OUR VIEW. (This new addition to THE TICKET will offer views and commentary from your editor.)  

Simplification seems to be the new mantra at Delta, and that's a good thing. Last month, the carrier announced a simplified SkyMiles program. This month, it was a simplified fare structure. Granted, neither change is perfect (and many TICKET readers feel neither went far enough). But at least Delta seems to have broken away from the legacy carrier inertia and denial associated with the old, customer un-friendly and unwieldy fare structure.  With AirTran and Delta as our two major choices for business travel from Atlanta, we are lucky. This should be a boon to local companies, and could even help attract new ones. HOWEVER, we can't have everything. Already, Delta is talking about cutting the number of flight attendants on international flights. It has imposed new fees for booking flights at the ticket counter or call center.  In order for the new structure to work, volume has got to be there, so don't expect a return to the good old days of an empty seat next to you. Plus, it is going to be harder to get upgraded unless you are willing to pay for it. But those are minor irritants when you consider the over benefits of a simpler fare structure and frequent flyer program. Right? 

 (Comments? Feedback?)

--Chris McGinnis, editor/publisher
(if you've missed seeing Chris on TV, check out this online video!)

AIRLINE NEWS  

DELTA FARE MOVES. In case you missed our Newsbite on Delta's recent fare structure changes, or would like an update, click here. As we go to press, nearly all carriers have matched Delta, but only in markets where they compete. No carriers have launched any retaliatory fares designed to punish Delta. We expect Delta to stick to its guns on this one, even if other carriers don't match or try to retaliate. Delta says that its restructuring is strictly a Delta solution, and not necessarily a solution for other legacy carriers. Good news for Delta: on the day Simplifares were announced, its site became so overloaded that it apparently shut down-- many of you emailed to let us know that you could not log on. Nonetheless, Delta is saying that it experienced a 300% increase in site traffic that day.

DL CEO CHIMES IN. For a glimpse of how Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein views the recent changes, check out the following quotes (reported by AP) from a recent speech to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce:

• "We knew that we were going to make some mistakes, and we may have already made some."

• "I've told you a lot about the changes, there are going to be more."

• "What would happen if Home Depot charged extra for paint that wasn't used on Saturday night? That is exactly what we were doing, which was an irritant." (Guess he must have seen that well-circulated email sent around last year.)

• "We had lost the trust of our passengers. We had to act, and it was clear we had to make some changes."

DELTA STAFFING CUTS. In an internal memo, Delta announced that it would cut one flight attendant from its less-than-full transoceanic 777 (from 10 to 9) and 767 (from 8 to 7) flights. However, Delta said that full flights would get the full complement of FA's. Flight attendants are saying the cuts will result in "Waffle House-style service" for Delta's international BusinessElite passengers.  (Hmm. Smothered and covered would not be bad . . . .) Also, the WSJ reports that crew meals on domestic flights will be dropped April 1, meaning that pilots and flight attendants will have to bring their own food, just as many passengers do. (No big deal for FA's as most know better than to eat what they serve!)  

AIRTRAN STILL CHEAPER. In response to Delta's recent fare revamp, AirTran was quick to point out that its fares are still less expensive. AirTran's Kevin Healy said, "After checking all of our fares in the 713 markets we serve, we did not have to change any of our fares to match Delta.  In fact, we would have to raise our fares to match them.  We are amused at all the hoopla surrounding SimpliFares -- it is really no big deal." In addition, AirTran placed a tongue-in-cheek full page color ad in the AJC (we understand the standard rate for this to be about $65,000) featuring two jars of peach preserves, and asking, "Since our competitors are copying everything else we do, we wanted to see if they'd copy this, too" As we go to press, Delta has not matched this offer! 

CORPORATE DISCOUNTS FLYING AWAY? "With the significant reduction in fares, the majority of unpublished programs on the corporate side will be obsolete . . ." Delta vice president of sales and distribution Pam Elledge told Business Travel News, noting, however, that all existing corporate programs would be honored through the end of contract terms. With the introduction of Simplifares, Delta will axe about 6000 individual or group meeting rates as well.

AIRTRAN TO INDY (FINALLY): Adding to Hoosier happiness, AirTran has announced that it will fly 4x daily nonstop between ATL and Indianapolis starting May 4 with one-way coach fares ranging from $94 to $189 ($294 biz class). Delta's roundtrip fares had ranged from about $300 to about $450 on the route, but it will soon match AirTran's lower prices.

