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Showing posts with the label Life

How airlines are shaving minutes off flight times to save millions

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[ad_1] Passengers make their way through the terminal as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on Nov. 22, 2023. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters In air travel, minutes matter. A few moments could be the difference between making and missing a connection for passengers — and could avoid delays that ripple across the schedule for airlines. Saved time could even lead to big savings for carriers as they scramble to get a handle on costs. Major airlines are rolling out strategies that executives say could translate to lower costs and more efficient operations, even if the time savings on paper look negligible. Some of these tools will be put to the test during what's expected to be a busy holiday season , a year after a meltdown that stranded thousands of passengers at the end of 2022. Many of the improvements are being made behind the scenes. American Airlines last year started using new technology to assign flight

Sudan one month on: Why cease-fires are failing, and what global leaders are missing

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[ad_1] KHARTOUM, Sudan - May 6, 2023: Sudanese Army sodliers walk near armoured vehicles stationed on a street in southern Khartoum, amid ongoing fighting against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. AFP via Getty Images One month after fighting between Sudan's two military factions broke out in the capital, Khartoum, internationally-brokered peace talks in Saudi Arabia have yielded no solution. Airstrikes and artillery continued to pound the country's capital and surrounding regions in recent days, and violence has also spread to the long-embattled Darfur region in the west. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said Monday that more than 600 people had been killed and over 5,000 injured as a result of the fighting. The real toll is expected to be far higher. Almost a million people have fled their homes, both to locations within Sudan and across the border to neighboring countries . Meanwhile, those who have stayed put often have no access to essentials despite a

'Dune: Part Two' is supposed to come out this year. The strikes could change that

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[ad_1] Timothee Chalamet stars in Warner Bros.' "Dune." Warner Bros. LOS ANGELES – Warner Bros. has a sandworm-sized dilemma on its hands: Keep the fall release date for its highly anticipated "Dune: Part Two" and risk not having its star-studded cast promote it – or bump it into next year and potentially miss out on a dominant run at lucrative premium movie screens. As two Hollywood strikes rage on, movie writers and stars aren't permitted to hype their projects, due to strike rules. The longer the work stoppages keep going, the more likely it is studios will delay releases as production shutdowns choke the movie release pipeline. Already, a handful of titles – including Ethan Coen's "Drive Away Dolls," the sequel to "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and the Emma Stone-led "Poor Things" – have moved to later dates due to the labor disruption. "Dune: Part Two," a science fiction epic based on Frank Herbert's semin

Paramount stock rises after strong earnings report, adding to blockbuster day

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[ad_1] The Paramount logo is displayed at Columbia Square along Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California, on March 9, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images Paramount Global's stock moved higher in extended trading Thursday after it reported strong revenue and subscription trends in its third-quarter earnings report. The after-hours move came on top of an already-strong day for the media giant. The stock closed more than 10% higher during the regular trading session Thursday. Paramount — home to brands such as CBS, Showtime, BET, Nickelodeon and its namesake movie studio — reported a 38% increase in revenue year over year. In the third quarter, streaming service Paramount+ saw 2.7 million net additions to its 63 million total subscriber count. The company also narrowed losses in its streaming segment to $238 million from $343 million a year ago. Here's how Paramount performed in the third quarter compared to Wall Street estimates: Earnings per share: 30 cents vs. 10 cen

SAG-AFTRA says studios’ latest offer falls short of union’s AI demands

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[ad_1] NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 31: Rebecca Damon joins SAG-AFTRA members on strike during Halloween on October 31, 2023 in New York City. The strike, which began on July 14, entered its 100th day on October 21st as the actors' union and Hollywood studios and streamers failed to reach an agreement. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images) John Nacion | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images SAG-AFTRA actors aren't totally on board with Hollywood studios' latest labor agreement pitch. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said there were still "several essential items" that they couldn't agree with during their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, including artificial intelligence guidelines. Studios put forth this "last, best and final offer" over the weekend, with top executives making clear that they would not make further concessions. SAG-AFTRA spent time Sunday and

