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

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October 22, 2004

Concern Raised About 'Flu Ships'
The state health department has confirmed the first case of flu this year in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says an 89-year-old man from El Paso County is in the hospital under observation. Doctors say the man caught the flu while on a cruise. The health department isn't treating this case as "active" because it was contracted while the man was traveling. So far there has been reports of some flu activity in seven states. The flu season doesn't usually peak until January or later. 9 News | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• First 'Big Wave' Expected in November (RMN)
• New Trend: Flu Tourism (Sun-Sentinel)

This could provide just the boost in tourism Canada was hoping for.

In a Twist, Agents Turn To Web
Alfred Dominick knew it was time to switch travel agencies when, during a business trip, he found himself stranded in Newport, N.H., without a hotel room. Turns out the agency had booked him into a hotel in Newport, R.I. "I definitely was not pleased," says Dominick, 58, who runs InteliData, a Reston, Va., financial services company. Add nightmare scenarios like that one to the rising cost of roadtrips, and it's no wonder U.S. businesses are increasingly avoiding travel agents. According to a March survey by Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass., only 41% of US companies use agents, down from 53% two years ago. Companies that book their own travel online may avoid the high fees and occasional mistakes of a traditional agent, but other dangers lurk. FSB | Posted 6:45 a.m.

ATA Looks For Pre-Bankruptcy Partner
Efforts to be first to consolidate the US low-cost airline sector intensified on Thursday as America West and AirTran continued last-minute talks with ATA, as it prepared for an imminent bankruptcy filing. According to people involved with the discussions, ATA, the 10th-largest US airline, is trying to put together a pre-arranged bankruptcy filing, with one of the two airlines acting as its strategic partner in a new reorganization plan. Boeing Capital, which has significant exposure to ATA because of the number of aircraft it leases to the airline, has also been involved in the talks. It has already written off some of its equity stake in the carrier. ATA is expected to file for bankruptcy in the next few days, although the timing is dependent on the talks. FT | Posted 6:50 a.m.

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Taking Air Rage to the Polls - Here's an election-year issue that hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention it deserves: the sad, scandalous decline of air travel. The way we fly has changed more in the last four years than in the last four decades, and largely for the worse. Airlines have cut back on services and amenities, airports are guarded by a new federal agency, the humorless Transportation Security Administration, and passengers are rowdier and ruder than ever. Many once-robust mainline carriers are on the verge of bankruptcy or liquidation. The list of troubled airlines includes American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, which is already in bankruptcy. US Airways isn't expected to survive the year. Should we hold the current administration responsible? > Featured archived story from Elliott.org | Posted 7 a.m.

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American Returns to Less Room Throughout Coach - American Airlines, posting a big loss with bleaker prospects immediately ahead, announced Wednesday it will squeeze passengers in tighter to make more money. Several years ago, American heavily advertised its decision to provide more room to economy passengers by removing seats from the MD80 and Boeing 737, 767 and 777 fleets. Now, some of those seats would be replaced. "When we launched 'More Room Throughout Coach,' healthy yields and robust business travel were the norm, and both conditions were essential to the success of More Room," AMR chairman and chief executive Gerard Arpey said. AFP | Posted 7 a.m.

US Airways Pilots Approve Cuts - The pilots union at US Airways Group Inc. on Thursday approved a $300 million concession package, including pay cuts of 18 percent, to help the ailing carrier survive its second bankruptcy in two years. The deal, which runs through Dec. 31, 2009, also includes a decrease in company contributions to the pilots' retirement plan as well as changes in work rules to increase pilot productivity. In exchange for the givebacks, pilots will be able to participate in a profit-sharing plan and receive equity in the airline. Reuters | Posted 7:05 a.m.

One-Way Fares Are a Joke - Of all the absurd anomalies in air fares, the most perplexing is the high cost of a one-way ticket, traditionally the most expensive fully flexible economy fare. Standard procedure is to buy a round-trip excursion fare and discard the return if it doesn't work for you. Airlines rant and rave that this is illegal. But there is nothing illegal in the legal sense of not occupying a seat that you have paid for. IHT | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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