Things To Do In SW Florida

Regional carrier Silver Airways, which has been operating all year under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has acquired more cash and additional time to hammer out a reorganization plan and potentially find a buyer who can take over a company that has served Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean for more than a decade..

The Fort Lauderdale-based airline, whose Florida route network has diminished to five cities, filed its bankruptcy petition last Dec. 30 along with its subsidiary Seaborne Virgin Islands. Upon filing, Silver management penned an open letter to customers, saying “we anticipate completing this process by the first quarter of 2025.”

But the first quarter has come and gone, with no acquisition deals on the horizon. And absent an interested buyer, the airline has come under pressure from creditors who want to be paid for services rendered during the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The case is assigned to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Peter Russin in Fort Lauderdale.

Since the filing, Silver’s fleet has been cut in half and its staff has declined from a little more than 600 people to 448, according to court records. And the U.S. Trustee’s Office, whose mission it is to protect creditor rights, has asked the judge to dismiss the case on the grounds that there are few signs that a reorganization can succeed. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Big Tech stocks carried Wall Street Friday to the close of a winning, roller-coaster week, one that saw markets swing from fear to relief and back to caution because of President Donald Trump’s trade war.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7% to add some more to a big three-day rally, and it’s back within 10.1% of its record set earlier this year. Spurts for Nvidia and other influential tech stocks sent the Nasdaq composite up a market-leading 1.3%.

But they masked a mixed day of trading on Wall Street, where more stocks fell within the S&P 500 than rose, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added only a modest 20 points, or 0.1%.

Alphabet climbed 1.7% in its first trading after Google’s parent company reported late Thursday that its profit soared 50% in the beginning of 2025 from a year earlier, more than analysts expected.

Alphabet is one of the biggest companies on Wall Street in terms of size, and that gives its stock’s movements extra influence on the S&P 500 and other indexes. Another market heavyweight, Nvidia, was also a major force pushing the S&P 500 index upward after the chip company rose 4.3%. read more

SeaWorld Orlando has pushed back the debut of its Arctic-based flying theater ride by about a week. Expedition Odyssey will make its public debut on May 9, instead of May 1 as originally announced.

Previews for annual passholders, originally set to begin this Saturday have been rescheduled to dates beginning May 1, according to email sent from the theme park to its passholders.

The new big-screen attraction, which is taking over the former Wild Arctic simulator space, will have an attached animal exhibit that will open to the general public on May 1, according to the email to passholders.

Expedition Odyssey will virtually transport visitors through glaciers, over the tundra and into the depths of the Arctic Ocean. The footage, which will be seen on on a curved screen 50 feet in diameter, includes looks at orcas, beluga whales, polar bears, seals and walruses. The scenes were filmed in three separate two-week excursions.  The new attraction will have a 39-inch height requirement for passengers. read more

Retail investors interested in the turbulent world of airline stocks will soon have a familiar name to trade again as Spirit Airlines will be listed on the NYSE American exchange starting April 29, the company announced Thursday.

“Listing our common stock on the NYSE American is an important next step in Spirit’s continued transformation as we remain focused on returning to profitability and positioning our airline for long-term success,” said Chief Executive Officer Dave Davis in a statement. The veteran industry executive recently joined the carrier from Sun Country Airlines.

Spirit’s shares will appear under the symbol FLYY. Prior to the company’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last November, it traded under the symbol SAVE while on the New York Stock Exchange, and then SAVEQ after being demoted to trading over-the-counter.

NYSE American is designed for growing companies, according to the New York Stock Exchange website, “and offers investors greater choice in how they trade.” The listing can raise the stock’s visibility and attract more investors. read more