Island Air is increasing baggage fees by $10 beginning Tuesday for customers not in the airline’s rewards program.
Customers not enrolled in the Island Miles program will pay $25 for the first checked bag, $35 for the second, and another $35 for each additional bag. Island Miles members pay $15 for the first bag, $20 for the second and $35 for each bag thereafter. There are no fees for carry-on luggage.
Go to islandair.com/island-miles to join the free rewards program or call 800-388-1105.
Chinese spend big on Singles Day
In a bright spot for China’s cooling economy, online shoppers spent billions of dollars Friday on “Singles Day,” a quirky holiday that has grown into the world’s busiest day for e-commerce.
The country’s biggest e-commerce brand, Alibaba Group, said sales by the thousands of retailers on its platforms passed 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) after 19 hours of the event. That is four times the $3 billion research firm comScore says Americans spent in total last year on Cyber Monday, the country’s biggest online shopping day.
Rivals including JD.com, VIP.com and Suning offered deep discounts on clothing, smartphones, travel packages and other goods to attract shoppers.
Sabre Corp. computer outage interrupts airlines’ check-ins
DALLAS >> Travelers on several airlines had trouble checking in for flights and waited out delays Friday after a computer outage at a company that runs airline technology systems.
American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines confirmed that a technology glitch briefly interrupted their operations.
The airlines blamed their difficulties on a breakdown in systems operated by Sabre Corp., a Texas company that provides software and other technology services to airlines and hotels.
A Sabre spokeswoman said the systems were running again by early Friday afternoon. She said she did not know the cause of the breakdown.
Pfizer gives aid groups break on price of pneumonia drug
Drugmaker Pfizer says it is reducing what it charges humanitarian groups for its blockbuster vaccine against pneumonia, ear and blood infections.
Pfizer Inc.’s move to reduce Prevnar 13’s price to $3.10 per dose — but only for the groups’ use with refugees and in other emergency settings — follows pressure since 2009 by groups such as Doctors Without Borders.
The biggest U.S. drugmaker previously preferred tax-deductible donations, which don’t impact Prevnar’s much-higher price. Pfizer’s top-selling product, which requires three doses, brings it some $5 billion a year.
