2014 news

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

This year's best airline is ...

Airline passengers are more satisfied with their flying experience this year, according to a new survey.

Travelers are really more satisfied with their airlines

Rising prices and checked bag fees bother them less

One airline topped the satisfaction and airline rewards survey

Travelers still like the hotel and rental car industries more than airlines

(CNN) -- So, why are you complaining about your airline? It turns out that other customers aren't -- at least, not as much.

Despite rising airline ticket prices and fees for everything from checked bags to changed flights, airline passengers are increasingly satisfied with their flights. Really!

Satisfaction with North American airlines rose for a second straight year, according to J.D Power and Associates' 2014 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday. Satisfaction measured at a record high 712 points on a scale of 1,000. That's a 17-point increase from 2013.

2012: Scoring a good airline seat

2012: Best time to buy airline tickets

The airline satisfaction study measures passenger satisfaction with North American airlines based on seven criteria in order of importance: costs and fees; in-flight services; boarding, deplaning and baggage; flight crew, aircraft; check-in; and reservations.

What's the world's busiest airport?

Passengers don't even mind the costs and fees as much anymore: Satisfaction with costs and fees rose from 618 last year to 642 this year.

Alaska Airlines continued to rank first among North American legacy carriers, increasing its customers' satisfaction by 20 points to 737 points, followed by Delta Air Lines in second place (693 points) and American Airlines in third place (684 points).

The average rating for the legacy carriers was 683 points out of a possible 1,000. Air Canada came in fourth with 683 points, followed by United Airlines (658 points) and US Airways (656 points).

"Alaska Airlines has been a pretty perennial winner in the traditional carrier category," says Rick Garlick, J.D. Power's global travel and hospitality practice lead. "It's never easy to get to the top, and it's tough to stay there."

Garlick notes Alaska's efforts to provide customers with a "very positive" in-flight experience, including improvements in seat comfort, entertainment and in some cases, allowing passengers to exit the aircraft from two places. "They strive to get better, and it creates overall an halo effect about how people feel about the airline."

50 states, 50 spots for 2014

Customers much prefer the low-cost carriers over the legacy carriers, awarding them an average of 763 points out of a possible 1,000 points.

JetBlue Airways dominated the low-cost category, ranking first for the 10th consecutive year, with 789 points out of a possible 1,000 points. Southwest Airlines came in second place (778 points), followed by WestJet in third place (734 points).

Alaska Airlines also ranked first in J.D. Power's first-ever Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report, with its Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan earning 757 points on a 1,000-point scale.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program came in second place, earning 731 points. JetBlue Airline TrueBlue program came in third with 707 points. United's program came in fourth with 691 points, followed by Delta (686 points), American (685 points) and US Airways (642 points).

The loyalty/rewards survey measures customer satisfaction based on six factors, listed in order of importance: easing of redeeming points or miles; reward program terms; account maintenance or management; ease of earning points or miles; variety of benefits available; and customer service.

World's best airports for 2014

As for its Alaska Airlines' rewards program win, Garlick credits its partner airline network and the ease with which customers can qualify for elite status.

It's not clear what Delta's plan to count dollars-spent as part of its reward program will do for customer satisfaction -- or its fifth-place ranking. And there's no place to go but up for American and U.S. Airways, whose merger will eventually combine their bottom-ranked rewards programs.

Are people really happy with their airlines?

Compared with 2013, airline ticket prices rose 5% in the first four months of 2014. The total was $32.4 billion in 2014, compared to $30.9 billion during the first four months of 2013, according to Airlines Reporting Corporation data of tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies, released Tuesday.

Despite these improvements in customer satisfaction, airlines don't do so well when compared with other industries.

Comparing airlines' average 712-point satisfaction, hotels (777 points), rental cars (775 points) and even mortgage lenders (771 points) do better in customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power surveys on the same 1,000 scale.

"You may not think your airline experience is fabulous, but this is the best it's been in quite a while," says Garlick.

Fruity fix: Rio's great juice bars

How many fruits in a Brazilian basket can you name? Can you spot fruta do conde, which is rich in antioxidants? They're the artichoke-like green fruits.

