Letters: A Travel section he could sink his teeth into

A Travel section to linger over, savor

Thank you for assembling a Travel section that I thoroughly enjoyed. For years, I scanned Travel because few articles shouted, “Read me!” Then to my pleasant surprise, the June 24 issue had three articles over which I lingered during Sunday breakfast. Christopher Reynolds’ travel advice to recent graduates (“Next Stop: Somewhere Else”) was entertaining, practical and very readable. It would have made a graduation speech for college seniors that constituted the best “gift” they could all have received.

And who would have thought of Hanford, Calif., as a travel destination? I certainly did not until reading “No-Hurry History Beckons” by Ryan Ritchie. What drew me to it was the surprise (Hanford, concise writing, and because the trip can be done without denting savings). For the same reasons, Susan Spano’s description of her visit to Carrizo Plain National Monument prompted me to look at a map of that destination and to consider a weekend outing there.

The L.A. Times’ financial situation has reduced every section of the paper to a fraction of its better years, but the Travel section has demonstrated that a smaller paper can still engage and stimulate.

Richard Lau

Sunland

The open road, with two terrific guides

Thanks so much for Jessica Gelt’s terrific piece “Signs of a Classic Era” [June 17]. This brightly written article was informative and fun — and worth reading aloud to my wife, Michele, who also enjoyed it.

Mike Briley

Ojai

::

I loved the special road trip issue on June 17. Good travel writing makes you want to jump in your car (or Greyhound bus) and hit the open road. Such joie de vivre. Please publish more by Jessica Gelt and Chris Erskine.

Donna Cohen

Simi Valley

::

Great bus ride story by Chris Erskine [“New Spin on an Old-fashioned Ride,” June 17], but the Greyhound terminals are horrible places, especially in big cities, despite the story’s “clean but dreary” upsell of them. I was just in the Denver one.

Freight trains are a better travel experience.

George Lin

Silver Spring, Md.

The secret to getting a good seat

Regarding Catharine Hamm’s On the Spot column about the woman who could not get the premium economy seats that she wanted on EVA Airways [“Seats for an Elite,” June 17]:

We flew on EVA in February and selected the premium economy seats we wanted. Yes, I had to count the days until the window opened for seat selection, but then I immediately logged onto its website and selected our seats (23A and 23C from LAX to Taipei and 27A and 27C from Taipei-LAX on its B777). The lavatory was behind us, so it did not bother us. I was also able to select our seats for our final segments to Hanoi and return from Ho Chi Minh City via Taipei without difficulty.

I think the secret to EVA Airways — or any carrier, for that matter — is to enroll in its frequent-flier program. We enrolled in the EVA Evergreen Club and accumulated miles and received special offers, all without fees.

Allen Chu

Valencia

The column on EVA Airways was of interest to me as I have had seat reservation problems many times, but not with that particular airline.

I must keep daily tabs on my reserved airline seat, no matter how far in advance I reserve it. I travel with a companion with a different name, and the airlines seem to feel it is OK to move us to different rows. Both our premier and elite access status seem to carry no clout. I have been booted from economy-plus seating, which I have booked early, to the row in front of the exit row where the seats don’t recline. On an overseas flight, we have even been moved to separate sections. It is usually the middle seat in the center section, which leaves you with no clout or bargaining power to change. As a frequent flier, this practice by the airlines is unconscionable and discriminatory against the single traveler.

Shouldn’t the airlines have some type of companion booking code you could use when making your reservation so as not to separate passengers who have reserved seats together? This continues to happen on United, Delta and now my latest booking on American. If anyone with this problem has found a way to prevent seat switching, I would like to know, as the airlines always blame it on the computers when I ask. Can’t the computers be programmed to not do this?

Mary Schwartz

Santa Ana

EVA is a wonderful airline, and I fly its elite class frequently. I always manage to find seats I like, although they may not be the best in the house. Paying for premium economy doesn’t guarantee the best available seats.

Readers may want to check out Expert Flyer at https://www.expertflyer.com. You’ll be able to see which seats are blocked or available and also receive an alert when seats you like do open up. (Seats open up all the time because passengers may cancel trips, change flights or get upgraded.) It also has many other features such as fare buckets and award seats availability. It is a subscription site (for full service), but it’s worth it if you are a frequent traveler or perhaps a travel reporter.

Rob Lam

Orange