One way is to avoid gas stations that overcharge. It may be worth the savings to go out of your way in order to avoid stations that are located off the freeway and traditionally charge more. The post says:

In most regions, you will find the cheapest gas prices in the same areas. In major metro areas, this seems to be outlying suburbs. It is best to avoid affluent areas when looking for a cheap fill. People in these areas are less price sensitive, and the gas stations realize this fact. Not only that, the gas stations are located on more valuable land, and land taxes will be higher. They pass on these higher costs to customers. Gas stations near major freeway exists can be more expensive that stations further away. It can pay to drive a few blocks from the freeway to find a deal.

The article links to a list of 10 ways you can reduce fuel costs by tweaking the way you drive, such as keeping windows closed, properly inflating your tires and avoiding weighing down your ride with heavy, mileage-killing cargo.

Fuel and Money Saving Tips [Gas Buddy]
(Photo: blue_j)

Here are the most popular new cars:

1. 1. Toyota Corolla
2. 2. Honda Civic
3. 3. Ford Focus
4. 4. Toyota Camry
5. 5. Hyundai Elantra
6. 6. Toyota Prius
7. 7. Nissan Versa
8. 8. Ford Escape FWD
9. 9. Honda Fit
10. 10. Honda CR-V AWD

And the most popular trade-ins:

1. 1. Ford Explorer 4WD
2. 2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. 3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4. 4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
5. 5. Ford Explorer 2WD
6. 6. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
7. 7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
8. 8. Ford F-150 Pickup 4WD
9. 9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
10. 10. Ford Windstar

CR notes that 84 percent of trade-ins were trucks, and 59 percent of the new purchases were cars, and that "the most-popular new cars bought through the program all offer very good fuel economy, contributing to the significant fuel savings." According to the NHTSA data there was an average 15.8 mpg fuel economy on traded-in models and 25 mpg on the new, replacement vehicles – an overall 9.2 mpg increase.

In fuel economy and environmental terms, it seems like Cash for Clunkers was a success. The speed at which the allocated and additional money ran out demonstrate that the program was a hit with consumers, and we hope it helped the auto industry, although we can't help noticing that nine eight of the top ten cars purchased are Japanese [and Korean].

Cash for clunkers: Top 10 most popular new cars and trade ins [CRO]
(Photo: tjean314)

"10 things gas stations won't tell you" [MSN Money] (Thanks to Chester!) (Photo: °Florian)

We've already gone over the details, and warned you about how to spot a scammer trying to profit off the program. However, if you really are in the market for a new car, how can you find the best, fuel-savingest one out there? Consumer Reports has some ideas, and they've even done the math to show how much money you can save in addition to the rebate, from just buying less gas.

Car Allowance Rebate System [NHTSA]
Cash for clunkers: Recommended cars that qualify for a voucher
Cash for clunkers: The best gas guzzlers to junk
Cash for clunkers bill cuts fuel consumption–running the numbers

(Photo: Laura Northrup)

Pete Horrigan, president of the Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors Association, said recent heavy rains could be to blame, as the rain can collect on the seals of storage tanks or leak into the service station supply.

"When the ground gets saturated, it's possible that when the driver removes the cap to hook his delivery hose to underground storage tanks, it's possible that water could get into the tank."

Oceanic station owner Adrian Hughes said he's a victim, too, and is working around the clock to fix the cars.

How much water needs to leak into an underground tank before it damages cars, I wonder?

2nd Gas Station Hit With Bad Supply [WBAL]

(Photo: vc_vigilant)

Worst of all, ballooning oil/gas prices will only drag the economy down.

Businesses that expect to thrive under such conditions will have to adapt surging gas costs into all facets of their business philosophy, the Chicago Business Examiner reports:

As consumers wait and watch and continue to spend slowly, businesses should develop strategies to help consumers deal with energy challenges not only for today but tomorrow as well. If oil reaches $250 per barrel consumer behavior will change drastically. Even If oil reaches $150 per barrel consumer behavior will change drastically. Any business that develops ways for consumer's to lower energy consumption and expenses will shine. Whether developing an improved communication systems, more fuel-efficient cars, or methods to reduce travel, businesses need to think through energy pricing while developing and adapting their business plans and strategies.