The orange fruit with the curled handles are caju, or cashew apples. The handle is actually the cashew nut.

The daily sucos is a sacred ritual in Rio, a tonic to beat the heat, get a boost of natural sucrose, antioxidants or vitamins and sample a dizzying array of blends.

Podrigo Vigigal Peixoto, whose family runs Polis Sucos (not pictured), says his father opened Rio's first sucos (juice bar) in 1958. Now there's a juice bar on almost any street in the city's Zona Sul.

"It's very hot in Rio, so people want something healthy that can quench their thirst," says Peixoto.

Sucos often serve cheap eats as well as juice, making them great places to save money and eat well.

Sucos -- or juice bars -- thrive in Rio de Janeiro and beyond in Brazil

Rodrigo Vidigal Peixoto, whose family runs Polis Sucos, says his father started Rio's juice bar craze in 1958

International travelers may be unfamiliar with many of Brazil's exotic and delicious fruits

Graviola is a pear-sized green fruit covered in prickly knobs that's said to aid digestion

(CNN) -- For the first-timer, a Rio sucos, or juice bar, is a little overwhelming.

Piles of exotic fruits, many of which you've possibly never heard of, line glass cases, or are stacked reverently in displays that seem more like a shrine to a Balinese god than a commercial enterprise.

"When the gringos arrive here, they go crazy when they see all the fruits displayed in the store," says Rodrigo Vidigal Peixoto, whose family runs Polis Sucos in Ipanema and several other locations in Rio.

According to Peixoto, his father opened Rio's first juice bar in 1958.

"When they see the fruit they can smell and touch, it's incredible for them."

The artichoke-looking thing is a fruta do conde, or sugar apple -- it's a delicious pear-like fruit rich in antioxidants that makes one of Polis Sucos' most popular drinks.

The little red fruits are acerola, which have one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin C on the planet.

The orange bell pepper-like things with the curled handle on top are caju, the cashew apple, which comes from northeast Brazil and makes for a smooth, sweet blend.

The handle is the cashew nut.

The yellow mango-type fruits are caja, packed with vitamins A, B and C, iron and calcium.

MORE: 10 things to know before visiting Brazil

Bet you never heard of this fruit

The daily sucos is a sacred ritual in Rio, a tonic to beat the heat, get a boost of natural sucrose, antioxidants or vitamins and sample a dizzying array of blends, courtesy of the exotic fruit capital of the world.

The website Toda Brazil lists 146 fruits grown in Brazil.

The count runs to 14 before you're even out of the A's: abacate (avocado), abacaxi (pineapple), abiu, abricó, açaí, acerola, akee, ameixa, amêndoa, amora, anonáceas, araçá, atemoya, avelã.

You can find sucos bars on just about any street in the city's Zona Sul.

You can order juice with sugar or without ("sem acucar") or "natural," fresh-squeezed, instead of with ready-made pulp.

Many sucos also offer cheap eats, which make them a great place to save money but eat well in a city where dining can be expensive.

You can get everything from omelets to meat, beans and rice combos, to an assortment of salgados, the meat and cheese pastries Brazilians love.

There are natural energy drinks, from guarana berries or cupuacu, an Amazon fruit whose juice is a cross between pear and banana.

Calming beverages are made from the popular maracuja (passionfruit).

Another favorite sucos is made with graviola, a pear-sized green fruit covered in prickly knobs that's said to aid digestion.

It has a hint of pina colada but it's lighter and, of course, fresher.

MORE: Insider Guide: Best of Rio de Janeiro

How to shop for fruit

Fresh-squeezed juice is the currency of the Rio sucos bar.

$It\'s heaven especially on a hot summer day in Rio.$

It's heaven especially on a hot summer day in Rio.

"The freshness of the fruit is the secret to the best sucos," says Peixoto.

He's a stickler for using only fruit that's at peak ripeness.

As a buyer for Polis, he goes to the Ceasa, the giant fruit and vegetable wholesale market in the north of Rio, and picks only fruit that's just right for juicing.

