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It's been a good year for commercial airlines.

With the economy recovering, more people are getting on planes and flying for both business and pleasure. And the cost of fuel, one of the airlines' biggest expenses, is dropping.

But as anyone traveling for the holidays can tell you, airfares remain high. And many frequent fliers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport say they wouldn't give the airlines perfect grades this year.

Tanya Lawson, an attorney on her way home to Miami, says she doesn't have too many complaints. She gives the airlines high marks for being on time, for the most part, but she's not happy with everything.

"I'd probably give them a 'B,' " Lawson says. "I think comfort has gone out the window completely. Another airline I traveled on recently, my knees were too long, and I was in pain literally for the entire flight, and I'm only 5-foot-8."

Sidney Moragne, a psychiatrist from Jackson, Tenn., says his experience flying this year was just average.

“ "I think it would be fair to say that the game here is pay to play. If you want the cheapest fare, don't look for the primo product."

- George Hamlin

"I'd give 'em a 'C'," Moragne says. "When it's bad, it's pretty bad, but a lot of times it's efficient. The planes are always pretty full now, that's one thing. You're packed in there pretty tight."

Fuel Costs Are Down; Airfares Are Not

Both Moragne and Lawson say they're tired of airlines charging for everything from extra baggage to extra legroom.

As for base fares, though, many travelers say they aren't terribly high, if you buy far enough in advance.

But Moragne has noticed that, while the price of fuel plummets, airfares are still up. "They're not coming down relatively speaking the way gas has come down," he says.

The International Air Transport Association estimates the world's airlines will rake in nearly $20 billion in profits this year, and the group expects that figure to soar to a record $25 billion next year.

With fuel making up close to half of the airlines' expenses, they are saving — but the airlines say it's not as much as you'd think. The fuel price plunge, they note, comes after near record high prices.

Business

Regulators And Airlines Fight Over Fares, Fees And Fairness

The Two-Way

House Votes To End Full-Fare Rule For Airline Tickets

John Heimlich, chief economist for the industry group Airlines for America, says the airlines are using their windfalls to pay down debt, to give investors dividends for the first time in decades and to improve the flying product.

Business

Holiday Travelers Should Expect Packed Planes, Higher Fares

"So we continue to see new aircraft coming into the system, facilities improving, a more stable, better trained workforce, in-flight tablets, proliferation of Wi-Fi, now you're seeing it more in international markets," Heimlich says.

More Classes, Fewer Cheap Seats

But at least some of those amenities won't be free to all passengers. Airlines have begun offering far fewer cheap seats, and they're separating passengers into more classes, with each increasing level in price coming with a few more perks and comforts.

"Bells and whistles are being added if you are paying premium prices," says George Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting. "I think it would be fair to say that the game here is 'pay to play.' If you want the cheapest fare, don't look for the primo product."

Looking ahead to 2015, Hamlin says travelers should continue to expect jam-packed planes and high fares, since demand for air travel continues to rise, recent mergers reduce competition and airlines have reduced excess seat capacity.

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air travel

Travel

Airlines

Forty years ago, a manufacturing job was often a ticket into the middle class. That's not the case today. Wages for manufacturing jobs are plummeting, and some states are questioning whether competing for those jobs is still worth it.

For Cynthia Hunter, a $9-per-hour manufacturing job offer meant she could stay in the workforce after taking a buyout from her management job at Exxon Mobil in 2012.

"I was scared to stay out of the marketplace," says Hunter, 58. "I mean, I have worked all these years, and I never in my life collected unemployment — ever."

Her low pay at Kace Logistics in Detroit was a shock, but at least she doesn't have children to feed and clothe, she says. "Everyone there at this plant — everyone — has like, a second job, something else that they do," Hunter says.

Here's the good news: In the U.S., 350,000 manufacturing jobs came back after the recession. Here's the bad: Many pay much less now. Real wages for auto supplier jobs have fallen 14 percent since 2003, even as the average for all jobs declined only about 1.5 percent, according to a study from the National Employment Law Center.

Catherine Ruckelshaus with the National Employment Law Project says $9 an hour is all too common for manufacturing jobs these days. "Some good jobs do remain, but too many of them resemble positions at Wal-Mart and McDonald's," she says. "The companies simply aren't feeling the pressure from anywhere to do right by their workers."

American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape

Ruckelshaus wonders why states still dangle huge incentives before manufacturers. Nissan, for example, got $1.3 billion in financial incentives from Mississippi for a new factory, according to a study from the nonprofit organization Good Jobs First — all for jobs that pay $12 an hour.

Of course, many people would say, better a low-paying job than no job at all, but some states are starting to demand a bigger bang for their buck. For instance, Michigan now puts cash on the table, but no tax breaks.

"We don't give them the money in advance, where it's all spent. We give it to them as they meet the commitments that they've made," says Mike Finney, head of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. And, Finney says, the state only chases jobs with above-average pay.

Still, there's nothing states can do about NAFTA and Mexico; Mexican auto workers earn between $2.50 and $5 an hour.

