Value-seekers drove 2024’s retail trends and dead ends
By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writers
Value was in vogue in 2024.
FPL proposes 4-year plan to raise base electric rates starting in 2026
TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to issues such as growth and a need to continue expanding its system, Florida Power & Light on Monday said it will propose a four-year plan to raise base electric rates.
FPL will seek increases of about $1.55 billion that would take effect in 2026 and $930 million that would take effect in 2027, according to a letter filed with the Florida Public Service Commission. It also will seek additional money in 2028 and 2029 to pay for solar-energy and battery projects, though the filing did not detail specific amounts.
In the letter, FPL said, for example, that it has “experienced significant growth in our customer base” during the past four years and expects such growth to continue.
“While this growth will ultimately have a positive impact by spreading existing fixed costs over a larger customer base, it also means that FPL must invest significant capital to meet the needs of these additional customers by building transmission and distribution infrastructure, including poles, wires, transformers, substations and other components,” the letter, addressed to Public Service Commission Chairman Mike La Rosa, said. “The costs of meeting these obligations have substantially increased due to the impact of inflation.”
Disney Dining Plan included in some hotel deals for 2025
Walt Disney World will again offer hotel deals that include two Disney Dining Plan options on select dates in 2025.
The offer will be available from Jan. 2-Feb. 10. It will be valid for “most arrivals” between May 27 and June 26 and then again from July 7-Aug. 6.
Visitors can get free dining plans with the purchase of a nondiscounted three-night, three-day (or longer) Walt Disney Travel Co. package that includes a room at select Disney resort hotels and a ticket with the park hopper option.
Options include a plan with two quick-service meals per day or a plan with one quick-service meal plus one table-service meal per day. The plans work at more than 200 locations on property, including at theme parks and in hotels, Disney says. The plans also include mugs that can be refilled with drinks at Disney World.
Pricing varies with dates and accommodations. For more details, go to DisneyWorld.com/dineoffer on Jan. 2.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
Travel Troubleshooter: Error message occurs when using Chase points for travel
DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I recently tried to use my Chase points to book an airline ticket on Aeromexico. After seeing and confirming the availability of an award flight on its partner airline, Virgin Atlantic, I made two transfers of 37,000 Chase points to Virgin Atlantic to book the flight. When I went to click “purchase,” I received an error message and could not complete the booking.
I called Virgin, which said that Aeromexico had not released the flight to them, and there was no button they could push to book the flight, despite it being advertised in multiple locations, including their website.
I tried to get the points refunded, but Chase now says it can’t return the points to my account. Can you help me?
— Carlye Siegel, Chicago
ANSWER: Chase is right — and wrong. Yes, the points only go one way, but there are times when rules like this shouldn’t apply.
For the uninitiated, here’s how these transfers work: You earn points by making purchases on your credit card. Then you transfer those points to the airline loyalty program. And as I’ve already mentioned a few times, once you push the button on those transfers, there’s no going back.
South Korea to inspect Boeing aircraft as it struggles to find cause of plane crash that killed 179
By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials said Monday they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines, as they struggle to determine what caused a plane crash that killed 179 people a day earlier.
Sunday’s crash, the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades, triggered an outpouring of national sympathy. Many people worry how effectively the South Korean government will handle the disaster as it grapples with a leadership vacuum following the recent successive impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s top two officials, amid political tumult caused by Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law earlier this month.
New acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday presided over a task force meeting on the crash and instructed authorities to conduct an emergency review of the country’s aircraft operation systems.
“The essence of a responsible response would be renovating the aviation safety systems on the whole to prevent recurrences of similar incidents and building a safer Republic of South Korea,” said Choi, who is also deputy prime minister and finance minister.