Airline cargo revenue is cratering. Here's why that's actually good news

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[ad_1] An American Airlines 777 is loaded with cargo at Philadelphia International Airport. Leslie Josephs/CNBC Airlines' cargo revenue is slumping. That's a sign of good news for travel recovery. Delta , United and American this month each reported year-over-year declines of about 40% in their second-quarter cargo revenue. For the first half of 2023, Delta's cargo business generated $381 million, down from $561 million in the first half of 2022, while American's cargo unit brought in $420 million compared with $692 million in the first six months of last year. United brought in $760 million from cargo so far this year, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Meanwhile, airlines are reporting record revenue , if not earnings , thanks to the rebound in travel demand. That means the business impact of cargo, which once helped prop up airlines' revenue during the Covid pandemic travel plunge, has faded. Cargo revenue at Unite

Disney scraps plans for new Florida campus, mass employee relocation amid DeSantis feud

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[ad_1] Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, pauses while speaking during an Economic Club of New York event in Midtown Manhattan on October 24, 2019 in New York City. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Disney has abandoned plans to open up a new employee campus in Lake Nona, Florida, amid rising tensions with the state's governor. Citing "changing business conditions" and the return of CEO Bob Iger, Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney's parks, experiences and products division, penned a memo to employees Thursday, announcing that the company will not move forward with construction of the campus and will no longer be asking more than 2,000 California-based employees to relocate to Florida. "This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one," D'Amaro told employees. Many Disney employees balked at the company's relocation plans when they were first announced in July 2021 by former CEO Bob Cha

'Mandalorian & Grogu,' 'Toy Story 5,' and another 'Tron' coming to theaters from Disney

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[ad_1] The Mandalorian and the Child (Grogu) on Disney+'s "The Mandalorian." Disney The Walt Disney Company on Friday revealed its new theatrical schedule, which will feature a film about the Mandalorian and Grogu, a fifth "Toy Story" film, and another "Tron" flick before the end of 2026. The company's theatrical business has struggled in the wake of pandemic shutdowns and dual Hollywood labor strikes, as productions stalled and moviegoers' box-office habits shifted. All the while, Disney struggled to connect with audiences, which further exacerbated revenue woes. Since returning to the helm at Disney in late 2022, CEO Bob Iger has been working to right the ship. He's admitted that the quality of its films suffered in its bid to pump out a high quantity of entertainment content. He said brands such as Marvel, in particular, needed to be more selective about which sequels get made. Iger also said he would no longer tolerate his company

Why is Universal making a live-action 'How to Train Your Dragon'? These charts may explain

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[ad_1] Still from Universal and Dreamworks' "How to Train Your Dragon 2." Universal | Dreamworks Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation are taking a page out of Disney's playbook. For the last decade, the Walt Disney Company has been transforming its classic animated features into live-action theatrical and streaming features. Earlier this week, Universal said it would be doing the same for one of its own animated franchises: How to Train Your Dragon. The live-action adaptation based on the 2010 film about the friendship between a young man and his dragon is due in theaters March 14, 2025. Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed all three films in the animated trilogy, is on tap to write and direct the live-action version. The films' story was based on the best-selling book series by Cressida Cowell. Universal's decision to translate the successful animated franchise to live action has precedent. Since 2010, Disney has released 11 theatrical live-acti

United, Alaska Air find loose hardware on some Boeing 737 Max 9s after grounding

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[ad_1] A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft lands at San Francisco International Airport in California on March 13, 2019. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images United Airlines said Monday that it has found loose bolts on door plugs of several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes during inspections spurred when a panel of that type blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight using that type of aircraft last week. Alaska Airlines later Monday said its initial inspections of the jets had turned up "loose hardware" and that, "No aircraft will be returned to service" until formal reviews are complete. "The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday grounded dozens of 737 Max 9s after the panel blew out midflight on Alaska Flight 1282. Alaska has 65 of the Max 9 planes in it

Canada wildfire smoke again slows flights to the Northeast U.S.

