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By Times Staff Writer
Published October 26, 2007

Luxury hits new heights in first A380 flight

The world's largest jetliner made aviation history Thursday, completing its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney with 455 passengers, some of them ensconced in luxury suites and double beds. Flight attendants handed out champagne and certificates to passengers, some of whom paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction for seats. The A380 - as tall as a seven-story building with each wing big enough to hold 70 cars - is capable of carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy-class configuration. However, Singapore Airlines opted for 471 seats in three classes - 12 Singapore Airlines Suites, 60 business class and 399 economy class. Each suite, enclosed by sliding doors, is fitted with a leather upholstered seat, a table, a 23-inch flat screen TV and laptop connections.

Cell phone turns to transit body guard

"Did you just grope me? Shall we head to the police?" That's the message women are flashing on their cell phones with a popular program designed to ward off wandering hands in Japan's congested commuter trains. Anti-Groping Appli by games developer Takahashi was released in late 2005 but only recently has climbed up popularity rankings, reaching No. 7 in this week's top-10 cell phone applications list compiled by Web-based publisher Spicy Soft Corp. The application flashes increasingly threatening messages in bold print on the phone's screen to show to the offender. Users press an "Anger" icon in the program to progress to the next threat. A warning chime accompanies the messages. According to Tokyo Metropolitan Police, 1,853 people were arrested for groping passengers on trains in Tokyo in 2005.

As shopping drags, free shipping soars

The expectation of sluggish holiday sales this year could mean a free-shipping bonanza for shoppers. According to a survey conducted for Shop.org, an arm of the National Retail Federation, 41.4 percent of those polled said that they will be offering free shipping with no conditions, compared to 36.0 percent in the year-ago period. Those offering free shipping with some sort of conditions has declined to 78.6 percent from 82.7 percent a year ago. "Free shipping offers drive online sales more than any other promotion, which is why they remain popular with retailers," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org.

Last load complete at Maytag factory

The last washers and driers rolled off Maytag assembly lines in Newton, Iowa, on Thursday and the 550 workers who built them were preparing to leave the 2-million-square-foot factory for the last time, ending a century of appliance manufacturing in Newton under the iconic brand name. Many workers have never worked anywhere else and a large number of them have just a high school education. Finding a job that pays $30,000 to $40,000 with good benefits will be tough. Company officials said about 100 workers will stay in the factory for a little while longer to oversee the shutdown.

[Last modified October 26, 2007, 00:04:08]