American Airlines is testing new tech to catch early flight boarders
By Dewayne Bevil, The Dallas Morning News (TNS)
American Airlines is looking to revamp its boarding process with some new technology that will flag people who board with the wrong group.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is in an early phase of testing at Albuquerque International Sunport and Tucson International Airport. Soon, the airline said, it will expand to other locations including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. According to The Washington Post, the system will give an “audible signal” when a passenger boards with the wrong group and alert the gate agent.
“The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team,” said Andrea Koos, spokeswoman for American.
The airline has been “pleased with the test results so far.”
What the latest bad news for the Apple Card means for customers
By Sara Rathner, NerdWallet
A nearly $90 million ruling this week against Apple and Goldman Sachs — who together brought the Apple Card to market in 2019 — is the latest chapter in a dramatic breakup reportedly brewing between the two companies.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered the tech giant and the bank to pay more than $89 million combined in penalties after it determined that customer service issues surrounding their co-branded credit card led to consumer harm.
The Apple Card was a big bet for both Apple and Goldman Sachs, neither of which had a significant imprint in the consumer credit card market. The relationship between the two companies has been tumultuous at times, and indeed some of the CFPB’s findings seem indicative of that tumult and lack of experience.
In 2023, Apple reportedly proposed exiting their contract in the next 12 to 15 months, and while the company hasn’t yet found a new issuer to take Goldman Sachs’ place, it has reportedly met with potential replacements.
Spirit Airlines plans to cut jobs and sell some planes amid looming financial struggles
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
NEW YORK (AP) — Spirit Airlines is cutting jobs and selling off some jets worth millions of dollars as the budget carrier aims to cut costs amid looming financial struggles and an uncertain future.
In a Thursday regulatory filing, Spirit said it has identified about $80 million of cost-cutting measures set to begin early next year. Those cuts will be driven primarily by a “reduction in workforce,” the airline noted.
South Florida-based Spirit is the second-busiest carrier at Orlando International Airport.
Spirit did not specify a number for the layoffs or what positions would be impacted. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment further when reached by The Associated Press Friday.
The budget airline also disclosed that it’s agreed to sell 23 airplanes to GA Telesis, an aviation services company, for about $519 million. The Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo models, which were manufactured between 2014 and 2019, are expected to be delivered starting this month and through February.
Allies hope a Trump win changes the system for mortgages. Some warn it will make them pricier
By R.J. RICO
If Donald Trump wins the presidential election, Republicans hope he will fulfill a longstanding GOP goal of privatizing the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have been under government control since the Great Recession.
But Democrats and some economists warn that, especially in this time of high mortgage rates, doing so will make buying a home even more expensive.
Republicans contend the Federal Housing Finance Agency has been overseeing the two firms far too long, stymying competition in the housing finance market while putting taxpayers at risk should another bailout be necessary, like in 2008. President Donald Trump sought to free the two companies from government control when he was in office, but Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 prevented that from happening.
Democrats fear ending the conservatorship would cause mortgage prices to jump since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would need to raise fees to make up for the increased risks they would face without government support. The two firms guarantee roughly half of the $12 trillion U.S. home loan market and are a bedrock of the U.S. economy.
Holiday poinsettias could be harder to find, cost more thanks to Hurricane Milton
TALLAHASSEE— Greenhouse and nursery-grown plants, particularly holiday poinsettias, might be in short supply and cost more because of damage in Hurricane Milton.
Florida’s nursery industry hopes to be included in potential federal disaster aid that is expected to address damage to ranches, citrus groves and row crops in a series of recent disasters.
Tal Coley, CEO of the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, said Thursday the nursery industry hopes Congress will address agricultural assistance after the Nov. 5 election and include the industry in any supplemental funding or block grants.
“In the past, our industry, they’ve kind of been left at the chopping block and haven’t been able to access some of those funds,” Coley said. “My hope is that everyone will be able to access any type of relief that does come.”
Coley met Thursday with Robert Bonnie, who works closely with the federal Farm Service Agency as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s undersecretary for natural resources and environment.