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

November 26, 2004

Low-Fare Airlines Singing the Blues
While low-fare carriers will carry more passengers this holiday season than ever before, the fastest growing segment of the airline industry is facing more serious financial problems than ever before. Analysts forecast JetBlue will post its first loss as a public company this quarter. JetBlue Airways is now forecasted to post its first quarterly loss as a public company, while ATA Airlines' woes forced it to file for bankruptcy court protections last month. Independence Air, which only started operations as a stand-alone carrier in June, may not be far behind -- its said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it could be forced into bankruptcy unless it can renegotiate about $80 million in aircraft lease payments due in January. (Money) Posted 6:35 a.m.
• 'Watch Out For Hubris' Warns Burr (AJC)
• Look For Low-Fare Mergers Ahead (LT)

Conventional wisdom used to be that high jet fuel costs would weed out the weakest airlines. Now it could take a few otherwise healthy airlines with it as well.

Europe Won't Meet Passport Deadline
An effort to improve the security of passports is facing delays by European countries that say they cannot meet a deadline the United States imposed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Jonathan Faull, director general of the European Commission, said this week that member countries probably would not be ready to begin issuing passports with biometric identifiers by next October, as U.S. law requires. Congress mandated a biometric identifier such as a fingerprint on new passports issued by most European countries and other stable democracies such as New Zealand. (Newsday) Posted 6:45 a.m.

Record Crowds, But No Record Profits
Record numbers of travelers this holiday season won't be enough to lift the airline industry's bottom line out of the red. Deep discounts on ticket prices and high fuel costs are preventing most airlines from enjoying big economic gains as the busy travel season begins. "A nice healthy season in terms of holiday traffic unfortunately does not equal a big economic gain," said Jack Evans, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, an industry group. The association said the nation's airlines are on pace to carry 685 million passengers this year, 3 percent higher than the record set in 2000. But it is also a year that has seen several carriers--notably United Airlines, US Airways and ATA Airlines--mired in bankruptcy. (Chicago Tribune) Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Jackson Hole Thrills
At the windswept peak of Rendezvous Mountain there comes a moment when you're forced to ask: stay or go? Staying means snapping out of your ski bindings or shouldering your mountain bike (depending on the season), boarding the aerial tram, and then descending to the safety of Teton Village. Going means plunging off a steep drop, the kind of incline that make this mountain resort a legend for thrill-seekers. It's an easy call today. (Not2far.com) Posted 6:55 a.m.

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Man Believed Overboard From Cruise Ship
Coast Guard crews are searching for a 54-year-old-man reported missing, possibly at sea, after the cruise ship Celebration arrived home Thursday from a five-day cruise to the Bahamas. The man's wife reported him missing to Celebration officers when she could not find him several hours after the ship docked, said Petty Officer Bobby Nash. The Richmond, Va., man's name was withheld pending notification of other family members. (AP) Posted 7 a.m.

Remember Eastern Airlines? Ex-Employees Do
Nearly 14 years after the bitter ending of Eastern Airlines, former employees still straggle into an online oasis to soak up memories. The ugliness of Eastern's demise — the brutal regime of owner Frank Lorenzo, the union strike, the pickets who jeered "No more scabs!" the day the airline closed — is left mostly unspoken. Why ruin the mood? (AJC) Posted 7:05 a.m.

Rats! Health Officials Shutter New Orleans Hotel
Louisiana health officials have declared the New Orleans Grand Palace Hotel a "health hazard" and want it shut down. On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals obtained a signed court order instructing the Grand Palace at Canal Street and Claiborne Avenue to "immediately" cease operation until the hotel solves its rodent problem. (Times-Picayune) Posted 7:10 a.m.

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