Transportation
Shop the friendly skies? The airlines are hoping you'll buy while in the sky
Madhusmita Bora
Nov 20th 2009 at 5:30PM
Filed under: Transportation
Along with sandwiches and soda, you may one day be able to buy tickets to Lion King and Animal Kingdom while cruising 35,000 feet above ground. A New York Times story reported that the airline industry is tinkering with the idea of expanding retail offerings to boost revenue. Leading the brigade is American Airlines, which sells Heathrow Express train tickets on its flights to London and allows passengers in-flight Internet access and a chance at splurging on products from the SkyMall -- the glossy brochure that sells everything from cabin bags to fancy pens and perfumes.
Many airlines around the world already sell a limited collection of products on board from SkyMall. The only glitch has been in the technology that would allow a purchase in real time. In the past, passengers had to wait until they reached their destination to place an order, but Canadian company GuestLogix solved that problem by coming up with a technology that allows on air sales with the help of a credit card reader and sales software.
Personally, I do like having that option of buying an extreme last minute gift for a forgotten relative while en route to that big family gathering in India. Apart from saving face, it also would help me kill some time on that 15-hour flight. But, would passengers who like catching up on precious sleep cringe at the option? Trying to fall asleep with flight attendants sashaying the aisles carrying products and swiping credit cards definitely won't be easy.
Travel is still smoking hot (at the fire sales, that is)
Jason Cochran
Nov 16th 2009 at 12:30PM
Filed under: Bargains, Extracurriculars, Technology, Transportation, Travel, Economizer
Travel may be down in this economy, but there's one area where business is booming: discount booking sites. With travel providers desperate to unload unused rooms and tickets, it seems like the only sectors of the travel industry that are exploding are the ones previously seen as a last resort by the industry.Priceline.com reported that bookings through its site, which offers steep discounts on hotel rooms and other travel products, are at their best levels in nine years. Hotwire.com, which is owned by Expedia, reports a similar boost in revenue. The Hotwire Group's sales over 12 months have exceeded $250 million for the first time, and reps told WalletPop that compared to last year, hotel bookings in the biggest markets (meaning the most popular travelers' cities) are up between 20% and 30%.
Steer clear of auto warranty deals: Missouri AG sues 6
Mitch Lipka
Nov 13th 2009 at 3:30PM
Filed under: Transportation, Fraud, Consumer Ally
Extended warranties of all sorts have always been a dicey proposition, but when it comes to extended auto warranties many don't even appear to be warranties at all.Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster took aim at the industry this week by suing six companies that market the so-called warranties and warning the public that what is being pitched isn't what you end up with. He said the industry is "rife with fraud."
Koster said what consumers are actually buying into are limited "service contracts" or "automotive additives" deals rather than a traditional warranty. That was done to avoid consumer protections otherwise afforded by law, he said in a news release.
The contracts are filled with catches. Among them:
- A 30 to 90 day (or 1,000 miles) timeframe when you can't make a claim.
- Promotion of a 7-year, 100,000 miles warranty extension that doesn't note coverage is limited to the declining value of the car. (In other words, Koster said, "The coverage may soon be less than the price paid by the consumer for the contact).
- Sending an additive to be put into your car immediately to activate coverage without noting that its use negates the ability to cancel.
Google gives away free WiFi at airports for the holidays
Josh Smith
Nov 11th 2009 at 8:00AM
Filed under: Technology, Transportation, Travel
Google wants you to stay connected while you are doing your holiday traveling this year, so it has teamed up with Boingo Wireless to provide travelers with free WiFi at 47 airports across the U.S. until January 15. In addition to offering free WiFi access in the airports, Google is also working with GoGo, an in-flight WiFi provider, to provide free Internet access on Virgin America flights for the holidays.Drive like a millionaire ... in a 1993 Ford Taurus
Zac Bissonnette
Nov 9th 2009 at 7:00AM
Filed under: Transportation, Wealth, Economizer
The Onion, a leading satire website, has been one of the funniest websites in the world for a long time, but every once in awhile, there's a bit of serious financial wisdom in its content.In the video below, a "Ford vice president" Daniel Grossman announces Ford's "new vision for the future of automobiles in America -- the car for the modern age, the 1993 Ford Taurus." All you need is $650 in cash.
The video's funny, but here's the truth: If your goal is to be rich, you'll have a lot more in common with a rich person by driving a 1993 Ford Taurus than you will by leasing or financing any other car.