MORE NEW SERVICE. Delta's ASA will start three daily CRJ nonstops between ATL and Tupelo, MS (Elvis Presley's birthplace in the northeastern part of the state) on June 1. AirTran is now flying nonstop between ATL and Sarasota/Bradenton, just south of Tampa. Delta's new twice-weekly non-stops between ATL and St Croix crank up on Mar 5.

AIRTRAN XM STALLED. Remember all the delays when it came to getting the Matsushita seatback video systems installed in SONG planes? AirTran has run into similar delays getting XM radio onboard its planes. Initially, XM was to have debuted last summer. AirTran told THE TICKET that the system is currently operational on one 717 jet, and is expected to be installed on all 717's by April 1, and on all 737's by June 1. (JetBlue is also installing XM radio, expecting a June debut.)

ZONE OUT ON BOARD. Speaking of JetBlue, the carrier has recently added the new Colorcalm channel, consisting of continuous, soothing, multi-colored skies spanning a full spectrum of 36 colors set to classical music. JetBlue says, "Colorcalm offers JetBlue customers a fresh perspective on color and life, as well as ways to balance vital energy chakras through colorful visualization, breathing and meditation exercises." It may sound far out, but it is really nice! Check it out on this video preview. 

US AIRWAYS NEAR DEATH. After its well-publicized holiday debacle in which thousands of travelers and/or their bags were misdirected, US Airways' survival over the long cold winter is looking more precarious than ever. Why? First off, you've got Delta's new fare initiative which is expected to reduce all major airlines' revenue in the short term. Next, Southwest Airlines just announced that it would invade Pittsburgh this summer, much like it did in Philly last year—both cities have been US Airways strongholds for years. Then you've got high fuel prices, competition from other low fare carriers, and of course, travelers booking away from US Airways due to fears about losing frequent flier miles and fears about angry mechanics servicing planes. (We are wondering who will jump on Charlotte first if US Airways goes kaput: Delta? or AirTran? . . . . stay tuned!)  

HIP MARKETING? If you want to see US Airways' pitiful attempt at hip airline marketing, check out its irritating new gen-x spokesmodel, "Seth."  

HERE WE SLOW AGAIN. Now that most airlines have restored the flights cut after 9/11, things are slowing down out there. According to USA TODAY, The DOT's key statistical indicators of congestion — late arrivals, canceled flights, taxi-out times, runway delays and mishandled bags — all rose in 2004. Each had bottomed out in 2002 or 2003. Also, the Travel Industry Association of America says that Americans are expected to take more than 243 million person-trips this winter, up 2.6% from last winter. In just four years, since 2000, winter travel volume has increased nearly 8%. 

AIRTRAN ANNUAL GROWTH. AirTran reported the number of passengers it boarded jumped 13% in 2004, flying 13,170,230 passengers last year, compared with 11,651,340 in 2003. December traffic alone was up 18.3% over December 2003.  

HUSH MONEY? Delta is offering from 15,000 to 20,000 SkyMiles to those affected by Comair's computer meltdown on Christmas Day. Perhaps that will be enough to keep angry passengers from lodging complaints with the DOT, which created a special toll-free hotline and website for travelers and others to share their experiences or insights on the flight disruptions at Comair and US Airways over Christmas. If the miles were not enough to cool you off, you can call 1-866-670-3341 or send an e-mail via this site: http://www.oig.dot.gov.

X-FARES ARE BACK. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 22 can travel on a standby-only basis to any of the 44 destinations AirTran Airways serves (excluding Grand Bahama Island) for a fare of $59/short haul or $79/long haul (per segment). To participate, travelers just select the destination, dates and times they want to travel, and arrive at the AirTran Airways counter at least 90 minutes before the scheduled time of departure.  All available flights are listed on AirTran Airways' X-Fares Web site at http://www.xfares.com. (NOTE: Keep in mind that many of AirTran's advance purchase or sale fares can be cheaper than X-fares, so you can save more by planning ahead. Also note that x-fares are only priced per segment, so if you connect, you'll pay twice as much. But if you want to jet home or to the beach for a weekend, this is a great option.)  

