WestJet load factor inches down to 81.7%

WestJet Airlines Ltd. flights took off with a slightly greater proportion of empty seats in December compared with a year ago as the airline grew its capacity.

The airline said it had a load factor or 81.7 per cent, down from 81.9 per cent a year ago.

Passenger traffic grew 7.2 per cent last month compared with last year, while capacity increased 7.4 per cent.

For the full year, WestJet reported a load factor of 81.7 per cent, down from 82.8 per cent in 2012. Capacity increased 8.6 per cent, while passenger traffic increased 7.3 per cent.

"We are very pleased to finish the year with our second-highest fourth quarter and full-year load factors," WestJet president and chief executive Gregg Saretsky said in a statement.

The increase in capacity came as WestJet launched a regional service called WestJet Encore, which flies to smaller communities using Bombardier's Q400 turboprops.

The regional airline started flying in Western Canada this year and plans to launch in Toronto next summer.

Source: cbc

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49ers lead Packers at halftime at cold Lambeau Field

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a history -– albeit a short one -– of terrorizing the Green Bay Packers with his athleticism and versatility. Kaepernick is again showcasing those strengths this afternoon at Lambeau Field, sparking the 49ers to a 13-10 halftime lead.

But the Packers have their own playmaking quarterback. And with Aaron Rodgers beginning to heat up, a back-and-forth first-round NFC playoff showdown in Green Bay could go down to the wire with both quarterbacks looking to produce in the clutch.

Late in the first half, with pressure coming, Kaepernick delivered the game’s longest gain so far, tucking and bolting though an opening up the middle. The third-year quarterback’s speed left a horde of Packer defenders in his wake and produced a 42-yard run.

Two snaps later, running back Frank Gore took an inside handoff and rumbled 10 yards up the middle for the go-ahead touchdown, putting the 49ers ahead 13-7.

Kaepernick finished the first half 8-for-15 passing for 117 yards while rushing for 47 yards.

Rodgers, meanwhile, led the Packers to scores on their final two possessions of the half. In his first action at Lambeau Field since fracturing his collarbone Nov. 4 against the Chicago Bears, Rodgers delivered a pretty 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson with 5:50 left in the second quarter. That capped an impressive 14-play, 70-yard drive after the Packers had gone three-and-out on their first three drives.

Source: chicagotribune

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Downton Abbey's next series may be its last , hints Julia Fellowes

The creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, has hinted that the hit show's next series could be its last.

The ITV drama, telling the story of the aristocratic Crawley family, is to return to screens later this year for the fifth series since its debut in 2010.

But Fellowes has been commissioned to write a new US drama called The Gilded Age and has said in an interview that work on the programme would not start until Downton had come to an end.

Fellowes told the Wall Street Journal: "It's for NBC Universal and it will happen when Downton finishes because I just couldn't do both at once.

"I haven't written it yet, but it's about the old aristocracy, the Winthrops and the Stuyvesants and the new money of oil and gas and shipping in the 1870s. It will all be fiction – it won't be real people – but when those families descended on New York, they took over."

The writer reassured fans that there would be a fifth series of Downton, but added: "I don't know yet if there is a season six, but it's not going to go on for ever. It won't be Perry Mason."

He also speculated that if the Crawleys had been a real family, they would have still been running the estate today – albeit in a more businesslike way.

Source: theguardian

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Super Bowl 2014

This is the Super Bowl where ads may offer a bit less of the same — and a bit more of the unexpected.

As the price of ad time continues to escalate, advertisers continue to seek new ways — and new reasons — to stand out or even surprise. At a record $4 million per 30-second slot, "it's the most expensive ad time on television by a wide margin," says Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media.

The Super Bowl, he notes, "marches to a very different beat than the rest of the TV business." And so, too, must the advertisers who want to stand out during the Feb. 2 broadcast on Fox, which is sold out of ad time.

Source: usatoday

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List of Chicago-Area Closures Due to Extreme Cold

The extremely cold weather expected this week has prompted several business and school closings across the Chicago area.

Chicago Public Schools will close Monday, officials said. District officials will re-evaluate conditions Monday afternoon to determine if schools will open Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the University of Chicago canceled all classes and non-essential activities for Monday.

Residence halls and dining commons will remain open, officials said, and transportation and safety services will still be provided.

The school is urging students, faculty and academic personnel to avoid travel if possible.

Loyola Academy announced Sunday that it would be closed Monday due to the severe weather conditions.

In addition, all athletic activities are also cancelled, school officials said.

The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools has announced that Catholic elementary schools in Cook and Lake counties will be closed Monday.

Galapagos Charter School will close Monday, the school said.

Alain Locke Charter School in Chicago will be closed Monday.

All Catalyst Charter school campusees will be clsoed Monday.

New Trier High School will also be closed Monday, said Superintendent Linda Yonka.

District 39 schools in Wilmette will be closed, as well as schools in West Aurora District 129.

Oswego School District 308 has closed schools and offices Monday.

The College of DuPage main campus and regional centers will be closed Monday, but is set to reopen Tuesday, officials said.

John Marshall Law School in Chicago will be closed Monday due to the inclement weather, including access to the school library, officials said.

Buildings and offices are expected to reopen at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Triton College said it will be closed Monday, but online registration services will still be available.

Calumet Public School District 132 will be closed for students Monday.

Source: nbcchicago

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Mitt Romney accepts MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry apology

Mitt Romney accepted an apology from MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry who openly mocked his family photo featuring his adopted African-American grandson Kieran James.

"I recognize that people make mistakes," Romney said on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. "And the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake. And they've apologized for it. And that's all you can ask for."

A day before, Harris-Perry offered a tearful apology to the Romney family and to other families formed through transracial adoption.

Source: nydaily

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Newfoundland power outages 'not a crisis' says premier

Newfoundland Power is no longer saying service will be restored to all homes by Tuesday, as outages and rolling blackouts continued through Sunday for tens and thousands of Newfoundlanders.

"Everything is changing fairly quickly, so there is no real word on when everything will be back," said CBC reporter Peter Cowan in St. John's.

Roughly 25,000 customers were without power Sunday morning, but that number climbed back up to 35,000 in the afternoon as increased demand strained the system. There were 190,000 without power when the blackout started on Saturday morning. Yesterday, a Newfoundland Power official indicated the lights would be back on by Monday or Tuesday.

The provincial utility is trying to bring power back for some by unplugging other areas on the system, according to Cowan.

"So they are trying to balance all of that right now. So even people who get power back, it is not that reliable," he said.

A fire at the Sunnyside substation at around 9 a.m. NT on Saturday caused an outage at the Holyrood Generating Station, throwing much of the island into darkness.

Source: cbc

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