Sean McAlinden, an economist with the Center for Automotive Research, says Southern states tried to compete both with the Midwest and with Mexico. But for jobs that can still be shipped away, he says, forcing manufacturers to pay more would very likely accelerate the loss of jobs to Mexico.

"The Southerners, you could say, got the work based on cheaper wages than the old Upper Midwest," he says. "And now, if you live by the cheap wage, you die by it."

Some jobs can't be relocated, like Hunter's, inspecting and placing parts in sequence for the assembly plant next door.

Hunter got fed up with the low pay, she says, and decided to organize her plant this summer. Four weeks ago, workers at Kace signed their first union contract and got a $2-an-hour raise.

Meanwhile, there's another free trade agreement looming: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and seven other countries.

But concerns that the agreement could put more downward pressure on U.S. wages is sparking opposition to the deal, especially from members of Congress who represent states with a heavy reliance on manufacturing jobs.

Wages

factory production

manufacturing

American manufacturing

Forty years ago, a manufacturing job was often a ticket into the middle class. That's not the case today. Wages for manufacturing jobs are plummeting, and some states are questioning whether competing for those jobs is still worth it.

For Cynthia Hunter, a $9-per-hour manufacturing job offer meant she could stay in the workforce after taking a buyout from her management job at Exxon Mobil in 2012.

"I was scared to stay out of the marketplace," says Hunter, 58. "I mean, I have worked all these years, and I never in my life collected unemployment — ever."

Her low pay at Kace Logistics in Detroit was a shock, but at least she doesn't have children to feed and clothe, she says. "Everyone there at this plant — everyone — has like, a second job, something else that they do," Hunter says.

Here's the good news: In the U.S., 350,000 manufacturing jobs came back after the recession. Here's the bad: Many pay much less now. Real wages for auto supplier jobs have fallen 14 percent since 2003, even as the average for all jobs declined only about 1.5 percent, according to a study from the National Employment Law Center.

Catherine Ruckelshaus with the National Employment Law Project says $9 an hour is all too common for manufacturing jobs these days. "Some good jobs do remain, but too many of them resemble positions at Wal-Mart and McDonald's," she says. "The companies simply aren't feeling the pressure from anywhere to do right by their workers."

American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape

Ruckelshaus wonders why states still dangle huge incentives before manufacturers. Nissan, for example, got $1.3 billion in financial incentives from Mississippi for a new factory, according to a study from the nonprofit organization Good Jobs First — all for jobs that pay $12 an hour.

Of course, many people would say, better a low-paying job than no job at all, but some states are starting to demand a bigger bang for their buck. For instance, Michigan now puts cash on the table, but no tax breaks.

"We don't give them the money in advance, where it's all spent. We give it to them as they meet the commitments that they've made," says Mike Finney, head of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. And, Finney says, the state only chases jobs with above-average pay.

Still, there's nothing states can do about NAFTA and Mexico; Mexican auto workers earn between $2.50 and $5 an hour.

Sean McAlinden, an economist with the Center for Automotive Research, says Southern states tried to compete both with the Midwest and with Mexico. But for jobs that can still be shipped away, he says, forcing manufacturers to pay more would very likely accelerate the loss of jobs to Mexico.

"The Southerners, you could say, got the work based on cheaper wages than the old Upper Midwest," he says. "And now, if you live by the cheap wage, you die by it."

Some jobs can't be relocated, like Hunter's, inspecting and placing parts in sequence for the assembly plant next door.

Hunter got fed up with the low pay, she says, and decided to organize her plant this summer. Four weeks ago, workers at Kace signed their first union contract and got a $2-an-hour raise.

Meanwhile, there's another free trade agreement looming: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and seven other countries.

But concerns that the agreement could put more downward pressure on U.S. wages is sparking opposition to the deal, especially from members of Congress who represent states with a heavy reliance on manufacturing jobs.

Wages

factory production

manufacturing

American manufacturing

At least some theaters will now show The Interview on Christmas Day.

Sony Pictures had pulled the controversial comedy that centers on a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after ominous threats were made allegedly by a group that hacked the studio's emails. The nation's largest theater chains had also said they won't show the movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

But today, Tim League, who founded the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, tweeted this message:

Breaking news: Sony has authorized screenings of THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory

— Tim League (@timalamo) December 23, 2014

Variety had earlier reported that Plaza Atlanta will also screen the film.

In a statement, Michael Lynton, Sony's chairman and CEO, said: "We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day."

He said the studio will continue its efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters to show the film. Variety reported that Sony could offer the film via video on demand.

As we've previously reported, Sony's original decision was widely criticized. Author George R.R. Martin even offered to screen the film at his own theater in Santa Fe, N.M.

The FBI says North Korea was behind the hacks, but Pyongyang — while describing the hack as "righteous" — has denied any role. Some experts also doubt whether the communist country has the capability to carry out such an attack.

the interview

Sony data breach

North Korea

Sony