CURIOUSLY MISSING. SkyTeam recently sent out a release ballyhooing all the new planes its members are buying. Funny thing, though, that Delta, SkyTeam's founding partner, has no new plane acquisitions to announce. Nonetheless, here's what everyone else has on their books:

• Aeroméxico: Ten Boeing 737-700
• Air France: Six Airbus A318, two Airbus A319, three Airbus A330, one Boeing 747, seven Boeing 777 and ten Airbus A380 (double deckers).
• Continental: Thirty 737-800, fifteen 737-700, three 737-900, plus ten Boeing 7E7 and eight 757-300 subject to board approval
• CSA Czech Airlines: Twelve Airbus A320 and A319
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Three Boeing 777 and six Airbus A330
• Korean Air: Eight Boeing aircraft; one 747-400, two 777-200, two 737-800 and three 747-400F
• Northwest: Six A330-300, six A330-200, two A320-200, and eleven A319-100

FEEL SAFER? You are. AP reports that only 34 people have died in U.S. commercial airline crashes in the past three years, making it one of the safest periods in aviation history even as more Americans than ever travel by air. The last large-jet crash occurred on Nov 12, 2001 when an American Airlines Airbus crashed shortly after take-off from JFK enroute to the Dominican Republic.  

ANOTHER ONE BITES. Aloha Airlines joined Hawaiian Airlines in filing for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy on Dec 30. Both airlines' flight operations are not affected.  

WE LIKEY:

COOL NEW SITE FOR COOL HOTELS: TabletHotels.com: Site sez: "Tablet Hotels features outstanding hotel properties that are defined by strong personality and attention to detail - from select Ritz-Carltons to the 10-room modern design statement or classic hideaway. Many of these properties have already received praise locally and internationally for years, many are new discoveries. Most are independent boutique properties. However, outstanding properties that are also part of a chain can be included on an individual basis. All Tablet Hotels offer their guests a unique experience."

You'll find tablethotels.com on THE TICKET PORTAL under "hotels"

AIRPORT NEWS  

HOW MUCH LONGER? Phase II of the "Big Dig" began on Dec 2 at Hart-Jack's Terminal North and on December 10 at Terminal South, and roadway work will be completed by May 2005. 

NEW TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS AT ATL. Currently, due to the big dig, incoming vehicles are routed along the OUTER roadways in front of the terminals.

• NORTH Terminal (AirTran, others): Passengers may be dropped off before and after passing the construction site.  The Kiss ‘N Fly drop-off will be modified in the hourly parking lot during the second phase to become a designated passenger pick-up area. AirTran's curbside baggage check is at the far end of the terminal—alongside American's and NOT in the Kiss 'N Fly area.
• SOUTH Terminal (Delta): Kiss ‘N Fly will remain a drop-off area (including curbside baggage check in) and private vehicles may continue to pick-up passengers near the Terminal building’s outer roadway curbsides.

(TIP: Avoid the upper level mess and do all your picking up and dropping off on the LOWER levels—veer far left as you approach the terminal to access these lanes.)  

LOOK OUT YOUR WINDOW the next time you are taxiing into ATL. The new control tower, the tallest in North America, celebrated it's "topping off" in mid January. There is still plenty of work to be done on the interior.  

BIZ TRAVEL IS BACK. With business travelers (and vacationers) back in record numbers, expect airport parking lots to be full—especially the covered decks. (We have had more than our fair share of last-minute, freaked-out searches for on-airport parking, fearing we would miss our flights!) ALWAYS call on your way to the airport to determine if you need to park in off-site lots. 404-530-6725, then press 2 for an automated update.  

TECHNOMADS 

BLACKBERRY ENVY? Wondering what all the hoo-ha about the ubiquitous Blackberry is about? Now you can find out for free, sort of. This is not a bad way to check out the device to see if you really need it.

• Avis is offering a free Blackberry 6710 plus an $85 rebate for activation and service charges. Good for all rentals through March 31.
• Orbitz is making a similar offer to those who book trips via the site through May 15, or when their stock of Blackberries (also 6710) runs out, whichever comes first.
• United is offer a free 6230 or 7230 models to those booking a fare of at least $250. (But you must sign on to a T-Mobile plan to get the phone.)

KEEP IN MIND, however that the 6710 models (which now sell for only about $100) are of the older, black, blackberries. If you want to be totally hip and cutting edge, you need to have the newer 7000 series models (retail about $400) which are blue, and known by some as a "blueberries" and have color displays and built-in phones. (Looks like the Blackberry folks are cleaning out their warehouses of older models.)  

