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

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November 12, 2004

Payless Settles GPS Car Tracking Suit
A settlement has been reached with an airport car rental company accused of ripping off its customers, San Mateo District Attorney Jim Fox announced Tuesday. Acceleron Corp., the Bay Area franchisee of Payless car rental that operates agencies out of both San Francisco and Oakland international airports, has agreed to cease unfair business practices and pay restitution to customers harmed financially. Judge George Miram approved the judgment reached Tuesday through the combined prosecution efforts of the San Mateo County District Attorney and the California Attorney General's office. The complaints lodged against Acceleron stem primarily from Payless' hidden surcharge fee, the DA's office reported. Hidden within each rental agreement was a clause that if the customer traveled outside of California or designated areas of Nevada, a $1-per-mile fee would be charged for the entire trip. Examiner | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Earlier: Payless Fines Customer $3,405 (NY Times)
• Company Will Pay $175,000 Fine (Daily Journal)

At last, closure. This case has been a thorn in the car-rental industry's side for too long.

Delta Pilots Approve Pay Concessions
Pilots at Delta Air Lines Inc. on Thursday ratified a concession package that will save the carrier $1 billion a year, in a move the company hopes will buy it time to restructure outside of bankruptcy. Shares of Delta, the No. 3 U.S. airline, jumped 9 percent after hours to $6.86 on the news, after closing at $6.30 on the New York Stock Exchange. The five-year deal includes pay cuts of 32.5 percent and changes to work rules and retirement benefits. Of the 91 percent of eligible pilots who voted, 79 percent approved the agreement, the Air Line Pilots Association said. In exchange for the concessions, Delta will give pilots options to buy about 30 million shares of stock representing a 15 percent equity stake in the airline. Reuters | Posted 6:45 a.m.

AOL to Take Stake in Kayak
Aiming to put itself in the vanguard of the Internet travel business, America Online will invest an undisclosed amount in an upstart that threatens to lure customers away from the industry's most dominant players, such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity. America Online Inc. plans to announce Friday it is taking a minority stake in Kayak Software Corp., one of a handful of companies whose software allows travelers to simultaneously scour the offerings of thousands of individual airline, hotel and car rental Web sites. CBS | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Finding Old Florida - Tired of five-star restaurants and beach resorts with pricey spas? The hinterlands of Indian River County, located about a two-hour drive southeast of Orlando, offer an alternative to the pampered vacation and a real taste of Old Florida. It's a place where you can chow down on exotic lizards, sample citrus with strange names and discover odd plants in a botanical garden that time almost forgot, as we discovered on a recent visit. > Friday's destination of the week at Not2far.com | Posted 7 a.m.

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Doling Out Diamonds and Stars - The inspector settles into a plush chair in the posh, muted lounge of this cliff-top ocean-view hotel and recounts a rigorous week on the California coast. She has just checked into her sixth luxury hotel. She's had four massages in the past 36 hours, plus a facial, a manicure, a pedicure, a body scrub and a hydrotherapy treatment. This evening, she'll stop by the hotel bar for a glass of wine, then order dinner from room service. USA Today | Posted 7 a.m.

Mystery Illness Strikes California Hotel - Nearly 60 people attending a conference at the Hilton Costa Mesa Hotel fell ill with a mystery ailment Thursday morning, prompting a health department investigation. In a group of 247 people, 57 reported vomiting and diarrhea on Thursday morning, Orange County Health Care Agency spokesman Howard Sutter said. Other groups and guests at the hotel were not affected, he said. Los Angeles Times | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Airline Passenger Stage Revolt After Diversion - After a peaceful couple of weeks in the Mediterranean sun, the only thing holidaymakers wanted was a stress-free flight home. Instead, they were forced to stage a revolt after being told their flight from Crete was being diverted. The captain was preparing to take off from the Greek island when he announced that the 290-seat Excel Airways plane was bound for Gatwick instead of Manchester. Metro | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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