RyanAir will add two more 737s to its fleet. The Boeing Co. announced Thursday that the Irish low-fare carrier had ordered the 737-800s jets in 2003. Terms were not disclosed. The planes have a list price of $57.5 million to $64.5 million, but it’s likely the airline got a discount. RyanAir already operates 69 737s, and it has 111 more on order.
Starbucks has finally arrived in the country that likes to think it invented the cafe. Almost six years after it began establishing itself in Europe – starting with Britain, Switzerland and Austria – Starbucks Corp. inaugurated its first Paris store Thursday, with Spanish partner Grupo VIPS.
Inflation was firmly under control as the new year began. Consumer prices rose by just 1.9 percent in 2003, while the underlying rate of inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, registered its smallest increase in 43 years. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and other economists have said inflation is not a threat to the economy. The Puget Sound area index rose just 0.5 percent in 2003.
The Boeing Co. plans to extend its in-flight Internet broadband service, Connexion by Boeing, to the maritime industry, allowing crew and travelers to handle bulky e-mails, hold video-conferencing or even engage in distance online learning, a company statement said.
The deficit for the government’s pension insurance program ballooned to a record $11.2 billion last year, more than triple the previous year’s total, and officials are warning that taxpayers could be called on for a bailout. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.’s financial woes are driven by an increasing number of bankrupt pension plans, from such companies as Bethlehem Steel and US Airways, and record-low interest rates, officials said.
Sun Microsystems Inc. posted a smaller-than-expected loss in its fiscal second quarter as the computer and software maker realized benefits from controlling costs as well as some improvement in high-tech spending by businesses. For the three months ended Dec. 28, Sun said Thursday it lost $125 million, or 4 cents per share, on sales of $2.88 billion. The company lost $2.3 billion, or 72 cents per share, on sales of $2.91 billion in the same period last year. Analysts were expecting a loss of 5 cents per share on sales of $2.7 billion.
From Herald staff
and news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