Really bad parking job is really good PR for Hyundai
Julie Tilsner
Nov 5th 2009 at 10:00AM
Filed under: Transportation, Relationships
The security camera at Extreme Fitness in Thornhill, a town near Toronto in Ontario, Canada caught a driver in its parking lot gunning when she should have been braking and rolling over on top of Jamison's parked car and one next to it. Somebody posted the video onto YouTube, where it's been viewed more than a million times by modern-day rubber neckers. As you can see from the video below, the driver smashes Jamison's car, pauses, then drives away.
Imagine Jamison's reaction at returning to the parking lot after his workout to find his car, newly paid off, in a newly squashed condition.
But execs at Hyundai Canada saw the video too, and took the news with considerably more excitement than Jamison presumably did.
It sent representatives out to present Jamison with the keys to a new Hyundai Elantra Touring to replace his totaled 2004 Hyandai Elantra. And then it posted its own video on YouTube. It's got only 97,000 views recorded so far, but the comments left are overwhelmingly positive.
Really, you can't buy this kind of PR. And Hyundai knows it.
The 60-something female driver of the BMW SUV was caught when she returned to the fitness club's parking lot and was recognized by an employee, whose car was also involved. She is being charged with leaving the scene of an accident. It awaits to be seen whether this employee will get a new car out of the deal.
Junked: 'Cash for Clunkers' not as successful as Feds hoped
Gina Roberts-Grey
Nov 5th 2009 at 6:00AM
Filed under: Shopping, Transportation
Even though last summer's Cash for Clunkers program was rated a success by some, a new report obtained by the Associated Press says the economy might not have fared as well as hoped under "Clunkers."
Wednesday, the AP dug up Federal numbers that showed many of the trades didn't increase fuel efficiency all that much. Many of those trading in gas-guzzlers opted for similar (but brand new) petroleum chuggers that got only a few more miles to the gallon than the clunker.
The Federal data showed the Clunker most often traded in was the Ford 150 pick-up truck. But more than 8,000 of those sent to the scrap pile were replaced with a brand new pick-up truck, netting the consumer the incentive of $3,500 to $4,500 to up their fuel efficiency by no more than three miles at best.
Why you can afford to cruise on the mighty Oasis of the Seas
Jason Cochran
Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:45PM
Filed under: Bargains, Extracurriculars, Transportation, Travel
Royal Caribbean's newest behemoth, the Oasis of the Seas, doesn't arrive in our waters for another couple of weeks, but pictures of the awesome cruise ship are already appearing in the news. How could they not? She's the largest cruise ship on the planet, towering 20 stories over the waves and cutting a 1,180-foot-long profile against the horizon. On board, there's space for 6,300 paying guests, 2,000 crew members, a 1,300-seat theater (larger than some on Broadway), some duplex cabins, an ice rink, an indoor/outdoor park, and a cocktail bar that travels from deck to deck via an elevator system.
WalletPop will be on board for her maiden voyage out of Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 20, and our own Jason Cochran will bring you video proof of this astonishing new feat of engineering.
'La-Z-Boy' in DUI again driving bids on eBay
Madhusmita Bora
Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:00PM
Filed under: Transportation
The motorized chair involved in a DUI crash that grabbed international headlines is again parked on eBay for bids. According to news reports the chair drove up bids to nearly $40,000 before the makers of La-Z-Boy pulled the brakes on the final hours of auction objecting to the chair being called a La-Z-Boy when technically it 's just a recliner.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the disappointment. Now that we know it's not a La-Z-Boy how much are you willing to cough up for a chair you can drive around?
By Tuesday afternoon, the chair attracted 37 bids raising the bar to $4,719. There's still two more days to go, and I am sure the police department in Proctor, Minn., is hoping for miracles the second time around. By law, the proceeds would benefit the cops,state and the prosecuting attorney, who made owner Dennis LeRoy Anderson a celebrity of sorts.
Anderson is not getting any share from the eBay loot, but his family was able to get him $710 by auctioning a photo of his on on his now famous chariot. I am sure it won't compensate for his hurt pride, or his lost toy, but hey it should help him pay some of his legal fees.
A piece of advice to the future winner/owner of this infamous chair. You may want to keep practicing your driving skills within your property limits. Even if you do get tempted to show it off to neighbors by zooming through the streets, remember to do it sober. Otherwise, like Anderson, you will forever be labeled as the drunk La-Z-Boy, err, motorized recliner driver.