Gasoline prices rising quickly is a two-sided problem, as gasoline prices rise people have less to spend on other consumer products which means businesses lose money. Businesses have less money because people are not buying their goods or services. We are undoubtedly shackled to oil and gasoline pricing and the more they increase the longer an economic recovery will take. It is critical that businesses adapt to gasoline price increases by developing corporate energy strategies that will lower costs wherever possible. Now is the time for business to lead and adapt not wait and react.

As a silver lining, expect unicycle and rickshaw stock to soar.

Gasoline price increases threaten economic recovery and businesses must adapt [Examiner]

[Energy Information Administration]

[Energy Information Administration]

[Energy Information Administration]

[Energy Information Administration]

[Energy Information Administration]

Arriving uncrumpled used to be one of the few perks for those at the front of the plane, but now the racks behind seat 4B sit unemployed. It can’t be that these hangers had much value on the secondary market, and the number of flight attendants hasn’t changed, so I can only guess that the cost reductions come from the fuel savings that come from carrying a few less ounces. (How big could these be?)

If this is true, Wolfers suggests it may backfire on US Airlines as passengers start packing their carry-ons with hangers.

One commenter had another theory about the missing hangers.

Maybe it was a typo in a cost reduction memo:

“maintain fewer hangers”

versus hangars.

Crumpled suitcoats abound.

Free the Hangers [Freakonomics]
(Photo: Flying Photog )

According to the article, Dr. Craig Bittner powered his and his girlfriends SUVs with his patients' discarded fat, and was proud of it, even running the now-defunct lipodiesel.com to increase awareness of disgusting ways to power your car. Unfortunately for Dr. Bittner, "state law forbids the use of human medical waste to power vehicles." This is an oddly prescient law.

Dr. Bittner is being sued by several former patients, who say they didn't consent to Dr. Bittner driving around on their spare tires.

(Photos: Getty)
Thanks, Sarah!

Consumer spending rose in 0.6% in November — its largest gain in 2 years.

“The declines in gasoline prices have been extremely large, larger than anything we’ve seen in the past,” said Dean Maki, chief United States economist at Barclay’s Capital. “That’s providing a lot of spending power to households.”

Gasoline prices have plunged to $1.66 a gallon from their July peak of $4.11 as Americans drove less, construction projects were halted and the global appetite for oil waned in the economic slowdown. Filling up a 15-gallon tank now costs about $25, compared with $60 this summer.

“It’s a very substantial amount of money that’s been freed up,” said Abiel Reinhart, North American economist at JPMorgan Chase. “That’s a definite positive for consumers. It’s probably the only positive at this point.”

The good news from a personal finance standpoint is that you're not just spending all the money you're saving on gas. The Commerce Department reported that the personal savings rate increased by 1% in November.

Drop in Gas Prices Offers a Bit of Relief for Consumers [NYT]
(Photo: C. Barr )

Thursday afternoon saw crude oil trading below $36 a barrel, says Bloomberg. JP Morgan chase is warning that the possibility of $25 barrels of oil in the future is "hard to dismiss."

JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank by assets, reduced its 2009 average oil price forecast to $43 a barrel from $69 as a global economic slowdown causes a contraction in demand. The prospect of oil falling to $25 is “hard to dismiss amid a serious deterioration of economic conditions and building stocks,” the bank said in a report released yesterday.

Oil Falls Below $36 as Worsening Economy Increases OPEC Doubts [Bloomberg]
(Photo: beebo wallace )

Christopher Elliott has a few ideas, here's our favorite. It's the return of the road trip!:

Here come the drivers! The Transportation Department has been complaining about a shortfall in road tax revenue. Wait until next summer, when a lot of pent-up demand to hit the road sees hundreds of thousands of vehicles unleashed on American highways.

