EnCompass®
The AAA Companion

Member Feedback

Cover sparks strong feelings

Kerrick James's March/April cover photo stunningly portrays the contemptible juxtaposition of Lake Powell. I know that AAA functions within the travel and tourism industry and it is this industry that benefits from the unconscious millions who flock there annually to pollute further, while at the same time marveling at the unsightly scummy shoreline. I can't help but feel that the ancient Pueblo people would be weeping tears of the ultimate betrayal if they were alive to witness the Lake “Foul” devastation. Maybe AAA could offer alternatives to houseboating on such desecrated native lands.

—J. Benvington, Cortez

Mini Tour corrections

Please inform Deborah Frazier (“Soak away winter's chill,” March/April), that the area north of Kremmling along U.S. 40 is drained by Muddy Creek, not the Blue River.

—Bill Fetcher, Steamboat Springs

Editor's Note: Thank you (and another reader who didn't leave a name) for the correction, which was an editor error, not Deborah's. Additionally, we incorrectly described all three springs as located along U.S. 40—later in the piece, the author makes clear that Strawberry Park is not.

Pet letter draws more attention than article

I feel I need to respond to a member's comment in the March/April Feedback section. I appreciate any article that will help me with information on traveling with pets. I have two dogs and it is very difficult to find places to stay. I have been turned down for a room in pet-friendly hotels because all the pet rooms were full. I hope you continue to write articles to help those of us who enjoy traveling with our pets because it's harder to do than this member thinks.

—B. Kerry, Boulder

Some ‘pet-friendly' lodgings not only include dogs and cats but also pigs. We want clean bedspreads, clean carpets and the security of not being jumped upon by unleashed animals. We recommend that you also create a list of clean, human-friendly lodgings so that you serve all of your members.

—Steve Parmelee, email

Editor's Note: The original pet-friendly lodging article that appeared in January/February drew only a few comments, while a member's response to it in March/April drew much more reaction—mostly in favor of pet-friendly lodgings.

As the Editor's Note in our March/April Feedback pointed out, AAA Colorado hopes that lodgings NEVER use a pet-friendly room for those who want a pet-free room.

Additionally, our diamond rating system was developed to give travelers a way of finding “clean, human-friendly lodgings,” as the above letter requests. While no rating system is perfect, we believe it goes a long way toward that goal.

The great luggage debate

Editor's Note: Thanks to all those who responded to last issue's luggage debate. EnCompass received numerous calls and letters. An overwhelming 65.5% of respondents (some with very strong views) voted for checking luggage; 19% voted for carry-ons; 15.5% offered a compromise.

Check it:

Anyone who carries on bags then blocks the aisle getting on and off is an inconsiderate moron. There is no saving of time as they hold everybody else up. It's also rude to other passengers as they stuff, pound and cram this stuff into the overheads. Then there is the dolt who can't lift it that high or can't get it out. I fly several times a year and my luggage is always there within 5–10 minutes of when I get to the claim area. I'd like to see the airlines charge $10–$15 extra for carry-ons larger than a briefcase or laptop.
—Merl Sorensen, Colorado Springs

I vote to check it in. I find it very annoying for everyone to be blocking the aisle, delaying. So I vote for checking it in.
- Debbie, called in

I think luggage should be checked in. I think it's very rude and inconsiderate of the other passengers for people to come carrying on large suitcases into the airport. And if part of us can go to carousels to get our luggage, then everyone should be able to do that.
- Leona, called in

I vote for the check it. It's more convenient and it leaves less room for accidents!
- Betty Lou, called in

I vote for check in. I don't like to wait for people to put their luggage in over head compartments. I personally like to be free and not have to be responsible for my luggage thru the airport terminal. I just like to have the freedom of moving around and doing what I want to do and I don't like people holding up lines in the plane to put their luggage in the overhead. -Susan, called in

I'm voting for check the luggage. I agree with Bruce Anderson.
- Demetri, call in

I prefer mine checked because I don't want to hold up people in the aisles as they are every day. I respect the passengers time and I don't want the hassle of getting the luggage in the top bin.
- Shermita, called in

I favor checking luggage primarily because I find people who decide to take all of their luggage with them block the aisles, occupying space, keeping others from getting to it. So I very strongly urge people to check their luggage.
- Donald, called in

Check the baggage. I've checked baggage hundreds of times and I've had no problem. And the carry on space limitations are very strict these days. So given the limited amount of overhead space, the passengers who carry on large wheelies are really doing a disservice to their fellow passengers. -Jessie, called in

I most definitely think that people should check their luggage. I'm a frequent flier, I'm about to leave for a trip to Australia and I'm sick and tired of being hit in the head, poked in the shoulders and fighting for space in the overhead bin when people carry on their entire wardrobe for a long trip.
-Joan, called in

