QUOTE OF THE DAY “Slightly higher rates are unlikely to be enough to derail the housing-market recovery as improvement in labor markets and other economic fundamentals keeps the recovery on track.” Gennadiy Goldberg, TD Securities U.S. strategist Article, 1D
Glitch gives Delta fliers low, low fares
NEW YORK- Some lucky fliers capitalized on a computer glitch Thursday and scored some really cheap flights on Delta Air Lines.
From about 9-11 a.m., certain Delta fares on the airline’s own website and other airfare booking sites were showing up incorrectly, offering some savvy bargain hunters incredible deals. A round trip flight between Cincinnati and Minneapolis for February was being sold for just $25.05 and a round trip between Cincinnati and Salt Lake City for $48.41. The correct price for both of those fares is more than $400.
Delta’s website was having lingering problems from the increased traffic Thursday afternoon.
“It looks like Delta’s programmers had a little too much eggnog [Wednesday],” joked George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchDog.com, which promotes airfare sales.
It’s likely that the airline tried to tweak its fares with a $10 or $20 system-wide change, and a junior programmer made a mistake or two, he said.
Other airlines have faced the same issue. In September, United Airlines experienced an error in filing fares to its computer system. Many customers got tickets for $5 or $10, paying only the cost of the 9/11 security fee.
New Department of Transportation regulations, aimed at truth in advertising, require airlines to honor any mistake fares offered.
McDonald’s taking down advice site
McDonald’s is shutting down a website intended to provide employees with work and life guidance after it generated negative publicity for the company.
Media and labor groups, such as the “Low Pay is Not Okay” campaign that helped organize strikes by fast-food workers, have criticized the McResource program for creating unrealistic budgets and offering advice that was out of touch with its workers’ pay. Last week, CNBC reported that the website, which is run by an outside company, discouraged eating fast food as part of its tips for healthy living.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s said Thursday that irrelevant or outdated information and content taken out of context from the website generated “unwarranted scrutiny and inappropriate commentary.” - The Associated Press
Airline walkout cancels flights in Paris
PARIS - Lufthansa airline workers angry over staffing shortages walked off the job at the main Paris airport Thursday, prompting flight cancellations and creating new headaches for Christmas travelers.
The walkout stranded hundreds of passengers and got the attention of company managers, who went to the airport and persuaded staff members to return to their posts later in the day, according to UNSA union representative Frank Bonot.
The surprise protest came amid tensions over a restructuring plan that foresees job cuts for Lufthansa in France.
An official with the Paris airport authority said all Lufthansa airport staff members at Charles de Gaulle Airport called in sick Thursday morning, leaving no one to register passengers for 22 Lufthansa flights in and out of Paris.
The airport pulled in extra personnel to direct passengers. The airport had suffered heavy delays Tuesday because of fierce winds.
Lufthansa said in a statement that only two flights were officially canceled and that travel was resuming in the afternoon.
Bonot said unions may stage a formal strike next week if they can’t get a meeting with management about the layoff plan in the coming days.
- The Associated Press
Empire State Building investors sue
NEW YORK -A lawsuit filed this week claims thousands of stakeholders in the Empire State Building lost more than $400 million combined when the managing owners rebuffed potential buyers in order to sell public shares in the skyscraper.
The suit was filed in New York City. It seeks class action status for the owners of about 2,800 shares in the building. The shares were sold privately in 1961.
Operating owners Peter Malkin and his son Anthony spearheaded a public offering plan that combined the skyscraper with 11 other office buildings.
The suit says the Malkins spurned more lucrative private offers for the Empire State Building alone because the public offering was more profitable for them - but not for the other stakeholders.
Their Empire State Realty Trust says the claims are “wholly without merit.” - The Associated Press
Developers taking casino idea to panel
GULFPORT, Miss. - The Mississippi Gaming Commission is to meet Monday at City Hall in Gulfport to decide whether developers can build a casino at the Gulfport harbor.
Rotate Black is the group proposing a $112 million casino resort on private property next to Jones Park. The Sun Herald reported that the project stalled earlier this year as the company sought to raise money.
Developers have until New Year’s Eve to prove that they have funding and to get Gaming Commission approval to proceed. Otherwise, regulations will change Jan.
1, and backers will have to add more features before they can build.
The Gaming Commission adopted new regulations early this year that call for more extensive and expensive resorts. The new regulations set numbers and requirements for the quality of hotel rooms and require other amenities that will attract more visitors to the casinos.
Developers who already have site approval were given until Dec. 31 to submit design and financial plans under the previous regulations. The new amenities are meant to entice people from outside the state to travel to Mississippi’s casinos, officials have said, expanding the number of gamblers.
Rotate Black’s approved plans for the $112 million resort call for a 205-room luxury hotel operated by Hemingway Hotel and Resorts and based on the life of author Ernest Hemingway, a 35,000-square-foot casino, a 4,000-square foot swimming pool with cabanas and a swim-up bar, plus three restaurants and decks overlooking the water.
- The Associated Press
Business, Pages 24 on 12/27/2013