GREAT SEARCHES. Sidestep, one of our favorite airfare search tools, recently added the ability to search for fares from a web-based platform, which is good news for users who have been unable (or unwilling) to use the downloaded software program designed for PCs. (The online version also now works for Macs.)  For more info, see www.sidestep.com  

ONLINE MEETINGS MADE EASY (and CHEAP!). We asked the marketers of the new GoToMeeting service how it differed from the better known Webex or Microsoft products. Here's what they told THE TICKET: "While many of the other online meeting providers have similar functionality and often more features, we have the advantage of speed, ease of use and a flat, 'all you can meet' pricing model that encourages frequent, ad hoc everyday meetings. Our customers can meet as often as they like, set up is extremely simple and they don't have the burden of expensive overage charges if they exceed the time limits on their meetings, which is so typical of most providers. Research indicates that the large majority of online meetings are for presentations, product demos and collaboration. Our service is geared to these uses and therefore not overburdened with 'feature glut' that can result in a slower and more cumbersome online experience for both the host and attendees." GoToMeeting costs just $39 per month (on annual plan) for unlimited meetings that can include up to 200 attendees. You can also try it for free for 15 days.   

FREQUENT FLYER NEWS 

FEWER SILVER AND GOLD UPGRADES. With Delta's new fare structure, which slashes first class fares to $600 or less, expect those "space available" upgrades becoming a lot harder to come by. Even though Delta recently shortened the window to obtain space-available upgrades, if you are not platinum, you can plan on sitting at the back of the plane. With all the platinum level members at hubs like ATL, SLC, and CVG, as well as the many travelers VERY willing to fork over just $600 for a first class seat, silver and gold members are going to be the big losers in upgrade roulette. In Delta's brave new world, we are gonna have to pay to play in those big seats at the front of the plane. For silver and gold members who can no longer rely on the slightest chance at an upgrade, the main benefits for elite status will become preferred boarding and special elite security lines (gold only.) Is it worth it? Thoughts? Let us know!   

BOOK AWARD TRIPS NOW FOR NEXT CHRISTMAS. Seats for use with Delta's SkyMiles Awards are entered into the system 330 days prior to travel. (For example, on Feb 4, Delta will release SkyMiles Award seats for travel on Jan 1, 2005—330 days away.) If you want to book trips for travel during the peak holiday period at the end of this year, you need to be making those reservations NOW. To get free tickets to Hawaii for example, (probably the most requested award destination), we suggest you decide on a range of dates, then call Delta exactly 330 days prior to those dates, when Delta releases the seats for award travel. For Hawaii, you might even want to call at 12:01 am on the day the seats are released. Keep in mind also that Delta offers TWO types of awards, much like it offers two types of fares. The "cheapest" free seats come with capacity controls and other restrictions that make them harder to use and require more flexibility on your part. If you want the luxury of traveling on exact dates, destinations or routings, you will have to 'spend' twice as many miles. 

NEW INCENTIVE FOR PLATINUM SKYMILES MEMBERS. Now that Delta has lowered the number of MQM's for Platinum status from 100,000 to just 75,000, many high-mileage flyers are feeling left in the lurch. (See Mailbag below.) Delta says that while there are not plans to establish a SUPER-PLATINUM tier above the 75,000 level, it plans of offer "unpublished" benefits to ultra-high mileage flyers. If you are offered such benefits, let us know!   

TRIPLE MILES. From Feb 15 thru Mar 15 all Delta SkyMiles Credit card holders can earn triple miles on Delta purchases of $265 or more. To get the bonus, you must enroll.   

 Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA  LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

Each time you click on an airline website link, button or banner ad from this newsletter or elsewhere on our site, and end up buying a ticket, we earn a few dollars. (Same web sites, same online booking bonus miles, just a different way of getting there!) Each time you want to visit an airline site, do so via a link from this newsletter or via our portal page. 

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

ROAD WARRIORS 

IRS MILEAGE RATE INCREASES. If you drive your own car for business travel, you'll be pleased to know that the IRS has increased the standard mileage reimbursement rate to 40.5 cents for 2005, up from 37.5 cents last year. Most companies match the IRS standard when employees use their own cars for business travel. It is also the amount the U.S. taxpayers will be able to deduct for vehicle expenses on their 2005 tax returns for business miles driven.

