Elliot.org - The Travel Troubleshooter

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Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site.
Updated: 3 hours 4 min ago

Sorry, you don’t have an airline ticket

15 hours 54 min ago
When Linda Foy checks in for her flight, she's told she has no airline tickets. But wait! Didn't her online travel agent, Expedia, just confirm her flights? And will Expedia now refund the new tickets she must buy?


Categories: Travel

New on Elliott: No airline ticket, scammers don’t take a break and a sunk cruise – Sponsored by Internationalflights.com

Thu, 2010-07-29 13:54
No airline ticket, scammers don't take a break and a sunk cruise.


Categories: Travel

Warning! Scammers don’t take a break after your trip is over

Thu, 2010-07-29 07:45
Neither should you. And while there are more than enough scams that await travelers when booking their trips -- covered in excruciating detail on this site -- the's also danger on the ground.


Categories: Travel

Help! A rescheduled flight itinerary almost sunk our cruise

Wed, 2010-07-28 07:19
It looked like smooth sailing for the DellaPenna family's Alaska cruise. The airline tickets were booked and the seats confirmed. But just a day before they were to leave, United Airlines almost scuttled their vacation.


Categories: Travel

Is the government letting airlines off easy? Let’s do the math

Mon, 2010-07-26 20:32
The Transportation Department's latest high-profile fine goes against Comair for violating denied-boarding rules. It's a big ticket: $275,000, which, while significantly less than the record fine against Spirit Airlines late last year, could be the largest enforcement action for bad bumping...


Categories: Travel

New on Elliott: Travel’s new normal, pre-checking your site, when to appeal your case – Sponsored by Internationalflights.com

Mon, 2010-07-26 15:57
Travel's new normal, pre-checking your site, when to appeal your case.


Categories: Travel

Unauthorized “babies” can’t board Delta flight — now what?

Mon, 2010-07-26 05:20
Here's what happens when an airline can't get its story straight. It ends up with a passenger like John Campagna, who nearly forced to abandon his "babies" in Honolulu.


Categories: Travel

Truthsquadding the Southwest Airlines “Act of God” controversy: “Ultimately this is a reporting error run amok”

Sun, 2010-07-25 15:31
During the last week, several news outlets and bloggers -- including most recently, the Arizona Daily Star -- have breathlessly reported that Southwest Airlines quietly revised its contract to define mechanical delays as an "Act of God."


Categories: Travel

Ticket? Check. Bag? Check. Insurance? Pre-check.

Sun, 2010-07-25 07:09
Seconds before Terri Widder booked a recent flight from Chicago to Tulsa, she hesitated. Something felt wrong.


Categories: Travel

How to squeeze a ‘yes’ out of your travel company

Sat, 2010-07-24 06:49
This isn’t a political column, but when I heard the next president of the United States, Sarah Palin, announce she belongs to the party of “no” — actually, make that the party of “hell no” — I thought for a moment she was talking about the travel industry.


Categories: Travel

A car rental conundrum: What would you do with this case?

Fri, 2010-07-23 07:57
Amy and Kevin Roeder are stuck with a $1,600 bill from Thrifty Car Rental for damage they say they didn't do. Thrifty insists they're responsible, and isn't backing down. And now I'm stuck, too. What do I do next?


Categories: Travel

New on Elliott: A car rental conundrum, Washington power trip and a conversion quandary – Sponsored by Internationalflights.com

Fri, 2010-07-23 05:09
A car rental conundrum, Washington power trip and a conversion quandary.


Categories: Travel

A Washington power trip: Three branches, two days, one million tourists

Thu, 2010-07-22 18:51
Can you name the three branches of government?


Categories: Travel

The airline industry is profitable again — really profitable — and here’s one reason why

Wed, 2010-07-21 19:50
In a word: fees. Lots and lots of fees.


Categories: Travel

“They have declined to honor the discounted rate”

Wed, 2010-07-21 18:45
Hilton offers Joy Valentine a $199 a night rate at its New York property, but it can't find the price in its system, so it charges her $239 instead. The rate is nonrefundable, so when Valentine asks it to fix the mistake, Hilton refuses. Is there anything she can do to persuade the hotel to honor...


Categories: Travel

Did the airline industry fund controversial tarmac delay study?

Wed, 2010-07-21 08:25
A new study by a team of aviation consultants which claims the government's new tarmac delay rule will cost the flying public $3.9 billion during the next two decades, is making waves in the aviation industry and beyond.


Categories: Travel

Name change stops Marriott point conversion — can it be reversed?

Tue, 2010-07-20 15:25
All Leslie McCormick wanted was to convert her Marriott points to American Airlines miles. But what should have been a simple transaction was complicated by a little red tape and a severed corporate relationship, and now McCormick's points are going nowhere.


Categories: Travel

“It was never my intention to cheat Continental Airlines out of any money”

Mon, 2010-07-19 16:09
Lori Kaufman didn't mean to play the system. She just wanted to reschedule her flight so she could attend her grandmother's funeral.


Categories: Travel

New on Elliott: A fall surprise, passenger safety on cruise ships and a shortcut you shouldn’t try – Sponsored by Internationalflights.com

Mon, 2010-07-19 12:27
A fall surprise, passenger safety on cruise ships and a shortcut you shouldn't try.


Categories: Travel

Kids, don’t try this shortcut to an airline upgrade at home

Mon, 2010-07-19 06:39
Attention frequent fliers: If you can't get a confirmed upgrade on your next flight, don't do what Jim Downey did.


Categories: Travel