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Catch up on the latest stories from the Elliott Report

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A blowout at 40 mph in the New Hampshire mountains turned up two front tires worn down to the metal. Turo cleared him of fault, reversed itself an hour later and billed him $500.

Booking.com rented him a room with blood on the walls. Why won’t it refund his $313?
A studio apartment in Penang, Malaysia, came with bloodstains, mold and someone else’s hair in the bedding. Booking.com says the refund is the host’s call, and the host says cancel.

The ugly truth about August travel: Why you should stay home—or do this
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Would you pay extra to use the overhead bin?
If you’ve ever wondered what they’ll think of next—at least when it comes to airline fees—here’s your answer: Jetstar announced this week that it will soon charge you to put a bag in the overhead bin.

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More travelers are losing their insurance claims because of this. Don’t be one of them.
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My hotel reservation disappeared. Why won’t Booking.com refund me for my new room?
A missing hotel reservation left him booking two rooms at his own expense. What to do when a hotel cannot find you, and how to get the difference back.

Cruise medication rules, and what you said about the room with blood on the walls

Rhonda Doak is booking an Oceania cruise from England to Ireland and Scotland, and the medication rules have her stuck. She’s read that every prescription needs its original bottle and a written script to match, plus a declaration at customs for anything controlled. Elizabeth U pointed her at the UK’s electronic travel authorization first, which runs £20 on the official government site and usually clears within a day. Watch for the copycat sites charging more, she says. What would you tell Rhonda?

Yesterday’s Booking.com story started a real discussion. Kelly Red thought the blood was bad enough on its own, and that the shot of the “filthy boxspring” showed a few scuffs that worked against the case. George Schulman went after the platform instead, arguing that AI denials of valid claims won’t stop until the sites pay double or treble damages for every wrongful refusal. A few of you said you’re finished booking through third parties at all. Where do you land?

Information and insights for Elliott Confidential PRO subscribers

Emirates just made it easier to back out of your next trip to the Middle East.

Anyone flying to Dubai can move the travel date as many times as needed with no change fee. Refund fees on Dubai flights drop to $50 on Saver fares and $25 on Flex, in both cabins.

If you read what I wrote in July about Gulf connections, you know why this got my attention. I said the discounting would start once the fighting cooled and the airspace bulletins lapsed. The fighting hasn’t cooled. The bulletin hasn’t lapsed. The selling started anyway.

Here’s what the announcement covers:

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s conflict zone bulletin for the Gulf is still active. It tells operators not to fly in UAE airspace at any altitude, and it runs through Aug. 31 unless reviewed sooner. The State Department has the UAE at “reconsider travel.”

Emirates is a UAE carrier and isn’t bound by an EASA recommendation written for European operators. But it means the risk hasn’t moved and the airline is competing on terms rather than price. Airlines sell flexibility when they can’t sell confidence. (Remember the pandemic?)

The takeaway: Take the free date change if you’re already booked to Dubai, but don’t read the new flexibility as a safety signal. Check the EASA bulletin and your own government’s advisory before you book, and assume a policy you buy now excludes conflict claims unless the wording says otherwise.