INTERNATIONAL 

PARIS. At Charles de Gaulle, a new boarding lounge for Air France passengers is available at Terminal 2E. It is designed to temporarily replace the closed concourse (the one that collapsed last summer). This new boarding lounge is large enough to handle six flights simultaneously. It will be in place until June when six new permanent boarding gates will be ready.

BA PILES ON THE MILES. British Airways Executive Club members living in the US or Canada who register online at www.ba.com/winteroffer and then complete at least one transatlantic round-trip in First class or Club World between Jan 13 and Apr 30 will earn a minimum of 50,000 regular and bonus miles. That's enough to earn two free economy roundtrips within North America (excluding Hawaii) on partners American, America West or Alaska Airlines.

TSUNAMI IMPACT ON TOURISM. According to the World Tourism Organization, the impact of the recent, tragic tsunami in south Asia will be minimal on overall tourism. In a statement, the organization said, "All in all, it can be assumed that the volume of tourism actually affected in the five countries in question will account for less that 1% of total world arrivals. There are therefore solid grounds for hoping that a prompt recovery of those destinations will pave the way for cooperation and that tourism will help to mitigate the devastating effects on the local population."

TASTE OF THE TICKET  

If you want a delicious burger, go to Joe’s.  That used to be my main opinion about Midtown favorite Joe’s On Juniper.  It’s a great place to go with friends and grab a beer, onion rings and a cheeseburger.  Now there's a second location of Joe’s near the airport, which seems to be an improvement on an original that was pretty darn great to begin with. 

Wanna hear more? Then check out this month’s “Taste of The TICKET” and see what she says about this Southside burger joint in her latest dispatch from the Hotlanta food scene. See the TASTE OF THE TICKET

HOTEL NEWS 

HOW MANY COMPLIMENTS? Here's a very interesting snippet from an interview with Ronen Nissenbaum, the GM of the brand new InterContinental-Atlanta, which appears in HOTELS magazine: Nissenbaum personally interviewed every employee hired and told them flat-out what he expected. He told each new employee, "I want you to greet every person as if they were walking into your home and living with you. You are constantly 'on show.' Your success will be judged by how many compliments I hear from guests about you and the only way you'll get a compliment is by exceeding the guest's expectations, by going above and beyond, not just doing your job." Nissenbaum doesn't sugarcoat his message to his employees. "Do something that makes an impression on our guests. Look at every customer as a potential compliment. You need to make them feel guilty for not writing to me. The more indebted you make them feel for providing them with such amazing service, the more they want to notify me how lucky we are to have you on our staff." He added, "Now you can tell me I'm crazy and that's impossible and that's fine with me. Or you can commit to achieve my goals and join my team. The ball is in your court."  

MISCELLANY 

HEADLINE NEWS IN LATIN AMERICA. If you miss your daily fix of CNN Headline News when you are south of the border, you'll be pleased to know that Turner has begun offering Headline News service to cable companies in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela.

PET PEEVES DISCONNECT. According to a recent survey by Carlson Wagon-Lits, travel managers think their travelers’ biggest pet peeves during travel are long lines for security check-ins and discovering another passenger paid less for their ticket. Business travelers, however, say their biggest pet peeve is travelers who don’t check their bags when they should, followed by crying babies.  

NOTICE!! © Copyright 2005, Travel Skills Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved                     

If you are cutting and pasting COPYRIGHTED information from THE TICKET into your internal publications, we ask that you do the right thing and credit your source with the following line:  
<<Source: THE TICKET Newsletter, free subscriptions available at http://www.travelskills.com/signup.htm  >>

KEEP READING  . . .   

 Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA  LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

Each time you click on an airline website link, button or banner ad from this newsletter or elsewhere on our site, and end up buying a ticket, we earn a few dollars. (Same web sites, same online booking bonus miles, just a different way of getting there!) Each time you want to visit an airline site, do so via a link from this newsletter or via our portal page. 

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

MAILBAG!  

Your thoughtful comments to THE TICKET regarding . . . 