See the USA in your Chevrolet... (before they no longer make Chevrolets...)

With oil prices spiraling toward $40 a barrel mark, what does that mean for travelers? [Tripso]
(Photo: improbcat )

To assess the fare sales, FareCompare.com on Sunday analyzed airfares for the 25 most-traveled domestic routes in the continental USA.

On more than half the routes, non-stop coach tickets were available for travel on Dec. 10 for less than $220 round trip.

Prices were higher for travel closer to Christmas but still relatively inexpensive. For travel on Dec. 24 and returning five days later, for example, non-stop tickets were available on most routes for less than $270 round trip.

"Those holiday prices would have been double eight to 12 weeks ago," Seaney says.

Ray Neidl, an industry analyst for Calyon Securities, says passenger demand is "down sharply" because of the weak economy.

Just because fares are going down, however, doesn't mean you'll be saving any money. Many fares, while cheaper than they were a few months ago, are still higher than last year — and the new airline fees appear to be here to stay.

A passenger with a $200 ticket may pay up to $80 more round trip for two checked bags — a 40% increase on what they paid a year ago, USAToday points out.

Economic woes push ticket demand down, airfares lower [USAToday]
(Photo: flyingember )

And let's not forget the exorbitant booking fee for using miles for one of our tickets. The actual FLIGHT was only $280 round trip per ticket, but with the booking fee TO USE THE MILES TO PURCHASE A TICKET, we wound up paying over $500.

When Dean tried to convert the two tickets into travel vouchers, the airline charged him another $300. And that, readers, is when the airline killed off one of their better customer relationships.

For a trip that requires two roundtrip tickets priced at $280 each, or $560 before taxes, United managed to tack on over $800 in additional fees:

Dean doesn't have a permalink to his post—it's just up on the "News" section of his front page—so we're reprinting it below for posterity:

There seems to be a trend with me lately - it seems that, without fail, if I am on the phone with United Airlines, it's going to end in me cursing them out.

First, let me point something out. I used to be a devotee to United Airlines. For years, when we had trouble flying on American or Delta or *shudder* Southwest, United was always there as our rock - flights were usually smooth, we got decent service, and life was good. We signed up for frequent flier cards, (Even got a free upgrade to First class from L.A. to Chicago once) and I got a credit card that would give me bonus miles with them. I also had sort of a soft spot for them in my heart, given that my Grandfather worked maintenance for them for most of his life in San Francisco. After his memorial, I wound up taking a bunch of his old United memorabilia home with me, and I'm always going to treasure it, no matter what.

But coincidentally, that particular flight was where the love affair started to go south. See, it was around June, and it was when they started adding on fees for the second checked bag - which we didn't know about until we got to the gate, of course. I understood, to a degree - fuel prices were at an all-time high, and the airlines had to make up for the difference somehow. But I do clearly remember mentioning to the gate agent that "Heh... you KNOW those fees aren't going to go away when fuel prices come down again." How right I was.

Now, of course, fuel has dropped to the lowest price it's been in YEARS, and have they removed the fee? HA! They went one step further... because in early October, we booked a flight home so we could spend Christmas with our families. During that phone call, I discovered that not only had they added a fee for the FIRST checked bag (WHO flies without checking at least ONE bag?!) but they had increased the pet-in-cabin price from $85 per direction (It had previously been $75 the year before) to ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS per direction. Considering we'd be taking Selphie both ways, that adds up to MORE than the price of a ticket - just for the privelege of putting a dog carrier under the seat in front of us. And let's not forget the exorbitant booking fee for using miles for one of our tickets. The actual FLIGHT was only $280 round trip per ticket, but with the booking fee TO USE THE MILES TO PURCHASE A TICKET, we wound up paying over $500. The pet-in-cabin charge would be paid at the gate, of course. And don't forget the roughly $80 extra we would have to pay just to check our bags. This was the first instance where the phone call ended in extreme profanity.