He looks first for fruit that's visually pleasing, with a healthy color.

Then he feels the product to see if it's firm.

It can't be soft, or it's past its time.

"The people in other stores buy inferior fruits, less quality," says Peixoto. "They use sugar to pretend the fruit is mature and sweet, but it's not. My juices all are (made) without sugar."

Some fruit is too fragile for shipping and handling, so pulp is used.

Polis Sucos uses pulp only for graviola, cupuacu and acai, fruits from the northeast and the Amazon.

The deep purple acai is one of the most popular items at any sucos.

The market for this "superfood" loaded with antioxidants is also booming outside Brazil.

It's served as a smoothie, blended with banana or honey or mixed with granola and served in a bowl.

Of course, there are plenty of fruits most foreigners have heard of as well, from pineapple to mango, papaya, bananas and oranges -- and all seem to grow tastier under Brazilian skies.

The favorite Brazilian banana, known as the silver banana, is typically firmer and sweeter than the kind Americans know from Central America or Ecuador.

They make for particularly delicious sucos blends.

READ: Samba central: Moving to the rhythms of Rio's Lapa district

Historic decision

Rio's juice bar tradition began when Peixoto's father, Eduardo Fernades Peixoto, was working as a restaurant and bar manager.

He didn't really like his job, so he was ready to take a risk when the owner suggested one day that the two of them open up a juice store in Ipanema, with Eduardo as a partner.

Eduardo eventually became the sole owner of Polis Suco, then passed it down to Rodgrigo's brother Carlos.

Today, the family operates four stores, including two in Barra da Tijuca and one inside the headquarters of Globo TV, at Projac da Globo.

"We pioneered the concept, then other people opened many other stores," says Peixoto. "People began to want a more natural, healthy life.

"It's also very hot here, so people wanted something healthy that could quench their thirst."

He recommends travelers try his mango and maracuja combo.

"The sweet fruit with the sour fruit is a wonderful combination. It's very good."

At a price of 7 reais ($3 for 300 ml) and 10 reais ($4.50 for 500 ml), it's a tasty deal, and one that could get to be a habit during your stay in Rio.

Polis Sucos, Rua Maria Quiteria 70, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro ; +55 21 2247 2518

MORE: Best day trips from Rio

Inside the Solange-Jay Z family feud

Jay Z and Beyonce appeared at a game after elevator fight video surfaced

Beyonce posted a prayer on her Instagram account

Crisis management says celebs in public are fair game

(CNN) -- Despite the many questions surrounding a reported altercation between Solange Knowles and her brother-in-law Jay Z, you wouldn't know it based on how the rapper and his wife Beyonce are acting.

A recent surveillance video which appears to show the singer, fashionista and younger sister of Beyonce attacking the "Magna Carta Holy Grail" rapper has not only sparked an avalanche of memes, but also much speculation as to what led to the alleged incident, initially reported by TMZ, in the first place.

So far none of the trio are speaking about it directly. Monday night, Beyonce and Jay Z appeared together courtside -- as they often do -- at a Nets game. The rapper formerly had a minority ownership stake in the team.

Following the alleged incident, Beyonce posted a prayer on her official Instagram account.

Fists fly in Solange fight against Jay Z

"Help me to choose my friends wisely so I won't be led astray," it says. "Give me discernment and strength to separate myself from anyone who is not a good influence."

Jay Z and his sister-in-law Solange Knowles, right, reportedly had an altercation at a Met Gala after-party at New York's Standard Hotel on May 5. Security camera footage that appeared on TMZ doesn't tell the whole story, but there are plenty of pictures of the rapper, his wife, Beyonce, and her sister leaving the party. Here's what photographers captured after the alleged tussle:

Jay Z touches his face as he leaves the Standard Hotel with his wife, Beyonce. Earlier surveillance footage from a hotel elevator showed what appeared to be Jay Z's sister-in-law first lunging at him, then swinging and kicking him, while a woman resembling Beyonce stood quietly to the side.

