Remember the 55 mph speed limit? Remember… ignoring it? Wired’s Autopia blog is wondering if we should consider bringing it back. Back in 1974 Congress passed the National Maximum Speed Law, and threatened to cut funding to any state that didn’t comply with the new 55 mph maximum speed limit. Theoretically, forcing everyone to drive slower increases fuel economy, and the oil embargo had people stressed. But did the lower speed limit work? Did we save gas?
fuel
What To Expect From Airlines Now That Oil Is $130 A Barrel
By 5.21.08
Scott McCartney, who writes the Wall Street Journal’s “Middle Seat” column, has some thoughts about what consumers can expect from airlines, now that oil has hit $130 a barrel. He says that “he change in oil prices from a year ago to today translates into $24.6 billion in added fuel costs for passengers and cargo airlines on an annualized basis,” which is more than the airline industry has ever earned– its best year saw $5.3 billion in earnings.
Fuel Prices Force Southern Skyways To Abandon Flights
By 5.20.08
Brian writes in to let us know that Southern Skyways has fallen partially victim to soaring fuel costs:
Guy In Wisconsin Is Refusing To Buy Any More Damn Gasoline… For A Month
By 5.16.08
Brian LaFave of Sheboygan, WI has had enough of high gas prices, so he’s parking his truck and biking to work… for a month. Brian used to put 300 miles a week on his trusty pickup truck, but no longer. He’s biking to work, not accepting free rides unless his friends are already in his neighborhood, and taking the money he saves and donating it to charity.
6 Gas Saving Myths… Debunked
By 5.15.08
CNNMoney has compiled a list of gas saving myths and asked Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com to debunk them. Here’s the list:
Discover Card And The Tale Of The $502.55 Tank Of Gas
By 5.14.08
If a gas pump ever accidentally charges you $502.55 for 17 gallons of gas, you’d expect to be able to quickly and easily challenge that charge with your credit card. Unfortunately for James Maddux of Collinsville, OK, it wasn’t that simple.
Help! My Gas Pump Doesn't Even Go To $4.00!
By 5.13.08
It sucks to be a “Mom & Pop” gas station owner these days. Gas station owning isn’t as profitable as you might think (the oil company gets most of the money) and now it seems that thousands of older pumps just don’t have the ability to charge more than $3.99 per gallon — and also can’t charge more than $99 for the total sale, preventing truck and SUV owners from filling their tanks up all the way.
By 5.9.08
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Oil has hit a new high of $126 a barrel. If you listen quietly you can hear the sound of Delta and United softly weeping. [AP]
By 5.9.08
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MSNMoney wonders, can American families get by with just one car? [MSNMoney]
American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Raise Fuel Surcharge $20
By 5.8.08
Grab your wallets, American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have decided to raise “fuel surcharges” by $20 (round trip) reports the Associated Press. These charges now total $139 round trip on some flights.
Chrysler: Want $2.99 Gas For 3 Years? Guaranteed?
By 5.7.08
Chrysler is betting that you’re worried about volatile gas prices. So worried, in fact, that you’ll leap at the opportunity to “lock in” a price of less than $2.99 a gallon for 3 years by buying a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep.
American Airlines Is Losing $3.3 Million A Day
By 4.30.08
Every day, American Airlines gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror, thinks about the $3.3 million dollars it lost yesterday, brushes its teeth and gets ready to lose another $3.3 million. Fortune says the hemorrhaging began in January, and while red ink is no stranger to the airline industry, they’re running out of things to cut.
Faulty Check Valve Sometimes Cheats You, Sometimes Gas Stations
By 4.28.08
Meet the faulty check valve, a little gremlin that lives inside the gas pump. It could be pilfering your pennies. Or it could be pilfering the gas station’s. It really doesn’t care. According to an AP article, a faulty check valve inside a gas pump is difficult to diagnose and often goes ignored. The pricing errors it produces could either be in favor of the gas station or the consumer. How does this work?
By 4.23.08
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Delta: Hey where did our $6.4 billion go? [AP]
JetBlue To Charge $20 For Second Checked Bag
By 4.22.08
JetBlue announced its first quarter results today and while things aren’t as bleak as they are over at United Airlines, the discount carrier said that it was struggling under the weight of its fuel bill and was going to modify its baggage check policy in order to remain competitive with other airlines.
United Airlines Raises Ticket Change Fee To $150
By 4.21.08
United Airlines announced today that they are raising their ticket change fee to $150—up from $100, “in an effort to combat high fuel costs.”
By 4.21.08
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Oil is now $117 a barrel, a record high. [ABC News]