Now, of course, we're MOVING BACK to California. We no longer have need for a flight from Austin to Sacramento. So, I decided to call United and see if it would be possible to convert the tickets into travel vouchers that we could use at another time. Certainly, said the reservations agent! There's only a fee of $150 per ticket to do so.

THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS?! FOR YOU TO PRESS A FEW BUTTONS AND CHANGE SOME INFORMATION IN A COMPUTER?! Needless to say, that phone call did not end in a civil fashion. I don't care if these people aren't personally responsible for these fees. They're representatives of United, and as such, they deserve to hear what I have to say. Take your fees and shove it.

And so, here and now, I officially renounce United Airlines. Call it whatever you want. A denouncement. A boycott. I don't care - the long and the short of it is this - I will never willingly fly United again, and I would urge anyone to whom customer service is important to boycott them as well. And not just United - I pledge, here and now, to never fly on another Star Alliance airline, either - domestically, this means no flying on US Airways. (Not exactly a huge loss) And I'm going to keep this up until United elects to rescind their fees for the first and second bags, and until the silly fees like $175 for a pet-in-cabin go away. But I'm not silly enough to think that the actions of one man are enough to get something done. That's why I'm calling on you guys.

I'm sure I'm not the only one furious with United Airlines for the treatment I've recieved - I'm sure many, many others have had the same experiences. Tomorrow, I will be writing up an actual, paper letter and sending it off to United, and I encourage you to do the same. If you feel so inclined, their mailing address is as follows:

Customer Relations
WHQPW
United Airlines
PO Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666

Whether the fees go away or not is immaterial. I'm just pissed that United has $500 of my money that I'm never going to see again, and they're holding it hostage unless I pay an ADDITIONAL $300 to make use of it sometime in the next year. And so, I'm going to throw in my one profanity in this entire post - I say this so that people like my mom who don't really care for profanity can stop reading now.

Fuck you, United Airlines. You just lost a devoted customer.

Real Life Comics (Thanks to Arthur!)
(Photo: Getty Images)

Despite the lower prices, demand for gasoline continues to drop, according to MasterCard. They said that credit card swipes at gas stations were down 3.9% compared to last year. We can only imagine, with horror, what this slowdown is doing to "meat snack" sales.

Gas prices near $2.30 [CNN]
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )

From the AP:

Customers who purchased Delta tickets on or before Wednesday, and who are traveling on or after Dec. 5, will be charged $50 for a second bag, but will be permitted to check their first bag without charge based on Delta's previous policy. Customers flying in first or business class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will be able to check up to three bags, up to 70 pounds each, for free, Delta said.

Delta Air Lines adding first bag fee [IHT]
(Photo: Flying Photog )

Check this out. It's Auto-Armageddon! From BusinessWeek:

"It was like somebody turned the lights off in October," said GM sales and marketing chief Mark LaNeve. According to GM, October, after adjusting according to sales per capita, was the worst month for sales in the post-World War II era. It was worse even than sales in September and October after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against New York and Washington in 2001. "In my 27 years in the business, I've never seen a month like this," said an exasperated LaNeve.

The declines aren't limited to U.S. brands. "The carnage was completely widespread," said GM's LaNeve. Toyota (TM), despite huge ad spending and zero-percent financing, reported a sales drop of 23%. Nissan (NSANY) was off 33%. Hyundai was down 31%. Suzuki was down 44%. Luxury makes weren't spared. Mercedes-Benz (DAI) was down 26% and BMW was off 10%.

We find it just shocking that that annoying-as-hell "Saved By Zero" commercial that Toyota is mercilessly force-feeding hapless football fans isn't working. Don't you?

