Airline is bringing back some $25 one-way fares
THE REGION
JetBlue Airways Corp. said it is bringing back the $25 one-way fares between Logan International Airport and Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia that were briefly offered in November. JetBlue will begin offering six daily Boston-Dulles round trips Jan. 17. The $25 fares are expected to go on sale early today and will be available through Tuesday; $40 one-way tickets will remain available through April 4, JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said. Normal fares range from $55 to $140 one-way. Prices do not include taxes and fees, and JetBlue is not disclosing how many flights are available at those prices. Dervin said JetBlue resumed offering the cheapest fares in part to serve people holding tickets on Independence Air, the bankrupt low-fare carrier that shut down operations last night. (Peter J. Howe)
Distrigas pledges $1m for low-income fuel aid
For the second year, Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC, which operates the Everett liquefied natural gas facility that serves 20 percent of New England's gas demand, is pledging $1 million to Citizens Energy's program to help low-income households pay their fuel bills. The aid is being earmarked for people who can't qualify for or who have used up their aid from federal energy assistance programs. Homeowners can apply for help -- typically a $150 credit on their gas utility bill -- by calling 1-866-427-9918. Citizens' president, Joseph P. Kennedy II, said about 4,000 households got cash aid last year from the Distrigas contribution. (Peter J. Howe)
Cambridge biotech hopes to cut annual loss in '06
The Cambridge biotechnology company Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. expects to reduce its annual loss to between $95 million and $115 million in 2006, it said. Sales of Velcade, its injectable cancer drug, are expected to grow from $192 million to between $225 million and $250 million, an increase of 17 to 30 percent. The company also said it will reduce costs through new chief executive Deborah Dunsire's efforts to focus on cancer and inflammation drugs. Dunsire said she is optimistic Millennium will be able expand the use of Velcade to more patients. (Stephen Heuser)
Relational challenges Sovereign meeting delay
Relational Investors LLC, Sovereign Bancorp Inc.'s biggest shareholder, asked a court to prevent the bank from delaying its annual meeting, saying Sovereign is trying to block opposition to a planned stake sale. Relational made the request as part of a federal court battle it's waging in New York to block the sale to Santander Hispano SA. Sovereign plans to push back the meeting for four months, to at least September, after the completion of the sale to Santander and the purchase of Independence Community Bank Corp. (Bloomberg)
Fidelity creates 3 bond funds offering lower fees
Fidelity Investments, the largest US mutual fund manager, created three bond-index funds with lower fees to compete with Vanguard Group and other rivals that offer inexpensive mutual funds. Spartan Short-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund, Spartan Intermediate Treasury Bond Index Fund, and Spartan Long-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund carry fees of 0.1 percent of assets to investors with at least $100,000, the Boston company said. Shareholders with less than $100,000 pay twice as much. (Bloomberg)
THE NATION
Plane maker had a record 1,002 commercial orders
Boeing Co. said it set a company record for commercial airplane orders in 2005, while also more than tripling the number of jet orders from the previous year. The aerospace company said it received 1,002 net airplane orders during 2005. That beats its previous record, set in 1988, when Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, which have since merged, booked 877 net orders. In 2004, Boeing had 272 net commercial airplane orders. The net order number represents the total passenger and freighter planes sold, minus any canceled or converted orders. Boeing booked 1,029 gross orders in 2005. (AP)
Wal-Mart shuts system over offensive DVD links
Wal-Mart Stores is shutting down the system that creates movie recommendations on its shopping website after it linked a ''Planet of the Apes" DVD to films about famous black Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr., actress Dorothy Dandridge, boxer Jack Johnson, and singer Tina Turner. Wal-Mart said it had removed what it called the ''offensive combinations" from a walmart.com page advertising a boxed DVD set, ''Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series." The retailer said the software that generates links for shoppers from one movie to others of similar interest would be taken down. All cross references would be removed as soon as technically possible until the system can be fixed, Wal-Mart said. (AP)