DELTA FARE STRUCTURE CHANGES:

UNFAIR FEES. I had an obnoxious experience just before xmas with Delta...for all my troubles related to a $670 one way ticket they gave me a $100 travel voucher... Today I went to try to use the voucher, but you can't do so online (0 fee), nor through phone reservations ($5 fee), but instead must go to a ticker counter ($10 fee).  So my voucher is actually worth only $90 after they get through with fees.  I'd like to like Delta but it's hard sometimes. But there was a happy ending...I went to the Crown Room counter this morning to ticket and raised the issue...they waived the fee...small favors. --P Lauer

SIMPLICITY WINS. You said it best: “Delta FINALLY gets it!”  Only took how many years? The key with Delta I have never felt that I was getting the “Best” deal, because of all the screwy fare rules.  When I look at Southwest and Air Tran’s websites, I see simplicity.  Even if I pay extra at Southwest, I see that they had fares that were lower; I just didn’t get there in time- that’s on me! --P. Bush

PRICEY FOR KIDS. If Delta finally "gets it," they are missing the boat on unaccompanied minor fees.  They raised their fees this month from $40 each way to $50 each way.  Air Tran still only charges $25 each way.  Since I am a divorced parent, my son lives with his mother in Tallahassee, Florida.  Besides forcing Air Tran out of Tallahassee, Delta charges me a $100 even before the price of the ticket to have someone put him on the plane for what is basically a 30 minute flight each way.   --J Boggis 

NOT SO CHEAP AFTER ALL. I did a quick check of some walk up fares in markets that are not competitive with a low cost carrier (i.e. AirTran).  Want to go to from Atlanta to Nashville tomorrow?  You can for only $856.90 on Delta!  You can be in Little Rock instead for only 858.40 (that's only $1.50 more!).   Delta does not seem to be matching the AirTran pricing model at all, unlike what you alluded to in your article.  I'm sure they are benefiting from the free publicity and hype, though. --T Putman

 DELTA SKYMILES CHANGES:

PERKS? With over 150,000 MQM's this year, I have mixed feelings.  I like the simplification.  But, I’m not so thrilled to be competing with Silver Medallions for upgrades on the full price fares.  I don’t mind the lowering of the threshold for Platinum to 75,000 MQM's, but I think some perks for the high mileage flyers (perhaps 125,000 MQM's/year and above) needs to be retained. --T Gouge

TOO LATE. Unfortunately, these changes are too little too late. No segments, watering down PM, dropping the 750 MQM minimum, not realizing what would happen to flyers who already planned and booked trips for next year, etc. etc. Then look at the really high mile PMs, what is in it for them after they hit 75,000 MQMs? To me, this shows that Delta Management is in crisis mode. Don't get me wrong. I am happy to see positive changes. But, Delta should remember this lesson. It costs less to keep a customer than to try and win one back! --M Seidenman

AIRPORT RANKINGS:
DFW. I hope never ever to travel through there again. Just returned from a trip routing me through DFW out and back. Both times I had to run through the terminal because that "train" took its sweet time to make it from concourse to concourse. To add salt to the wound, it skipped my stop on my way back and I had to run from C5 to C33. No thanks to the DFW official apologizing for the inconvenience. Three more seconds and I would have lost my seat to standby customers. Good thing I'd trained for the Atlanta half-marathon and could run flat out.   –Allison

IN-FLIGHT PHONES:
STOP DRIVELING! Email and instant messaging are fine, but frequent travelers should be lobbying vigorously to continue the cellphone ban.  I can’t imagine listening to self-important drivel for five hours! --M. Mermin

ENTERPRISE RENT A CAR:
TAKE A PICTURE. I was interested to hear about the problems with Enterprise. My mom had that exact problem with them last year.  Upon returning the car after a two month rental, they "found" a couple of scratches on the bumper and hit her with a $1,000 charge.  Now, I would have contested that on the spot, but she's 80 years old, not much of a fighter, and had a plane to catch.  So by the time she related this story to me, it was too late to do a whole lot about it.  I advised AMEX to not pay the charge, which they agreed to do pending the investigation.  Enterprise responded with a detail about the minor damage, the time and expense of repairing it, the car out of the rental pool, etc. so AMEX determined it was a valid amount to pay.  Last time anyone in my family will use Enterprise.  And now I always walk around the car to check for scratches.  And I'd keep a photographic record if it appeared there would be a dispute. --J Perelman 

PLEASE JOIN IN and provide us with your questions, observations and comments about your travel experiences or topics in this issue! Send your questions and comments to us and look for your postings in the NEXT issue of THE TICKET