Turned off by the Internet ticket gameArthur...

Turned off by the Internet ticket game

Arthur Frommer may be a respected travel columnist, but he did a disservice to the traveling public when he recommended Priceline and Hotwire in “Playing the Internet Price Game” [Nov. 2].

The major problem with both services is that one has to give a credit card number before seeing the itinerary of the flight, and upon seeing the itinerary it is impossible to change it.

Several years ago I used Priceline for a flight from Orange County to London.

I quoted a price I wanted to pay. After giving Priceline my credit card number, I was given a price that, after all the fees were tacked on, was less than $10 cheaper than booking with the airline directly.

The worst part, however, was, the itinerary allowed only 30 minutes in the gigantic Houston International Airport between the arrival of my flight and the departure to London. The slightest delay would have made it impossible to catch the flight to London.

Several years later I tried booking through Hotwire, but when I had to give a credit card number before seeing my itinerary I terminated the transaction.

Clifford L. Bundy

Costa Mesa

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Soggy memories

of a day on Tahaa

I enjoyed the article on Tahaa [“Afloat on Society’s Fringe,” Oct. 19].

About 35 years ago, my brother and I, both in our 50s, visited there. A brochure in our Raiatea hotel said it would be a fun boat ride, so we asked about getting there.

A guy named Joe took us to his boat, which was a canoe with an outboard motor.

The minute we left it started to rain. We spent a half-hour in the open ocean -- no radio, out of sight of land -- but we got there. We were in bathing trunks, so Joe asked us if we wanted to dive and see the fish. We tried, but all I saw was a dead cow on the bottom.

On Tahaa, Joe introduced us to the chief, who had lots of teeth missing and many scars from “fighting sharks.”

Joe suggested it was time for the return trip. It rained again on the way back but stopped just as we beached the canoe.

Joe asked, “How did you like it?”

I replied, “I’ve had more fun at funerals.”

Eddy Hill

Sherman Oaks

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Thanks for the tip

on a trip to China

I would like to thank Arthur Frommer for “In Search of Tourists, China Is Launching Remarkable Deals” [Aug. 17]. I took his recommendation (as did almost everyone in our 24-person group) and took a 12-day tour to China offered by China Focus. It was a great vacation at an unbelievably low price.

China was the No. 1 country I had wanted to visit, and the tour prices (only $1,000 with everything included -- air travel, hotels, in-country travel, entrance fees and all meals) made it possible.

The hotels and the food exceeded my expectations. Our tour guide always had the answers to any questions or problems.

Climbing the Great Wall was the highlight for me, but seeing the other locations we visited continually impressed me. I have also never traveled with a group that was so satisfied with a tour and had so few complaints.

Robert Mulcahy

Torrance

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