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

Underwritten By Cheapflights.com — Compare sales, specials and cheap flights to any destination.

September 30, 2004

More Travel Dot-Com Mergers Ahead?
Online travel stocks enjoyed a nice takeoff Wednesday after news that Cendant agreed to buy Orbitz for about $1.2 billion. Sabre Holdings, which owns Travelocity, jumped about 2 percent, IAC/InterActive, the parent company of Expedia, Hotels.com and Hotwire, rallied 6 percent, and Priceline.com shares shot up nearly 10 percent. Why this reaction, especially when a Cendant-Orbitz combination presumably would be a tougher competitor for all these companies? Cendant is a franchisor for the Super 8, Days Inn, and Ramada hotel brands. It also owns the Avis and Budget car rental services and the online travel site Cheap Tickets. That's a high-profile portfolio of travel-related companies. CNN/Money | Posted 6:35 a.m.
• Delta Could Pocket $140 Million In Deal (AJC)
• Online Stocks Could Be In Play (Internet News)

So who's next? If I were a bettin' man, I'd say Priceline.

Confused Driver Zips Through Terminal
A woman who was returning a rented minivan at the Boise Airport drove it through the terminal. A "confused senior citizen," whose name and age were not released, followed an outside "terminal access" sign Tuesday as she bumped the vehicle through a set of automatic-opening double-doors on the west end, airport spokeswoman Larissa Stouffer said. She drove through the terminal, past the baggage claim area before coming to a stop. "The lucky thing is she didn't hit anything," Stouffer said. AP | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Pet Passports Required For Europe
New EU-wide legislation introducing a pet passport will be fully applicable from Friday, allowing pets and their owners to travel legally within the European Union, the European Commission said Wednesday. Cats, dogs and ferrets will be need to have one when being transported to another EU state, providing proof that they have been vaccinated against rabies and other diseases. The passport will be the only document required in all EU countries except Ireland, Malta, Sweden and the United Kingdom, where stricter criteria apply, the commission said. IHTl | Posted 6:50 a.m.

San Francisco Hotel Workers Strike - Union workers walked off the job at four prominent San Francisco hotels early Wednesday morning, but the move did not trigger a multi-city strike as union locals in Los Angeles and Washington said they had no immediate plans to join the action. The strike by 1,400 union members, whose picket line chanting roused some hotel guests from their sleep, was the most aggressive step taken yet by the Unite Here union in this year's protracted contract disputes. Its members have authorized strikes in all three cities. Los Angeles Times | Posted 7 a.m.

Grenada Tries To Rebuild After Ivan - The island is struggling to rebuild amid the wreckage left behind by Ivan, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Caribbean and the United States in decades. Perhaps no island suffered more damage than Grenada, a relatively prosperous former British colony where tourism and the spice trade are the mainstays of the economy. At least 39 people were killed. The New York Times | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Aeroflot Says 'Nyet' To Old Ways - For years it was a symbol of the cold, grey face Russia showed to the outside world, with cramped planes, a terrible safety record and frowning stewardesses. But now the Russian airline Aeroflot insists it has changed its spots - with a little help from a British PR firm. In a makeover of ambitious proportions, the airline has spruced up its planes, service and reliability, and insists the old service-with-a-scowl is a thing of the past. The task was not an easy one. Scotsman | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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• Off the Record ... It's been six months since you took that flight from Dallas to Greenville, SC. But what's this? A bill from your travel agent for $404? Yes, it is. Your agent just got a debit memo from her airline and now she wants you to pay it. For one traveler faced with that problem, settling up doesn't solve anything. When he tries to get a refund from the airline, he runs into a brick wall - and has to call for help. Will he ever see his $404 again? Find out in the latest troubleshooter column. Posted 7:15 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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