I am in favor of checking baggage. I think that people that carry it on detain boarding and detain getting off the plane. I think it's very easy for us to claim. I'm very confident that most airlines are efficient in getting us our luggage after the flight.
-Lynette, called in

I believe that any bag of any size should be checked in. I was recently injured on a Frontier flight. Frontier refused to take responsibility for what was in the overhead bin. I feel strongly it's important that people check luggage. Small carry on bags are okay, but luggage should not be.
- Tony, called in

We just returned from a long plane trip and I think people should check their bags because there really isn't room in the overhead bins for everything that people carry on.
- Wanda, called in

Thirty-year member. My vote is to check your luggage. I think it is offensive for people to use up all of the space in the bins and its dangerous the way they brush up against you, knock people around in the process. It also holds up the check in lines. Those are my main reasons.
- Carl, called in

I'm in favor of baggage being checked. Also, if the airlines continue to let people carry on all that luggage and stash it in the overhead bins, then it would be nice if the people that did not have things in the overhead bins could exist the plane first. I think that would alleviate part of the congestion and the dissatisfaction with the carry ons.
-Susan, called in

It's check it. Helps prevent the mass confusion on the airplane when there's a bunch of luggage carried on.
- Bruce, called in

Carry on:

I prefer carry-on luggage because it's easy and you have everything with you. You carry it on, you carry it off, you save a lot of time, save a lot of hassle going and waiting for your bags. It's just in and out and you don't have to pack heavy. After five kids, I've learned.

—Jan Martins, call in

I prefer the carry on luggage because it's easy to manipulate, you've got everything with you. You carry it on, you carry it off, you save a lot of time, save a lot of hassle of going and waiting for your bags. It's just in and out and you don't have to pack heavy. After five kids I've learned. So I prefer the carry on. Jan, called in

I definitely prefer carry on. It's a lot less hassle. It's so much easier, less wear and tear and you get in and out of the airport quicker.
- Brooks, called in

Regarding the Great Luggage Debate I would like to tell you my travel experiences with a carry on luggage.

I traveled on Copa Airlines from Bogota , Colombia , to Houston . I was carrying inside the plane a Dell Laptop, a delicate Dell printer and a $2,000 binocular. Since I was not allowed to take additional luggage inside the plane, I put a Canon Digital Rebel 300 Camera, worth over $1,000 dollars, in my suitcase. When the luggage went through customs in Panama , they screened it with an x-ray machine and when one of the employees saw its contents, they opened the suitcase and stole the camera. When I put a claim to Copa, their reply was that I should have carried it with me. I lost the claim, had to buy another camera, but never again will I travel with Copa Airlines.

More recently when I traveled on Continental to Houston , then to Managua , Nicaragua , on Taca Airlines I made the mistake of packing a Canon Digital A75 in my suitcase. I could have carried the small suitcase inside the plane but I thought I could leave the space for someone else's suitcase. The suitcase was mistakenly sent to Roatan , Mexico , and I received it two days before my return to Houston . In Managua if you don't carry the suitcase with you, they require that you give them the combination of your lock, so customs can open it and check its contents. But someone in customs must have stolen my Digital Canon A75 because when I received my suitcase the camera was not there. After filing a claim, I am still waiting for either a camera or the $200 it cost me. So both Copa Airlines and Taca Airlines are out of my future travels. From now on my luggage will be the carry it on.
- Benardo Sanchez V., letter

Compromise:

When traveling, I consider the length of time away from home to determine whether to carry on or check it. For short trips, I carry on; for longer trips, with larger luggage, I definitely check it.

Evelyn, my wife, was a flight attendant with AA for many years and we are comfortable travelers and people watchers. I agree that the more carried on, the more stressed passengers are.
—John Elam, Aurora

Where do YOU go for summer weekends?

In the last issue, we told you that the July/August EnCompass will offer up nine great weekend getaways in a feature article that divides our state into three sections: Mountains, Plains and Water. Each section will be written by a Colorado travel writer and contain three ideas—one popular, one lesser-known and one that's just a bit different.

Alongside our suggestions we want to report your favorite weekend getaways. Numerous members have already responded, such as Steven J. Perkins, who wrote, “18 years ago my wife and I stumbled upon an area of Colorado that changed our lives. We stopped in southern Colorado's Cuchara Valley...” Look for his complete and interesting response, along with many others, in the July/August issue.

We still have space for yours as well, so please tell us:
email editor@colorado.aaa.com, call 303-753-8800, ext. 8319, or mail to editor, EnCompass, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222.