Beyonce placidly faces photographers upon leaving the party as her husband follows. In the video footage, it appeared that the man resembling Jay Z refrained from engaging in the fight.

According to reports, Jay Z and Beyonce, who married in 2008, walked out together but then departed in separate cars. An onlooker told People magazine that Jay Z approached the vehicle waiting for his wife and sister-in-law but then hesitated and "walked down the block and got in a car."

The onlooker also told People magazine that Solange didn't look disheveled but did appear "mad as hell." Beyonce seemed collected, smiling for the crowd outside the hotel.

Beyonce departed the party with her sister following the alleged altercation. It isn't clear what prompted the outburst.

Jay Z, Beyonce and Solange: The aftermath

Photos: Jay Z, Beyonce and Solange: Aftermath

For her part, Solange Knowles has reportedly deleted a picture of her sister from the night of the Met Gala from her Instagram account.

And you thought your family had issues.

As crisis communications expert Howard Bragman told CNN, "Jay Z and Beyonce have all the money and power in the world, and they couldn't keep it under wraps apparently. So that tells you."

Not that it's easy for such public figures, he added.

"How do you keep it under wraps? You go in your private limo with a chauffeur that's signed a nondisclosure agreement, you go to a private home behind gates, you never go out in public," Bragman said. "Once you step out of that cocoon, you're fair game, and there are paparazzi and media that have a price on your head like a hunted animal."

The younger Knowles, 27, grew up in the spotlight also, though it was a bit dimmer than the one on her famous sister. As a young teen, Solange Knowles danced backup for her sister's former group Destiny's Child, and at the age of 16 released her debut album, "Solo Star." Knowles told Harper's Bazaar in a recent interview that despite her now-divorced parents' being a driving force in Beyonce's career, they were more cautious when it came to her.

"My parents constantly tried to talk me out of being an artist," Solange said. "They had gone through the whole journey with my sister and just wanted me to have a normal teenage life."

That didn't quite pan out, as the aspiring artist got pregnant at the age of 17 and soon married her son's father.

They divorced a few years later. Knowles has been quoted as saying her family was instrumental in helping her survive the rigors of being a young single mother and that she and Beyonce have an especially tight bond.

"It definitely was tough, having your sister have a built-in BFF (Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland, who lived with the Knowles family when she was younger) and me being five years younger," Solange told the London Evening Standard. "But my sister was very protective of me, and we were very sweet with each other. I'm sure if we were closer in age we wouldn't have gotten along so great. But we've been super-close ever since I was about 13."

So close that Knowles has written hit songs for her sister, including "Upgrade U." But despite the pair's shared love of music and fashion, Beyonce told the New York Times in 2012 that there was one area her younger sister refused to bend on.

"My sister will not record with me," the elder Knowles said. "She's her own woman."

So much so that Buzzfeed has rounded up some of Solange Knowles' most outspoken moments, including the time she snapped at a TV interviewer, "I have to say, that was not a very professional introduction before. Please don't tie me into family and my brother-in-law's establishment."

According to Us Weekly, such behavior as what allegedly happened inside The Standard Hotel elevator is nothing new for Beyonce and Jay Z. The magazine quotes an anonymous source as saying, "Solange has flipped her lid like that before."

People magazine quoted an unnamed source as saying Solange was "provoked" prior to the alleged incident.

CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report.

Obama is no superhero

President Barack Obama and emcee Conan O'Brien shake hands at the end of the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, April 27.

Conan O'Brien, and his hair, catch a glimpse of something during the proceedings.

Actor Kevin Spacey laughs during the event.

Time magazine's Michael Scherer, left, Conan O'Brien and Michelle Obama raise their glasses with others for a toast.

Conan O'Brien bangs a small gavel on the podium during his performance.

Michelle Obama dabs her eyes while laughing during the dinner

Conan O'Brien performs after the president's speech.

Fox News Vice President Michael Clemente shakes Obama's hand as Fox News correspondent Ed Henry watches.

Obama gestures during his speech.

Obama smiles while during his speech.

Obama laughs at the comments made during the dinner.

