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

November 29, 2004

Suit Accuses Airlines Of Keeping Fees
Airlines worldwide are ripping off passengers and the government for more than $50 million every year in fees and taxes they pocket after reselling nonrefundable tickets, a passengers' class action lawsuit now pending in Massachusetts claims. "That seat is paid for twice as far as these fees but they keep it,'' says Framingham attorney Evans J. Carter, who sued 13 airlines this month in Middlesex Superior Court on behalf of 16 frequent fliers. Give up your nonrefundable seat today on one of the busiest travel days of the year and the airline is sure to resell the ticket for a windfall. It's a dirty little secret of the skies that the government so far has been loathe to expose amid the airlines' economic woes since 9/11, according to industry experts. (Boston Herald) Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Airline Fees Weigh Heavily On Travelers (Courant)
• Qantas Shafts Travelers With More Fees (Crikey)

Oddly, I've been planning a story on fee refunds for several weeks. I think this is a significant lawsuit, because a settlement could affect every airline's profitability - or lack thereof.

On Busiest Travel Day, It's Chaos
On the busiest travel day of the year, more than 180,000 snowbirds, crying babies, exhausted parents and antsy children packed into South Florida's airports, as the holiday weekend wound down. That included a record-setting 70,000 passengers who made their way through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Sunday -- an airport that, at capacity, can hold 80,000 -- as well as 113,000 at Miami International Airport, which typically sees 80,000 a day. Sunday's MIA traffic put the holiday week total at 3 percent more than last year. (Miami Herald) Posted 6:45 a.m.

Airport Evicts Stranded Passengers
Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight canceled after midnight at Lihue Airport were forced to sleep on the grass and huddle on sidewalks because a state employee refused to let them stay in the terminal. The incident angered tourism officials and Gov. Linda Lingle even considered writing personal notes of apology to the 165 passengers. Though the incident occurred in August, it has continued to reverberate through tourism circles as an example of how, despite spending $60 million on tourism marketing, the Hawaii visitor experience can easily go bad. (PBN) Posted 6:50 a.m.

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An Open Letter to the Airlines
As we approach the holiday season, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday and extend my most sincere wishes for your survival. I realize that the past several years have stressed you out in the ivory towers and I am afraid that you may have lost sight of the big picture. So as a favor - call this an early Christmas present - I'll help you put the big picture into perspective. You fly planes. You are not in the direct to consumer sales business. (Travelcomment.com) Posted 6:55 a.m.

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New Beijing Airport Will Be World's Biggest
A new airport being built by the Chinese government in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be the world's biggest and be "truly awesome", according to its British architect, Lord Foster. In further evidence of the Chinese obsession with building bigger, faster and higher than any other country, the plans for Beijing Airport will outdo both the current biggest, Hong Kong's, and Heathrow, which is set to double in size when Terminal 5 is finished. (Telegraph) Posted 7 a.m.

NBC Executive, Son, Survive Plane Crash
A charter plane carrying NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol crashed and burst into flames during takeoff Sunday, killing at least two people and injuring Ebersol and one of his sons. Rescue crews were searching for another son. Ebersol and his son Charles Ebersol survived the crash at Montrose Regional Airport outside this southwest Colorado town, NBC said in a statement through its Denver affiliate, KUSA-TV. (Sun-Times) Posted 7:05 a.m.

Air Bourbon Leaves Passengers on the Rocks
Hundreds of tourists were stranded on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion today after regional airline Air Bourbon went bust, canceling all its scheduled flights. About 250 passengers gathered at the airport in the picturesque island's capital Saint-Denis, where they had been due to catch a flight to France aboard the company's only Airbus A-340. (News.com) Posted 7:10 a.m.

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