you balk at that, he recommends that you just change your last name to fit the ticket. With only a few weeks until her vacation, is this air traveler out of options? Find out who is responsible for an incorrect name - and what this traveler can do to make things right. Plus, learn how an incorrect name on your ticket can ruin your next vacation. > All-new featured story from Ticked.com | Posted 7 a.m.

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Ryanair: Beware 'Budget Bloodbath' - No frills carrier Ryanair yesterday warned the low-fare industry against "a bloodbath of airline casualties" next winter, fueled by unrelenting competition and high oil prices. Chief executive Michael O’Leary’s predictions were delivered along with the Irish-based airline’s most profitable quarter since its flotation on May 1997. Profits jumped 15 percent during the period to 147.6 million (£102m), well above analysts’ consensus forecast of 130m (£90m). Scotsman | Posted 7 a.m.

Bird Sucked into Engine Forces Landing - An American Airlines flight bound for New Orleans made an emergency landing Tuesday after at least one bird was sucked into an engine. Flight 1353 took off from O'Hare International Airport at 3:19 p.m., American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said. About 200 feet off the ground, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 with 72 passengers and five crew members aboard flew through a flock of birds and at least one was drawn into the right engine, Fagan said. Tribune | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Nude Canadian Streaks Across LAX Runway - A Canadian man, angry that he was refused a plane ticket to Australia at Los Angeles International Airport, stripped naked, sprinted across the tarmac and climbed into the wheel well of a moving jumbo jet, officials said on Wednesday. Pilots of the Qantas Airways flight stopped the plane. The man was coaxed out of the wheel well and arrested for trespassing, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles. Reuters | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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