Even with oil prices down, it seems like airline tickets are either increasing in price or staying level. In fact in October 2014, there were four separate attempts by U.S. airlines to hike airfares with mixed success. But why? Questions: 1. To what conditions does Seany attribute the high airline ticket prices? 2. Do you… Read more »
Monthly Archives: January 2015
Pop Goes the Bubble!
According to the New York Times, the drop in oil prices are dimminishing one of the few big bright spots that banks have enjoyed since the financial crisis. The reason is that banks have been experiencing a lending boom to companies in the nation’s energy industry. Questions: 1. Which banking group has the greatest investment… Read more »
No More SkyMall?
The parent company for SkyMall filed for bankruptcy protection on January 23, 2015. SkyMall was the entertaining catalogue of everything you never thought about buying, but was in the seat pockets of every plane. As Farhi said, “the value added to this grotesque shlock was SkyMall’s enthusiastic descriptive copy. SkyMall’s writers never let on that… Read more »
Military Contracting Failures: A $1.5 Trillion Mistake
The F-35 is being produced by 1,200 suppliers. Seen as the fighter jet of the future, it has trouble flying at night, its engines have exploded during takeoff, and early models suffered structural cracks. Questions: 1. Why is the military still pursuing the production of this pink elephant? Why doesn’t technology become less costly for… Read more »
Marriott to pay $600,000 to Resolve WI-FI-Blocking Investigation
In March 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received a complaint that the Marriott convention center at the Gaylord Opryland location in Nashville, Tennessee was in violation of Section 333 of the Communications Act. After an FCC investigation substantiated unlawful use of containment features, Marriott agreed to pay $600,000. Questions: 1. What did the FCC’s… Read more »
Financial Worries Spark Divorce Settlement Appeals
In late 2014, oil tycoon Harold Hamm called a divorce settlement with his ex-wife, Sue Ann Arnall, equitable and fair, awarding her about $1 billion. Since then his holdings in oil have decreased dramatically and he argues that her award is a substantially larger proportion than he first agreed to. Questions: 1. Who is Harold… Read more »