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

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October 21, 2004

Alaska Ponders New Cruise Taxes
Alaska voters may get another chance to decide whether the state should impose a $50 head tax and require water pollution permits for cruise ships. The Juneau-based group Responsible Cruising in Alaska filed a petition with more than 29,000 signatures supporting those proposals with the state Division of Elections on Tuesday afternoon. The coalition wants Lt. Gov. Loren Leman to place its initiative on a 2006 statewide ballot. The coalition initially had hoped to have the proposal on the 2004 ballot. "It will give Alaskans a chance to come to terms with a very large industry that has grown quickly and has a significant impact on the way we live," said Joe Geldhof, a Juneau attorney and member of Responsible Cruising in Alaska. Juneau Empire | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Measure Didn't Float in 2003 (Empire)
• Earlier: 2003 Press Release On Initiative (BWN)

Anyone who has cruised Alaska - as I have - can tell you that this is one of the last unspoiled places on earth. It deserves to be protected.

Three Airlines Post Big Losses
Three of the nation's largest airlines reported a combined $911 million in third-quarter losses Wednesday. The largest by far was at Delta Air Lines Inc., where bankruptcy looms unless it can quickly win concessions from its pilots and debt holders. Soaring fuel prices were the main culprit for the red ink at AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta, whose situation also has been exacerbated by the cost of servicing its $20.6 billion in debt. All three reported higher revenue. Unrestricted cash reserves fell to $1.45 billion as of Sept. 30 from $2 billion on June 30, Delta said. The nation's third-largest carrier said it desperately needs $1 billion in cuts from its pilots and new debt terms from some of its creditors. AP | Posted 6:45 a.m.

'Valet' Drives Away With Cars, Luggage
Posing as an employee at rental companies and hotels across San Francisco, smooth-talking Darrel Ward greeted unsuspecting tourists with friendly hospitality, then drove away with their cars and luggage, according to police. The charming thief approached travelers from within garages and carparks with such authority that his victims surrendered the keys without question, said Auto Crimes Insp. Dean Marcic. "He's so methodical," Marcic said of Ward, who has some 23 auto thefts on his sheet. "It's affecting people that come to visit our city. Before we know it, people are going to say, 'Why go there, you're going to get your car stolen.'" Examiner | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Lost My Rental in a Hurricane - Opaque travel Web sites like Hotwire offer deep discounts on everything from airline tickets to rental cars. But there's a tradeoff: the purchases are completely nonrefundable. Or are they? When one traveler is held up by a hurricane, she finds her travel agent and airline bending backwards to accommodate her. Shouldn't Hotwire do the same? Find out if the site will reschedule her car rental or pocket the $105.19 she spent on the vehicle, even though she couldn't use it. > Featured all-new story from Triprights.com | Posted 7 a.m.

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ACLU Files Age Discrimination Suit Against Hotel - Thomas Zinn can go off to Iraq and fight a war, but he couldn't rent a room at two area Holiday Inn Express hotels. For that reason, Zinn, 20, and his 18-year-old girlfriend, Theresa Taylor, both of Zeeland in western Michigan, enlisted the American Civil Liberties Union to file an age discrimination lawsuit Wednesday against companies that own the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Detroit and the former Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham. Free Press | Posted 7 a.m.

Flawed IT Project Leads To Big Avis Loss - Avis Europe shares fell 9 percent to an all-time low yesterday after the car rental group revealed it had squandered €45m on an IT system that was incompatible with its existing global computer network. Admitting the company had no option but to write-off the cost of the IT restructuring project, Murray Hennessy, chief executive, said: "A decision has been taken to terminate the development as quickly as practicable." Telegraph | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Pastor's Bible Joke Bombs - A pastor says he was "just kidding" when he told airport security he had a bomb, reached into his luggage and pulled out a Bible, declaring, "This is my bomb." Jose L. Gonzalez, a Spaniard living in Deltona, Fla., was arrested and charged Sunday with making a false statement. The incident occurred as security screeners at the Nashville International Airport were searching his carry-on bag. AP | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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