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

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October 18, 2004

Agent Charged With Embezzlement
A travel agent with an office in New Britain is being arraigned today for embezzling approximately $120,000 from an elderly client and using it to finance purchases for his business and placing a down payment on a home. Dariusz J. Szteborowski, 39, of 200 Cold Spring Road, Rocky Hill, was arrested Thursday morning on a warrant charging him with two counts each of first-degree larceny by embezzlement and second-degree larceny from a victim age 60 or older. He is being held on a $500,000 bond. According to an affidavit, the alleged victim had contacted Szteborowski’s company, Wisla Travel Agency, in 1996, about arranging for her move back to Poland. The proceeds from the sale of her East Haddam home were deposited in a savings account which the accused had access to in order to help with the transition. New Britain Herald | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• British Agent Jailed For Fraud (EDP)
• Philadelphia Agent Charged With Theft (Inquirer)

Is it my imagination, or are the number of reports about crooked travel agents bilking their clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the rise?

NCL's 'Pride' Slowly Improving
After a long sail in the wilderness of customer criticism, the Pride of Aloha is at last arriving in the sheltered port of passenger praise. At the epicenter of NCL flames, the Web site Cruise Critic, a handful of members who traveled on the Pride of Aloha are beginning to report mostly happy experiences, while no serious new flames have been posted. "Most of the problems that we were concerned about appear to have been resolved," reported a cruiser posting under the name Orderby. "The cabin was completely clean and ready...our cabin steward was efficient, and things were kept very nicely...the ship never seemed crowded, except for the buffet areas." Biz Journal | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Delta At Bankruptcy 'Finish Line'
Financially troubled Delta Air Lines said Friday that it is burning through cash much faster than expected and its third-quarter loss will be far greater than expected. Delta and industry observers say the airline must find a solution within weeks, and some analysts say a bankruptcy filing is all but certain even if deals are reached on concessions with the airlines pilots and debt holders. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Atlanta-based Delta said it anticipates its third-quarter loss to be between $625 million and $675 million, or $4.99 to $5.39 per share. Cincinnati Enquirer | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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The Travel Agent From Hell - You're stuck in Orlando as yet another hurricane takes aim at Florida. The airport is closed and the best advice you can get is to sit tight and hang with the locals because you can't extend your hotel reservation. Not that it matters. Your "garden view" room actually looks out on a concrete pad that holds the dumpsters. Congratulations. You may have the travel agent from hell. Featured archived story from Travelcomment.com | Posted 7 a.m.

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Judge: US Airways 'A Ticking Fiscal Time Bomb' - A bankruptcy judge has granted US Airways the authority to immediately cut the pay of its union workers by 21 percent, saying the airline's situation is so dire that urgent action must be taken. The 21 percent pay cut is nearly all of the 23 percent reduction the air carrier had sought. "Basically what we have here is a ticking fiscal time bomb," said US bankruptcy judge Stephen Mitchell in issuing the ruling. KYW | Posted 7 a.m.

Miss Manners: Etiquette Can't Solve Seat Wars - I am over 6 feet tall and I never complain if the passenger in front of me reclines his seat fully in coach class on long-haul international flights. I feel that, even though the space used is in front of me, it is not ''mine'': It is there to accommodate the seat in front as it moves back in its fixed, designed arc. I may make a request if I have to move out of my seat to step into the aisle, but I do not make any requests even for meals, as airline trays, bottles and glasses are designed to fit into the limited space when properly placed. By the same token, am I not entitled to the same courtesy by the passenger behind me? United Media | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Pay Raises For Northwest Execs - New Northwest Airlines CEO Doug Steenland and two other top Northwest executives are expected to receive pay raises because they've taken on new responsibilities in the wake of former CEO Richard Anderson's departure. Those executive pay boosts are likely to go into effect at the same time that Northwest management seeks concessions from its workers. Star-Tribune | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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