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[ad_1] People walk in Central Park as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023.  Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images Smoke from Canada wildfires is set to disrupt flights again Thursday after hundreds were delayed a day earlier due to decreased visibility, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA said it will "likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke." Traffic to Philadelphia International Airport was paused until 9:15 a.m., the FAA said. Hundreds of flights at LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed on Wednesday due to the heavy smoke. The FAA had briefly paused traffic altogether into LaGuardia during the day. As of about 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, there were nearly 800 flights delayed across the U.S., according to flight-tracker FlightAware . This story is developing

Disney posts mixed results for quarter plagued by streaming woes, restructuring costs

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[ad_1] Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild walk the picket line outside of Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on July 18, 2023.  Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images Disney posted mixed results for its fiscal third quarter despite ongoing streaming woes and massive restructuring costs resulting from pulling content from its platforms. Subscriber losses continued over the last three months, with the company reporting 146.1 million Disney+ subscribers during the most recent quarter, a 7.4% decline from the previous quarter and a larger loss than Wall Street expected. The majority of subscriber losses came from Disney+ Hotstar, where the company saw a 24% drop in users after it lost out on the rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches. Facing dwindling users and falling revenue in its media and entertainment distribution segment, Disney announced Wednesday it would raise the price on its ad-free streaming tier in October and that it would crack

Arctic blast to bring 'dangerously cold' temperatures to Northeast

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[ad_1] People bundle up as they shield themselves from cold winds as the area is seeing record-breaking low temperatures on February 03, 2023 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images A powerful arctic blast will bring "dangerously cold wind chill temperatures" to the Northeast through Saturday evening along with blizzard conditions through northern Maine, forecasters have warned.  "Temperatures will be 10 to 30 degrees below average over parts of the Northeast into the coastal mid-Atlantic," the National Weather Service said in a bulletin early Saturday.  Wind chill warnings and advisories are across New York State and New England, it said.  The weather service added that high winds could bring power outages and damage property over the northern Rocky Mountain front and the High Plains.  It comes after temperatures reached perilously low levels across the region Friday. At New Hampshire's Mount Washington Observatory, where a wind chill of  minu

Apps show where travelers exercise most — and least — on vacation

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[ad_1] Ever pack workout clothes for a vacation — only to unpack them, unworn, upon returning home? Perhaps the destination matters. Data from exercise apps, which track users' physical locations and search history, show travelers tend to be more active in some locations more than others. Fitness app Strava shows travelers tend to exercise when they visit smaller cities in Europe. The app, which has 100 million users in 195 countries, shows travelers are more active than locals, in: Split, Croatia Dodecanese Islands, Greece Lagos, Portugal Las Palmas, Spain Nord-Aurdal, Norway All are warm, coastal cities in southern Europe, with the exception of Nord-Aurdal, which is part of Norway's Valdres region — a major draw for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, cycling, fishing and skiing. The small municipality of some 6,400 people is about 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Lillehammer, which hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. Conversely, the company's data shows travelers ar

American Airlines pilots' union accepts sweetened labor deal

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[ad_1] American Airlines plane Silas Stein | picture alliance | Getty Images American Airlines pilots' union said Thursday that they agreed to a sweetened offer for a new labor contract, less than two weeks after a richer deal at rival United Airlines derailed voting at American. The new preliminary agreement includes pay matching with United, whose pilots are on track to get about 40% raises over four years, and at Delta Air Lines , whose aviators approved their contract in March , as well as other improvements. American CEO Robert Isom last week increased the company's offer by about $1 billion . "We appreciate the Allied Pilots Association for its collaborative work to reach an updated agreement on a four-year contract for American's pilots," American said in a statement. "It's a contract we're proud of and one our pilots deserve." American's pilots would start voting on the new deal in August. The deal is the latest in the trans

Warning labels in the U.S. seem to be everywhere. Here's why they may be pointless

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[ad_1] Warning labels are designed to inform consumers about potential risks of using a product, but they have become too prevalent to be beneficial. "Warning labels really were fairly rare until the 1960s," said W. Kip Viscusi, a distinguished professor of law, economics, and management at Vanderbilt University. "Beginning in the mid-1960's, cigarettes started to have a warning label. Since that time, other products have followed suit, trying to emulate the cigarette experience." related investing news Warning labels generally come in two forms: those that warn the consumer against buying the product, such as a cigarette box label that says, "This product can cause mouth cancer," and those that warn about the risks associated with incorrect use of a product and may say, " To prevent this furniture from tipping over, it must be permanently fixed to the wall ." One of the problems researchers have pointed out is people are desensitized t