Don?t bother calling with your travel complaints

United Airlines spokesperson Robin Urbanski says the company did research on the success of the feedback line and concluded that people who e-mail or write us are more satisfied with our responses. However, many travelers, hospitality industry experts and folks in the field view the call-center closure as a cost-cutting measure and yet another step away from focusing on customer care.

What is unclear to me is how this [research] led United to conclude that eliminating, rather than improving, their call centers would be the best strategic decision. msnbc.com travel teasers Others suspect that as the economy worsens and budgets tighten, live customer-service centers will disappear elsewhere as well.

Whether it's travel, home improvement or restaurant service, not speaking up about bad or good service is a disservice to you and the company involved. Whitmore is right, says John Crotts, director of the hospitality and tourism management program at the College of Charleston.

And if no one answers the phone, we'll put our issues in writing using some of these tips from well-mannered, experienced travelers and experts in the field: " Don't yell.



Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29260946/

Electricite de France profit slumps 40 pct in 2008

It took a euro1.2 billion charge to cover potential losses from the government's decision last year to extend a plan that permits businesses that had switched to free-market power rates to go back to state-regulated rates for two years.In a statement, France's state-controlled electric utility also said that after two major acquisitions last year, the company plans to shift gears and focus on investment, integration, and asset disposals in 2009.EdF warned that net income from ordinary operations, which excludes exceptional charges like the one that weighed on 2008 earnings, would not increase in 2009 because of the company's "substantial" investment plans.Investors dumped EdF stock Thursday, discourage by the sharply lower earnings.

utility Constellation Energy.Gadonneix called the two deals "structuring external growth transactions that lay the foundations for our future growth."With power demand falling â€' as the worst recession in decades causes industrial activity to plummet â€' Gadonneix noted that EdF has "certainly not been spared from the crisis, but we have a resistance that is much stronger than others."Gadonneix said the crisis will have "a differing impact according to each country ...

and according to the sensitivity of our activities - the evolution of the price of electricity, the volume of electricity consumed and of course...the price of hydrocarbons."At home, where EdF makes just over half its sales, revenue rose but profitability suffered, due to the charge on potential losses from the power rate change.

EdF said that the change's impact over the 2006-2010 period was close to euro2 billion.EdF is building France's first new generation nuclear power plant at an existing nuclear site in Normandy, and last month was chosen by the government to build a second of the so-called EPR pressurized water reactors.The EPR under construction at the Flamanville site has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.



Source: http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20090212&id=9603177

Japanese tourists top list of tourist arrivals to Bali

02/10/09 12:43Japanese tourists top list of tourist arrivals to BaliDenpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - A total of 359,827 Japanese tourists visited Bali in 2008, accounting for 18.06 percent of the total number of foreign tourists coming to the resort island that year.The number of Japanese tourists visiting Bali last year represented a 2.21 percent increase from the year before, head of the local statistics office Ida Komang Wisnu said on Tuesday.Bali`s unique arts and culture as well as panoramic scenery served as special attractions for Japanese tourists to visit the world-renowned resort island, he said.

Data from the statistics office show Japan topped the list of countries in terms of foreign tourists coming to Bali last year.



Source: http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2009/2/10/japanese-tourists-top-list-of-tourist-arrivals-to-bali

Equipe de France - Football - Sport.fr

Les joueurs de l'équipe de France, rassemblés lundi au Castellet en prévision de l'amical contre l'Argentine, ont effectué un léger décrassage.

Le défenseur central de Lyon Jean-Alain Boumsong a été appelé "en renfort" par le sélectionneur de l'équipe de France, Raymond Domenech.

Raymond Domenech a justifié jeudi l'absence de Hatem Ben Arfa de la liste pour le match contre l'Argentine, par le statut de remplaçant du joueur à Marseille.

Le sélectionneur de l'équipe de France Raymond Domenech a déclaré jeudi qu'il n'y avait pas de "vraie hiérarchie" au poste d'avant-centre des Bleus.



Source: http://www.sport.fr/football/motscle/L-equipe-de-France-de-football-975.shtm

Davies nearing end of epic Vendee voyage

LONDON (Reuters) - Playing "Russian Roulette" with icebergs in the Southern Ocean and passing out more times than she can remember because of the pain from an elbow injury could not dampen the spirit of Vendee Globe sailor Sam Davies.

The 34-year-old Englishwoman is set to finish as the leading female skipper in the solo, non-stop round the world race when she reaches Les Sables d'Olonne, France later this week.

the end seems to be getting further and further away," Davies told Reuters by satellite telephone Monday as calm seas and light winds stalled her progress heading towards the Bay of Biscay.

"The goal was to try and get into the top 10, although anything in the top 25 would be an achievement," she said.



Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKTRE5183PR20090209

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Zatarain's starts its own petition to make Mardi Gras a national ...

First of all, if it goes national then people will not come to NOLa for it and, while natives may not appreciate the extra people at the parade routes, they money generated is important to the city and the region.

The only thing they should do is have all of our local businesses shut down for the day ..People don't need to shop they can go to parades or stay home and BBQ.I hate having to work on MARDI GRAS everything should be closed thats the holiday we as citizens of the New Orleans area need to keep to our selves...We are the only ones that know how to through a big party and no one gets hurt our police department is the only one in the USA that can keep crowd control balanced

Mardi Gras is Unique to NOLA and NOLA only, I work in the quarter and we look forward to all the mardi gras money...some depend on it...If Mardi Gras were everywhere...people would just go to the closest parade to their hometown.

But this celebration belongs to new orleans and nearby areas, at the most ,along with the Brazils, the Trinidads, the Italys, and Frances of the world....



Source: http://blog.nola.com/cest-la-nola/2009/02/zatarains_spearheading_petitio.html