Auto Sales Worst Since 1983 [BusinessWeek]
Stop Playing Toyota's "Saved By Zero" Commercial [Facebook]
Toyota Won't Stop Saved By Zero Ads Despite Pleas From Thousands Of Facebookers [Jalopnik]

From Elliott.org:

The agent asked for our ticket for our son. I will not go into all of the details, but an hour later (and 35 minutes to flight departure), we were forced to pay 332 euros ($423.10) to get my son a ticket so he could return back to the states.

Words cannot describe my outrage at the time, especially the justification of the fees ($320 fuel surcharge - $160 each way??!!). How can they legally charge that much when our ten pound infant does not even have a seat?

Delta responded to this complaint with a form letter explaining that kids need a ticket — which is 10% of the regular fare. The only problem? He'd already paid that fee when he booked the tickets. The $320 was explained to him as a fuel surcharge.

Should passengers who don't even get a seat and weigh 10 lbs be charged this fee? Seems a little silly doesn't it?

Waaaa! Baby gets socked with surprise $320 fuel surcharge on Delta flight [Elliott] (Thanks, Shaula!)
(Photo: So Cal Metro )

From Consumer Reports:

Throughout the Northeast, skyrocketing fuel costs have lit a fire under the firewood business. The demand is sparking severe shortages ahead of the home-heating season, says Sarah Smith, forest-industry specialist at the University of New Hampshire cooperative extension. "If I called up 10 folks in the firewood business and asked them for a cord of dry wood, they'd all laugh," she says.

The firewood shortage started this summer, when soaring oil prices motivated more people to consider heating their homes—or supplementing their oil, natural-gas, electric, or propane heat €”with wood. "The loggers and firewood producers who were predicting and processing wood based on their usual demand couldn't accommodate all these people, many of whom hadn't burned wood in the past," says Smith.

CR has some tips for those of you who are wood shopping this fall. Most important? Make sure your chimney is in good condition, but don't get scammed by disreputable chimney liars.

Firewood and wood pellets become a hot commodity [Consumer Reports]
(Photo: saramarie )

From the NYT:

In response to the falling value of their homes and high gasoline prices, Americans have become more frugal all year. But in recent weeks, as the financial crisis reverberated from Wall Street to Washington, consumers appear to have cut back sharply. Even with the government beginning a giant bailout of the financial system, their confidence may have been too shaken for them to resume their free-spending ways any time soon.

Recent figures from companies, and interviews across the country, show that automobile sales are plummeting, airline traffic is dropping, restaurant chains are struggling to fill tables, customers are sparse in stores.

When the final tally is in, consumer spending for the quarter just ended will almost certainly shrink, the first quarterly decline in nearly two decades.

The Times says that when the government releases the numbers this month, they are expected to show that consumer spending shrank by 3%, which would be the steepest decline since 1981 and the only decline since 1990.

Consumers are apparently buying more groceries, enjoying fewer meals out, and spending less on clothes, school supplies, and air travel. Nintendo Wiis, however, are still flying off shelves.

“My view is that when consumers get concerned about their nest egg, or their country, they need entertainment,” said Bo Andersen, president and chief executive of the Entertainment Merchants Association, which represents distributors and retailers of home entertainment products.

Full of Doubts, U.S. Shoppers Cut Spending [NYT]
(Photo: robinryan )

"I've been doing this for 25 years in some form or another, and I have never seen consolidation like this going on," said Peter Welch, association president.

The National Automobile Dealers Association says that they expect 600 dealerships to close this year, and domestic dealerships are going to be the hardest hit. There are just too many dealerships and not enough market share for domestic cars:

There were just too many GM dealers chasing dwindling market share, he said. GM commanded 40 percent of the market in the 1980s, selling cars through 7,000 dealerships. But while GM's slice of the market tumbled by 40 percent or more, the number of dealers has declined by 1 or 2 percent, Mattia said.

"The dealers will have to suck it up and go away," said Mattia, who now leads Auto Engage, a consulting firm for dealers and manufacturers. "It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't have a nationwide loss of 10 percent of the dealers."