Frst lady Michelle Obama and Michael Clemente of FOX listen as comedian Conan O'Brien and President Barack Obama joke with each other during the night's festivities.

President Barack Obama laughs.

Conan O'Brien looks into the audience during the event.

Barabara Streisand and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg chat during the dinner.

Singer Jon Bon Jovi and Arianna Huffington arrive on the red carpet.

Comedian Conan O'Brien smiles as the president and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the dinner.

Actress Ali Wentworth, from "Cougar Town," strikes a distinctive pose on the red carpet.

Comedian Conan O'Brien and first lady Michelle Obama joke around.

President Obama smiles during the dinner.

Actor Kevin Spacey mingles with other guests during the event.

Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes and Bob Schieffer arrive on the red carpet.

Tracy Morgan, known for his role on "30 Rock," and fiance Megan Wollover pose on the red carpet.

Entertainer John Legend arrives.

Actress Actress Beth Behrs, from the telvision series "2 Broke Girls," arrives on the red carpet.

Edior-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine Joanna Coles and actress Natalie Dormer arrive for the dinner.

Actor Giancarlo Esposito, from "Revolution" and "Breaking Bad," pauses for a photograph on the red carpet.

Television personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, of Fox News' "The Five," arrives.

South Korean singer Psy, known for his song "Gangnam Style," waves from the red carpet.

Tracy Pollan and husband Michael J. Fox pause on the red carpet for a photograph.

Sofia Vergara, from "Modern Family," poses on the red carpet.

Korie and Willie Robertson, from "Duck Dynasty," arrive on the red carpet.

Eric Stonestreet, from "Modern Family," smiles from the red carpet.

Sharon Stone makes her entrance on the red carpet.

Michelle Docker, from "Downton Abbey," poses on the red carpet before the dinner.

CNN host Piers Morgan and actor Gerard Butler attend the dinner.

Actress Jessica Pare, from "Mad Men," arrives on the red carpet.

Actor and comedian Aasif Mandvi, from "The Daily Show," and Ty Burrel, from "Modern Family," greet each other on the red carpet.

John Oliver, from "The Daily Show," and his wife Kate arrive.

University of Louisville basketball star Kevin Ware, who broke his leg during a game against Duke, arrives on crutches.

Amy Poehler, from "Parks and Recreation," poses on the red carpet.

Singer Katy Perry strikes a pose.

Actress Kerry Washington, from "Scandal," makes her way down the red carpet for the dinner.

Actress Rebel Wilson, from "Bridesmaids," and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas attend the dinner.

Actress Patricia Arquette stops on the red carpet for a photograph.

DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and director Steven Spielberg on the red carpet before the dinner.

Actress Kate Walsh, from "Private Practice," poses on the red carpet.

Actor Ryan Kwanten, from "True Blood," makes his way down the red carpet.

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus strikes a pose.

Timothy Stanley: If Obama is a disappointment, Hollywood is partly to blame

Stanley: Obama used to challenge or snub the celebrity liberal elite

He says it's ironic that Obama needs their help now, for money and for image

Stanley: Hollywood might still imagine him to be a superhero, but there's reality

Editor's note: Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for The Daily Telegraph. He is the author of the new book, "Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration between LA and DC Revolutionized American Politics." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- Recently, Obama told Hollywood that America is not cool with itself. Speaking at the home of Walt Disney executive Alan Horn, he looked into the eyes of stars like Barbra Streisand and James Brolin and said that the country is full of "disquiet," that the future risks "more cynicism, more dysfunction," and that "we have a Washington that's not working." In the distance, a car alarm went off. The President quipped, "Sound the alarm, because we've got a problem."

There was a lot of predictable gloom in those remarks, given the President's low approval rating, but also a surprising lack of self-awareness. If Obama has proved to be a disappointment then Hollywood is partly responsible for all the unrealistic ambitions that have surrounded him. And there's big irony in the fact that he is now seeking comfort from the very liberal elite that he once seemed to challenge.

