• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

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

Underwritten By Cheapflights.com — Compare sales, specials and cheap flights to any destination.

November 16, 2004

Longer Airport Layovers More Common
The scramble by big traditional U.S. airlines to become profitable again is leaving many travelers with longer airport layovers. The typical American Airlines passenger connecting through Dallas/Fort Worth now has a 75-minute wait, 11 minutes longer than four years ago, according to an analysis by Back Aviation Solutions. Waits for connecting flights have also lengthened for American and United passengers at Chicago O'Hare and for US Airways passengers at Philadelphia, says Back, which analyzed schedules for February 2005. USA Today | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Longer Layovers 'Saving Millions' For Airlines (KSL)
• For Best Results, Make Airports Same (SPT)

Yet another reason why the 'hub-and-spoke' system is completely obsolete.

New Cruise Ship Taxes Proposed
Barbados may yet still benefit from a tax on cruise ships if landmark new laws are given the greenlight by United States lawmakers. Business Monday investigations reveals that Gregory W. Meeks, an influential black American congressman from New York, has sponsored a new Pay Back America Act 2004. If passed into law, this legislation would amend the US Internal Revenue Code to impose a per passenger tax on covered international voyages of commercial passenger vessels. The Bill, introduced last July 22, established the Caribbean Ports and Infrastructure Protection Trust Fund (Caribbean Fund) and the Water and Marine Wildlife Protection Trust Fund (Wildlife Fund) in the Treasury. Advocate | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Car Rentals Toting Large Tax Burden
When Sumeet Sagoo was offered a rental car while his Volkswagen Golf was being serviced, he thought his auto mechanic was being especially generous. All Mr. Sagoo had to pay was any extra fees. "I thought they would be for upgrades if I wanted a different car," he said. The 22-year-old economist pays attention to taxes and fees because he works at the Tax Foundation, a Washington group that opposes high tax rates. So, Mr. Sagoo was taken aback when he returned the 2 ½ -day rental to find $33.70 was due in added fees. "I thought it was quite steep, considering that the car had already been paid for," he said. Dallas Morning News | Posted 6:50 a.m.

----------

One Fine Mess - Fine print is all around us and the travel industry leads the pack. While the terms and conditions are always available somewhere, they rarely are clear and concise. More often than not, they are so onerous and restrictive that the consumer does not have a fighting chance. Once again, when it comes to the tiny print (or that terms and conditions button) the best advice seems to be - buyers beware. Take a recent ad for Northwest Airlines' holiday fares, for example. Lansing to Washington: $59. But the small print tells a different story. From Travelcomment.com

---------

London Hotel Promise No Olympic Price Hikes - Room rates at London hotels will be capped in an attempt to prevent profiteering if the capital wins the bid to stage the Olympic Games in 2012. Bid leaders have agreed with the hotel industry to curb exorbitant rates after concerns in the Olympic movement that the Games are being perceived as a rip-off. Details of the plan are in a 600-page Games blueprint, known as the candidate file, submitted yesterday to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland. Independent | Posted 7 a.m.

The Queen Talks - Until two weeks ago, Ellen Simonetti worked as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, doing her best to project the image of a stewardess from a bygone era. "In the past people expected flight attendants to be young and attractive," Ms. Simonetti, a 29-year old blonde, said from her home in Austin, Tex. "Maybe I represent the flight attendants of the past." The New York Times | Posted 7:05 a.m.

What's That? Passengers Smell a Rat - A China Eastern Airlines passenger jet flying a daily route between Shanghai and Singapore was grounded for three days as crews tried to locate and exterminate a stowaway rat, state press reports say. The rat was spotted by passengers on a flight to Singapore on the evening of November 10 but after an extensive search, the intruder was not found, the Beijing Times reported. ABC | Posted 7:10 a.m.

>> Yesterday's Notes | Tomorrow's Notes <<

E-mail Elliott | Other bloggers | About this blog

Latest Travel Notes | Complete Archives