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Posted
Mar 24 2009, 12:05 PM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Southwest Airlines heated up the airfare wars by starting summer discounts -- $49 to $99 one-way fares between many major cities -- earlier than ever this year and extending flying time through the middle of August.
Aaron Crowe reported in a WalletPop post how he scored after checking to see if other airlines would try to match Southwest’s fares. “I was looking for a July flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis last week, and was about to buy a $350 round-trip ticket but decided to wait. Saturday night the price dropped to $189 round-trip on United Airlines and I snatched it up.”
We decided to see if there are real bargains for those of us who don’t fly the major routes.
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Posted
Jul 23 2009, 03:44 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Here's the strangest proof we've seen to date that the airline industry ain't what it used to be. According to the Los Angeles Times, airline pilots and other employees are living in a collection of 100 campers and RVs in Parking Lot B of Los Angeles International Airport, less than 3,500 feet from the south runway.
It has the feel of a modern-day shantytown, replete with the sounds and smell of jets coming in for a landing at the nation's third busiest airport. Parking the motor home at a Wal-Mart sounds glamorous compared with this.
The LA Times reports:
It is a drab expanse of crumbling gray asphalt, approach lights, chain-link fencing and rows of beige and white RVs -- some battered, others grand. A splash of color comes from the red and white blooms of about a dozen rose bushes along the colony's northern edge.
But it's a steal. Rent for each space is only $60 a month.
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Posted
May 06 2008, 06:14 PM
by
Charley Blaine
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
I'm really not here to scare you, but, get ready, I AM going to scare you.
The news got lots of attention: Goldman Sachs analyst Arjun Murti predicted Tuesday that the price of crude oil could hit $150 to $200 a barrel in six to 24 months. (Here's one discussion of the report. Another is here.)
Crude oil in New York promptly jumped to as high as $122.73 a barrel in New York before closing at $121.84. And, as I write this, crude was trading slightly lower in electronic trading. But it also had the perverse effect of pushing the stock market higher. Indeed, the biggest winners in Tuesday's stock market were oil and gas production companies, natural gas companies. (But not refiners; crude oil is rising faster than refiners can push their prices up.)
So, if crude jumps to $150 or $200, how does that translate into prices at the gas pump. Here's the scary part.
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Posted
Jun 22 2009, 12:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
That $29 or $39 one-way airfare sounds great, but before you buy, hold the phone until you've added in all the airline fees. Suddenly that ticket isn't such a great deal. (And don't buy it over the phone. That too will cost you extra.)
Airline fees are here to stay, no matter how confusing or annoying they are, USA Today reports. The story also says:
Sorting out the airlines' fees can be a time-consuming task. It took a week for a USA Today reporter -- who, unlike most consumers, was assisted by airline public relations staff -- to compile 28 different types of fees charged by 14 major airlines.
Holy buckets. Once you look at what reporter Gary Stoller compiled, you'll appreciate why it was a huge undertaking. Gary deserves our gratitude. (Of course, these fees are subject to change.)
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Posted
Oct 29 2008, 02:10 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Say goodbye to another airline, now that the Justice Department has approved Delta's $2.6 billion purchase of Northwest Airlines. And that's not a bad thing, given the miserable state of the airline industry these days.
The merger will produce the world's largest airline, which will continue to be called Delta. Northwest shareholders will get 1.25 Delta shares for each share they own in the all-stock deal.
Even though the companies have been meticulously planning the marriage, it'll still take up to three years to integrate them. There will be a bit of culture clash at first, particularly since Delta is mostly non-union (except for its pilots) and Northwest is unionized.
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Posted
Jul 10 2008, 03:57 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Note to future self: If we're traveling on US Airways after Nov. 1, take a book. That's when the downsizing airline will stop showing movies on domestic flights. The decision to end in-flight films shouldn't be a surprise. The video systems weigh 500 pounds, a lot of extra weight -- particularly when they aren't paying their freight. Fewer and fewer people have been willing to shell out $5 for the headsets.
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Posted
Feb 27 2009, 02:58 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Has this ever happened to you? You're boarding one of those small commuter planes that doesn't have a bathroom, and you're extremely nervous about your bladder. (We once sat next to an elderly lady in distress who was in tears by the time the plane landed.)
This comes to mind because the head of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget cheap airline, told the BBC that it may begin charging for in-flight use of toilets. Michael O'Leary, what are you thinking? Surely you jest.
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Posted
Jun 23 2009, 09:50 AM
by
James Dlugosch
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
A funny thing happened on the way to Boeing's dominance of the aircraft-manufacturing industry…
Its new jet won't fly.
Tuesday, the airline maker announced that the maiden voyage of its 787 Dreamliner would be pushed back due to concerns about stress on its wings.
That doesn't sound good. Boeing (BA) needs more time to reinforce the wings to address the concern. Perhaps they are being overly cautious, but would you want to fly on this oft-delayed aircraft?
More critically for Boeing shareholders, would you want to buy one?
Seriously, at this late date, one would think that the designers and builders would have all factors accounted for. But Boeing's strategy with this plane of contracting out parts to suppliers and shipping them to Everett, Wash., for assembly seems to have created a planeload of problems.
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Posted
Mar 11 2008, 08:53 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Several companies in the airline and auto sectors could face bankruptcy this year with American Airlines and Ford at the head of the list
American Airlines dropped 10% yesterday to hit $10.20. The shares have not been at that level since 2004. American lost money three of the last five years. It had a small net profit in 2007 of just over $500 million on $22.9 billion in revenue. The margin is razor thin.
In 2007, American also had interest expense of over $900 million. Long-term debt is about $9.4 billion.
In an industry which is as well-known for its bankruptcies as it is for its bad food, 2008 is shaping up as a truly awful year. Fuel prices are rocketing as oil passes above $107 a barrel. The recession is likely to put a drag on passengers, both business and pleasure. The $500 million that American made last year could turn to a loss of several billion in the blink of an eye.
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Posted
Jan 04 2008, 09:28 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Some of you who read last week's "Always budget for a carousel ride" wrote to tell me to go ahead and splurge on a cheesesteak during a trip to visit family. I grew up near Philadelphia, home of that deliciously cheesy, greasy, oniony sandwich that's impossible to duplicate elsewhere.
Turns out that the one store in my hometown offers a daily special: a 9-inch cheesesteak, small bag of chips and a can of soda for $4.59.
At that price, how could I resist? And a 9-inch cheesesteak consumed at 2 p.m. eliminated the need for supper.
This wasn't my only frugal hack, though.
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