Economy forcing more car dealers to close [SFGate] (Thanks, Big Keytee!)
(Photo: amanjo )

"We lost about 1,000 gallons of gas and about $3,500," Mimi Zidan, owner of the Lucky Mart on Derby Street, said Wednesday. "But I don't feel too bad because the people looked so happy when they were buying gas. If I can do this for them, that's all right."

The attendant on duty accidentally adjusted the pumps to sell gas for 35 cents instead of $3.50, and during the two hours before they were corrected people called their friends to tell them about the mistake.

The result was that the situation at Derby and South Fifth streets was totally chaotic, with traffic backed up in all directions when Zidan returned to the store.

"I thought it was an accident," Zidan said. "For the first 10 minutes I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to say you must stop, the price is wrong."

But once the police came in and restored some order, she felt better.

Her sister, Amy Habal, who helps run the store, said it would have been nice if someone had told them about the mistake instead of calling their friends.

"But my sister is very kind, she does not think bad about people," Habal said.

Lucky customers pump 35-cent gas [Peoria J-S] (Thanks, Eyebrows McGee!)
(Photo: spinadelic )

If I had to put a date on it, I’d say things won’t be normal for two more weeks,” said Kenneth B. Medlock III, an energy expert at Rice University, in Houston.

Meanwhile, consumers are going from being "good sports" about the shortage to getting downright angry about it.

“At first I was a good sport, but this is getting ridiculous,” said Marsha Lewis, 43, an administrative assistant who lives in Dacula, Ga., and commutes to Atlanta. “I drive an hour to work every day, and looking for gasoline has become my entire life.”

The shortage was caused by combination of refinery damage and power outages in Texas, says a spokesperson from the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, but there's also plenty of blame being doled out to panicky consumers.

“You hear stories about tankers pulling into gas stations and people are already waiting — and they have half a tank,” Dr. Medlock said. “It’s akin to hoarding.”

Frustration in the South as a Gasoline Shortage Drags On [NYT]
(AP photo/Jason Bronis)

East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee both primarily receive fuel supplies through spurs of the Colonial pipeline, which carries refined gasoline from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Northeast. [Hurricane] Ike damaged and knocked out power to many of those refineries, cutting the amount of gasoline fed into the pipeline.

The shortage should be remedied by next week, the paper reports:

The state is scheduled to receive 1.42 million barrels of gasoline over the next week, roughly matching its typical demand of 1.44 million barrels, Heidt said.

"Gas prices remain higher in Middle Tennessee" [The Tennessean] (Thanks to Jessica!)
(Photo: Pat Hawks)

The attendants, who initially opposed the program, would "riot" if the airline tried to return to the old system of free nonalcoholic beverages, President Scott Kirby said Thursday at a Calyon Securities conference in New York.

"Logjams in the aisles, significant trash collection, lines at the restrooms — all those things are largely gone on US Airways because fewer people are buying and drinking sodas," he said. "We spend less money, we generate a little revenue, and those problems are largely gone."

The spokesperson for the flight attendants in question thinks Scott Kirby is full of you know what:

"Kirby's comment that we would riot is just his way of telling himself they made the right decision," said Mike Flores, president of the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA at US Airways.

"This is the very tip of the iceberg on what they're going to want us to sell," Flores said. "It's going to be everything from pillows and blankets to cellphone chargers."

Fun.

US Airways sees benefits of charging for drinks [LA Times]
(Photo: Jenna Belle )

The company has 51-percent of its 2008 fuel hedged at $111. Per-barrel prices closed at under $98 yesterday. Looking forward to 2009, the airline's fuel hedges are based on per-barrel prices of $118.

Hedging is a big roll of the dice, and no one has played it better than Southwest Airlines. It has consistently hedged more fuel than its competitors. As of this summer, Southwest has 70-percent of its 2008 fuel hedged at $51 a barrel. Compare that with American Airlines, which has 34-percent hedged hedged at $82 a barrel.

