January, 2020

• 25 January

  Netflix is starting to feel the heat

  

  Disney+ and other new streaming-TV apps are starting to nip at Netflix Inc.’s heels. While that means Netflix will have an even tougher time enticing new users, its streaming imitators aren’t giving subscribers reason enough to cancel the tried-and-true service. For the first time ever, Netflix has serious competition, and fourth-quarter results offered a first glimpse at what that might ...

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• 25 January

  Airbnb’s $30 billion listing must do more for cities

  

  Which would you prefer: cheaper rent or a cheaper holiday rental? I’d wager heavily that most people would answer “rent.” It’s a bigger slice of personal spending. Short-term accommodation accounted for just 1% of US household budgets in 2016, compared to the 16% spent on housing, according to analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, ...

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• 25 January

  Mercedes mulls more hybrids at AMG unit

  

  Mercedes-Benz is considering adding more plug-in hybrids to its AMG performance-car lineup, as the world’s top-selling luxury carmaker seeks to balance consumer demand for roaring combustion power with government pressure to meet stricter emission rules. Fleet customers of Daimler AG’s main brand have responded well to a growing list of hybrid models for sale, ranging from compacts to full-size vehicles, ...

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• 25 January

  Bird’s UK chief departs after e-scooters remain banned

  

  Bloomberg E-scooter startup Bird Rides Inc has lost its UK and Ireland boss, Richard Corbett, who left the company after two years at the helm. Since launching in London in 2018, the venture capital-backed startup has struggled to deploy its scooter-rental business as a result of tight regulation, which Corbett says was made impossible to overcome while lawmakers focussed on ...

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• 25 January

  Cut back on email if you want to fight global warming

  

  Bloomberg Everyone has seen the warning. At the bottom of the email, it says: “Please consider the environment before printing.” But for those who care about global warming, you might want to consider not writing so many emails in the first place. More and more, people rely on their electronic mailboxes as a life organiser. Old emails, photos, and files ...

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• 25 January

  Singapore Air mulls adding more Boeing jets in India

  

  Bloomberg Singapore Airlines Ltd is preparing to add planes in India to take on rivals in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. Vistara, Singapore Air’s Indian joint venture, is considering ordering more 787 Dreamliner jets — whose sticker prices start at about $250 million each — from Boeing Co to add flights to destinations as far away as the ...

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• 25 January

  Boeing-Embraer deal faces delay over probe

  

  Bloomberg European Union merger watchdogs said they stopped the clock on their review of Boeing Co’s tie-up with Brazilian rival Embraer SA for a second time as they demanded yet more details from the jet makers. The move is a re-run of a similar request late last year for data about the deal, which the European Commission has warned could ...

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• 25 January

  Bailout delay leaves S African Airways on brink of collapse

  

  Bloomberg South African Airways (SAA) said “time is of the essence” for the government to provide a pledged cash injection if the loss-making national carrier is to continue flying. The National Treasury agreed last month to give the airline 2 billion rand ($140 million) as part of the terms of its bankruptcy protection, but has yet to follow through. SAA ...

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• 25 January

  Lufthansa weighs listing of stake in jet-maintenance unit

  

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa is considering the sale of stock in its jet-aircraft maintenance business to fund the unit’s expansion and help boost the airline group’s market value, according to people familiar with the matter. A partial spinoff of the Technik division to Lufthansa shareholders is also being considered, though an initial public offering of a stake is the more likely ...

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• 25 January

  American Air targets higher growth in 2020

  Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc forecast a big increase in capacity this year and said costs will rise, risking pressure to fares and a squeeze on profit. The amount of available flights and seats will rise as much as 5%, American said, following a 1.1% gain last year. Growth will focus on hubs such as Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

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