The Travel Critic
Mad at the airlines? 4 ways to get even
Get ready. It’s coming. You can hear it in conversations with other travelers: the whispers of imminent action. You can almost feel it in the airport terminal: the nervous energy, the pent-up frustration.
Elliott Videocast
Aren goes into space
It’s Aren Elliott’s sixth birthday, and his brother Iden wants to send him into outer space. What better place to try than at Kennedy Space Center? Here’s their adventure.
The Troubleshooter
Did Mickey take my SUV for a spin?
Something is wrong with Lynn Seehafer’s SUV, which she valet parked at a Disney World hotel. She thinks it’s been taken for a joyride. But has it? And to what extent is Disney responsible for the vehicle?
Recent columns
Elliott blog
“You’re going to have a tip ready for me when I deliver the bags, right?”
American Airlines misplaced 41,194 bags last June according to the Transportation Department. Add American Eagle, and you’re talking 56,814 lost bags, the most of any airline. That’s bad news for American, but good news for the courier services that reunite passengers with their luggage. Very good news, actually.
Travel agent takes a 100 percent commission — is that too much?
How much of a travel agent commission is too much? Ten percent? Twenty? How about 100 percent? That’s no academic question.
So Southwest Airlines wants my feedback? Here you go …
It’s been months — years, actually — since an airline asked for my opinion about a flight. They probably know better. So when Southwest Airlines sent me an email asking for my feedback, I just couldn’t resist.
Grandmother arrested after refusing to delete JetBlue fight video
Marilyn Parver filmed an altercation between two passengers on a recent JetBlue flight. When she refused to delete the footage from her video camera, she says the airline threatened to blacklist her and accused her of interfering with a flight crew, which is a federal crime.
Sky-high fuel surcharges stick despite sliding energy prices
Energy prices may be falling, but airline fuel surcharges are holding steady — if not rising.
8 things I like about Aloft Hotels
Aloft Hotels is billed as a new high-design/low-cost brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts. I stayed at one this weekend in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Here are eight things I like about it.
Los Angeles
There may be no better place to see Los Angeles than from Griffith Park Observatory.