Tire prices set to tip the scales
Gina Roberts-Grey
Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:45PM
Filed under: Bargains, Transportation, Economizer
If you're kicking around buying new tires, you'd better make up your mind quickly. That's because if you wait too long -- until January -- it can wind up costing you quite a bit extra.
A new 35% tariff on Chinese-made car and light truck tires being imposed by the Obama administration is forcing wholesalers to raise prices on tires sold to retailers, who are sure to pass that "extra" onto consumers. How much extra?
Some say even the most affordable tire will cost about $50 more. Brand name ones are expected to jump as much as $80 per tire.
AutoTrader expert's tips on getting the most money for your car online
Josh Smith
Nov 2nd 2009 at 12:00PM
Filed under: Technology, Transportation, Economizer
Selling your car, rather than trading it in to the dealer, is a great way to get more money to put towards your new set of wheels. Long ago, when I was but the owner of a learner's permit, if you wanted to sell your car you focused on newspaper classifieds and high-traffic front lawns, but as car shoppers' comfort level with the Internet increased, so did the popularity of listing cars online. But, many people who have had great success selling their own car on-lawn haven't been able to sell as well on-line. If that's you, read on for these tips from AutoTrader Spokesperson Mark Scott for selling your car online.
Since you can't force locals to drive past your house, there are three things to focus on when preparing your car for sale online:
- How you describe the car in the ad.
- What you need to include -- and exclude -- from the pictures of your car.
- Research the prices of similar cars.
The real cost of Cash for Clunkers
Gina Roberts-Grey
Nov 1st 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: Bargains, Transportation
Whether you cashed in on last summer's Cash for Clunkers program or not, you paid for a new car.
According to research from Edmunds.com, taxpayers paid an average $24,000 per clunker in buying a new car. And they did so on sales Edmunds.com says would have occurred even if the $3 billion clunker program never existed.
The program, which gave buyers up to $4,500 in incentives to trade in their gas guzzlers for less thirsty vehicles, was supposed to spur sales and boost the economy.
Disney Cruise Lines - inside cabins dismal no more
Jason Cochran
Oct 30th 2009 at 2:00PM
Filed under: Bargains, Kids and Money, Technology, Transportation, Travel, Economizer
In the next generation of Disney Cruise Line ships, the windowless inside cabin may be the ones kids beg their parents to book. In a boon to budget travelers, the cheapest, least desirable cruise stateroom category will be getting a major sexing up in January of 2011, when the Disney Dream, now under construction, is christened.All inside cabins on the new Dream will be equipped with an oh-so-Disney innovation: the "virtual porthole." Above the bed, a round TV window will be embedded in the wall, made to look like an old-fashioned ship's porthole. Through it, the tenants in the modern equivalent of steerage will be able to watch live, streaming high-def images of the ocean outside, just as the guests in more expensive cabins see it for real.
Chrysler to announce Fiatification plans: say arrivederci to some brands
Tom Barlow
Oct 28th 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: Transportation
In an announcement that should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the woes of Detroit's Big Three, Chrysler Group LLC is dumping product lines while making room on its showroom floors for products from Fiat. There was no reason that Fiat SpA would have partnered up with the dinosaur if not to gain a foothold in the American market. According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the auto maker will announce in early November plans to begin building upscale Alfa Romeos, a Fiat-owned brand, in North America to distribute through the Chrysler network by 2012. The MiTo compact is scheduled to be the first off the assembly line.
On the import slate for 2011 is the 500, a minicar in the class of the VW Beetle and BMW Mini, built by Fiat in Poland.
Why are car dealers so special?
Gina Roberts-Grey
Oct 26th 2009 at 5:00PM
Filed under: Technology, Transportation
It's no secret insurance companies and banks have the ears of politicians. But who knew car dealers, and their lobbyists, were so powerful?
On Oct/ 22, the House Financial Services Committee approved an amendment (the vote was 47 to 21) to keep automobile dealers under federal and state laws governing vehicle financing. The vote also granted dealers exemption from a new government consumer protection agency heavily lobbied for by the White House.
Rep. John Campbell R-California, sponsored the amendment to the Consumers Financial Protection Agency Act that will hold dealers harmless from scrutiny of the proposed CFPA .