Industry analysts estimate that since 1998 Southwest has paid $3.5 billion less for fuel than its competitors. That's equal to 83-percent of its profits over the last nine years. It's a big part of the reason the airline continues reporting profits while the rest of the industry bleeds.

They're going to need to sell a lot of snack boxes to make up for that...

Airlines Hurt By Dropping Oil Prices. Huh?!! [Wired]
(Photo: FlyGuy92586 )

Without further ado...

America's Most Stressful Cities:

10. Philadelphia, PA

9. Providence, R.I.

8. Salt Lake City, Utah

7. Cleveland, Ohio

6. San Diego, Calif.

5. San Francisco, Calif.

4. Los Angeles, Calif.

3. Detroit, Mich.

2. New York, N.Y.

1. Chicago, Ill.

The magazine considered unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality as its criteria for what made one city more stressful than another.

Chicago has a 7.3% unemployment rate, the eighth most polluted air in our ranking and in city where everybody drives to get around, a gallon of gas costs a nickel under $4 dollars.

Omitted from the calculations:

America's Most Stressful Cities [Forbes]
(Photos: Meghann Marco & Meghann Marco)

Starting tomorrow, all tickets purchased for flights after Nov. 10 will be subject to the new fee. Members of the military traveling on orders, "Premier" frequent fliers, and first or business class customers will be exempt from the charge. Reuters says that United expects to increase its revenue from "merchandising efforts" (including baggage fees) by $700 million in 2009.

Meanwhile, airline stocks "mostly rose" as oil prices fell below $96 a barrel, after reaching as high as $147 over the summer, said the AP.

Airline shares rise on falling oil, upgrades [Forbes]
United Airlines doubles second-bag fee to $50 [Yahoo!] (Thanks, Liz!)
(Photo: Zonaphoto )

This closing is notable because of where it is taking place and who is pulling the plug. It is, after all, one thing for enviro-friendly people in San Francisco–another city that recently lost a key Hummer dealership–to shun the brand. It is entirely different when Sin City decides the vehicles are too excessive. Towbin said Las Vegas is a custom fit for Hummer. “It’s all about bling and it’s in the desert,” he said.

And Towbin is an uber-Hummer enthusiast. He credits a Hummer with saving his life, and he counts a Hummer as his daily driver. “I feel very aligned with the brand,” he said. “Neither General Motors nor I wanted to go this way.”

One of Nation’s Largest Hummer Stores to Shut Its Doors [WSJ]

Dear Mr. XXXXXXXXXXXXX,

Thank you for your direct, candid feedback on the test we had planned to launch in the fourth quarter for food choices on some of our flights. We heard you and have decided not to move forward with the test of offering customers buy-on-board options in United Economy on certain trans-Atlantic flights. We will continue to offer complimentary hot meals on those flights.

The response from you and many of our corporate customers, even before we launched the test, told us what we would have undoubtedly learned had we proceeded – you value our hot meal service in economy class for international flights.

In this environment, where higher costs driven by volatile fuel prices are now the norm, we must continue to tailor products and services so that we provide you with choices and competitive fares. As such, we will continue to be proactive in testing new ideas.

On October 1, we will proceed with the test of new, complimentary options for United Business customers on three-cabin aircraft used for domestic routes, which represents 16 daily flights. Customers on these flights will receive complimentary fresh sandwiches, salads, breakfast, snack boxes or snacks, depending on the length of flight and time of departure. They will also continue to enjoy complimentary beverages, including beer, wine and cocktails. We will evaluate the results and determine next steps by the end of the year.

It's also important to note that full meals will still be served on our p.s. transcontinental flights.

Thank you again for your feedback. We will continue to listen and make changes that enable us in this environment to provide you with the choices you value.

Sincerely,

Graham Atkinson
Chief Customer Officer

The $9 sandwich plan is still in effect domestically, but at least you won't be starving on a transatlantic flight. If you'd like to let Graham know what you think of this move, here's some contact information for you.

(Photo: SoCalMetro )