Back in the 2008 Democratic primaries, Hollywood was solid Clinton country; it only rallied to Obama after he snagged the nomination. After he won the White House, there were two years of mutual snub between L.A. and D.C. Not only did some moviemakers gripe that the President was a reluctant reformer (remember Matt Damon or Robert Redford or remind yourself of when Obama was still anti-gay marriage), but he rarely called people to say "thank you" for everything they've done for him. Hollywood might tolerate inaction, but it can't abide the absence of flattery.

So how did Obama change his mind about Hollywood? The change occurred thanks to the rise of the tea party, which galvanized West Coast liberals, and the President's sudden conversion to the legalization of gay marriage, which happen to come at a time when local reports indicated that his Hollywood money was in danger of drying up. Almost overnight, Hollywood assumed a structural importance in his re-election campaign to rival that of organized labor, liberal PACs or even the DNC. Here's another irony: Hollywood benefited from the changes to campaign finance that many stars protested against. Citizens United allowed moviemakers to act as bundlers, buying them new levels of access and influence.

This corresponded with a subtle change in the way that Obama was sold to the voter. In 2008, he was the outsider offering change (although the famous "Yes We Can" video was a 100% Hollywood product produced by Bob Dylan's son, Jesse). Come 2012, he now represented various faces of liberal authority -- many of them defined by Hollywood archetypes.

For example, there was an experiment in reinventing Obama as Atticus Finch, the lawyer played by Gregory Peck in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Obama gave a televised introduction to the movie on the USA Network channel in 2012. Film critic Tom Shone noted that Obama wanted the viewer to imagine that he was "cut from exactly the same liberal oak as Peck's Atticus Finch (retrenching) Obama's status as the defender of the mainstream."

Correspondents' dinner in two minutes

President Obama keeps the zingers coming

President Obama makes crowd laugh

Obama pokes fun at Congress

Defender, too, of law and order. For the release of "The Dark Knight Rises," the White House publicized a photo of Obama and Biden with the tagline, "The Dynamic Duo," capitalizing upon the plotline of a caped crusader protecting an American city against a greedy villain who bore almost the same name to the company that Mitt Romney set up -- Bane/Bain. And once the election was over, the first movie that Obama showed in the White House was Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," with its equally prescient synopsis of a President who overcomes partisan divisions to bring social justice to America. "I never compared myself to Lincoln", Obama told David Gregory on "Meet the Press." But he did film a metajoke for the White House Correspondents Dinner in which he played Daniel Day-Lewis preparing to play Obama in a biopic spoof of Lincoln.

Alas, Barack Obama is no Lincoln. Honest Abe may have had the power to make the opposition vote his way, but when Obama invited congressional Republicans to attend the showing of Spielberg's movie, not one of them turned up. That's typical. When the President threw a barbecue for newly elected House Republicans, only one third showed, and John Boehner has set a record for dodging state dinners.

Once, Obama eschewed connection with the Hollywood liberal establishment. Now he relies upon it for money, for selling Obamacare to voters and -- most importantly -- for helping to define a shifting image of what he wants his presidency to be. There is nothing unusual in this. Richard Nixon used John Wayne to define his foreign policy, Ronald Reagan's Western swagger was pure Hollywood invention. But this kind of celluloid fantasy-making is far from healthy.

Congress isn't a place that can be navigated by idealism; a dangerous world cannot be managed with superhero theatrics (such as drone strikes).

Expectations are raised excessively by promising to solve all these problems with the same ease that they do in the movies. Moreover, talking in clichés encourages partisanship. While the Democrats cling to being Jed Bartlets, the Republicans see themselves as Men With No Name -- and there's little common ground that can be reached between people competing to be more stubbornly archetypal than the rest.

Where do you retreat to when your policies fail and the partisanship grows deafening? Your base. After a term and a half of promising to be a different kind of Democrat, to change things, to reshape politics for ordinary people -- Barack Obama finds himself seeking comfort in the audience of old-fashioned, dare I say "fading," liberal stars like Barbra Streisand.

Hollywood might still imagine him to be a superhero, but Obama has really become the thing that in 2008 he set out to avoid: another Clinton Democrat.

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