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

January 3, 2005

Delta Cuts Prices, Fare Rules
Next week Delta Air Lines, the nation's second largest carrier is expected to become the first of the so-called Big Six (American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways) to radically change its pricing policy nationwide, removing irritating ticketing rules like required Saturday-night stays, halving ticket-change fees to $50 from $100 and slashing fares on everything from first class to last-minute tickets. Low-cost airlines like Southwest and JetBlue have long embraced such customer-friendly policies, but Delta is by far the biggest carrier to make such changes (America West Airlines started offering fairer fares in March 2002, followed by Alaska Airlines in February 2004). (Time) Posted 5:35 a.m.
• Fares to Ski Destinations Remain High (NY Post)
• Follows Tests in Ohio Market (Reuters)

Does Delta finally get it? Only time will tell if this change is permanent.

US Airways Avoids Another Meltdown
US Airways managers skipped family gatherings and holiday football games yesterday to try to save their reeling company. About 50 managers from around the country descended on Philadelphia International Airport, site of a poor performance by the airline during the Christmas weekend that infuriated countless passengers. The worst of the trouble centered on Philadelphia International, where holiday travelers languished and up to 10,000 pieces of luggage accumulated, the owners nowhere in sight. As of yesterday, a few dozen bags had still not been returned to their owners. (Post Gazette) Posted 5:45 a.m.

Web Doesn't Lead to Better Trip
When we began planning a recent four-week road trip, our natural inclination was to turn to the Internet. Mouse here, click there, and in a few Web hits we'd be done — having saved ourselves a bundle in the process. In reality, things didn't go quite so predictably. Checking travel sites such as Orbitz, Hotwire and Expedia yielded some killer deals — or so it seemed. Other strategies, including the old-fashioned phone call, did just as well or even better. Checking on the day of the stay via cellphone saved us half off or more on some motel stays. (Seattle Times) Posted 5:50 a.m.

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10 Saving Tips For Europe
You've probably read all the stories about how Europe is getting outrageously expensive. With the dollar taking a beating from the euro, a fast-food lunch in London costs $40, and a hotel room in Paris will set you back $500 a night. Maybe you should just stay home? Well, don't believe everything you read. The European Travel Commission reports that 12.7 million Americans visited the Old World in 2004 -- the second-most on record -- and this year could be even busier. Maybe it's because on balance, traveling to major cities in Europe costs about the same as visiting a big city in the United States. (Travelcomment.com) Posted 6:55 a.m.

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Norwalk Virus Returns to UK Hotel
Guests at a Scarborough hotel have been hit by a sickness bug just days after a previous outbreak forced the hotel to close in the run-up to Christmas. The Grand Hotel reopened on 23 December after a three-day shutdown caused by a viral infection affecting 14 guests. Contractors were brought in to steam- clean the rooms in a bid to eradicate the Norwalk virus. But new guests arriving last week are believed to have reintroduced the bug, environmental health chiefs say. (BBC) Posted 6:05 a.m.

Mini-Tornado Forces Aer Lingus Cancellations
Several hundred Aer Lingus passengers were left stranded today after a seventh transatlantic flight was cancelled due to damage caused by a mini-tornado at Dublin airport. The State airline was forced to call off this afternoon’s EI125 service to Chicago with 300 travellers facing delays of up to 24 hours. Six Aer Lingus flights were cancelled over the weekend after hurricane force winds caused two parked company jets to collide with one another. (IOL) Posted 6:10 a.m.

Surfer Rides Tsunami to Safety
A veteran surfer has told how he was forced to ride a towering tsunami to save his life as it engulfed an idyllic Sri Lankan village. Martin Hambrook, 40, from Porthcawl, south Wales, was in the sea off the island's southern coast waiting for what he hoped would be a perfect wave. Partner Vicky Maxwell, 42, and son Jai, seven, were watching from the beach as the horrific form of the tsunami appeared on the horizon. (AAP) Posted 6:15 a.m.

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