Records fall as traffic goes up, up at DIA
Denver International Airport had its busiest October ever this year. More than 3.5 million passengers used DIA in October, up 2.1 percent over the same month last year. For the first 10 months of the year, traffic is up 2.5 percent compared with the same period of 2004, meaning the airport is on track to reach a record number of passengers this year. Cargo handling dropped by 0.8 percent for the year to date.
Hooters Air will end service from Illinois
Hooters Air announced Thursday it is reducing service and ending its flights from Rockford, Ill., effective Jan. 5, including flights to Denver. According to Hooters Air, the move is caused by increased costs and a recent announcement that the Rockford Airport Authority will provide $2.5 million in incentives and revenue guarantees for flights operated by a competitor between Rockford and Denver. United Airlines starts flying the route in March.
Flu preparedness hardly contagious
Only 26 percent of large U.S. corporations have begun to implement a pandemic preparedness plan for avian flu and just 1 percent have completed a plan, according to a survey of 200 Fortune 500 companies and other large organizations conducted by travel and medical assistance provider International SOS.
Seventy-two percent of the organizations said they are “investigating options” for implementing a pandemic preparedness plan. Two percent said they “do not believe pandemic will be an issue,” according to the survey.
Casual Corner Annex becomes Lane Bryant
Bensalem, Pa.-based Charming Shoppes Inc. has agreed to pay $2.8 million to take over the leases of 75 Casual Corner Annex stores and convert them to Lane Bryant outlet stores. Casual Corner owner Retail Brand Alliance is shuttering its stores early next year.
Charming will take over the 75 Casual Corner Annex stores in April. Retail Brand Alliance operated Casual Corner Annex stores at FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, The Outlets at Loveland, Colorado Mills in Lakewood and The Shops at Briargate in Colorado Springs.
Angioplasty devices undergoing a recall
Boston Scientific Corp. said Thursday it is recalling 40,000 devices used to treat blocked coronary arteries, saying it has received eight complaints that the end of the device became detached as it was removed from the patient, requiring more surgery in three cases.
The recall affects all Flextome cutting angioplasty balloon devices that the Food and Drug Administration approved in September.
Reserve speculation sends gold prices up
Gold prices in New York rose for a sixth straight session, extending a rally to a 24-year high, amid speculation that central banks may be buying the precious metal to bolster reserve assets. Russia’s central bank said on Nov. 15 it may double its gold reserves. Gold closed at $522.70
Delta pilots union asked to OK a strike
The executive committee of the pilots union at Delta Air Lines Inc. voted unanimously Thursday to ask rank-and-file members to authorize a strike.
The decision came after a day- long closed-door meeting in New York, said Lee Moak, chairman of the executive committee.
The vote comes as the nation’s third-largest airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection in New York on Sept. 14, has asked the court to reject the pilots’ contract so it can impose $325 million in concessions on its 6,000 pilots, which would include a 19 percent pay cut.
Chevron vows to hike capital spending 35%
Chevron Corp. said Thursday that it will increase its capital spending by 35 percent next year, with most of the $14.8 billion budget earmarked for projects aimed at boosting the future supply of oil and gas – an effort that could help reverse recent trends that have driven up energy prices dramatically.
The company made the 2006 spending commitment as it and other major oil companies try to fend off a political backlash against the industry’s booming profits.
Wal-Mart using ads to woo small papers
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. placed full-page advertisements in 336 Midwestern newspapers after publishers nationally complained they are ignored by the world’s largest retailer.
The move comes at a time when the company is trying to address accusations that it treats workers poorly and drives local, home-grown shops out of businesses.
The ads, which ran in smaller papers in Missouri and Oklahoma between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6, were a test for a possible change in newspaper advertising policy at Wal-Mart, which publishers say has ignored their dailies and weeklies for years.
Doughnut duel on tap for Dunkin’ eateries
Carlyle Group, manager of the largest U.S. buyout fund, and JPMorgan Partners LLC planned to make competing offers by Thursday’s deadline for Pernod Ricard SA’s Dunkin’ Brands restaurants, said people with direct knowledge of the sale who declined to be identified.
Dunkin’ Brands includes Dunkin’ Donuts stores; Baskin- Robbins, the world’s largest ice-cream franchise; and Togo’s sandwich shops.
