business

Claire Yubin Oh & David Crowther8/21/25

After an insane ride, Carvana is finally back on top — now Amazon is muscling further into its territory

Whatever industry you’re in, whether it’s beauty or electronics, toys or groceries, there’s one phrase you never want to hear: Amazon is getting into your line of business.

So, on Wednesday, when car rental company Hertz announced that it will be selling its cars through Amazon’s automotive retail platform Amazon Autos in selected cities, it’s no surprise that investors touched the brakes on online used car retailer Carvana, which dipped ~2% the day after the news broke.

For Hertz, which changes some 80% of its core rental fleet in the US within a year, the deal is a way to find extra buyers for its 500,000-plus fleet of used vehicles. Now, sites like Carvana will have to compete against the Amazon network for Hertz’s supply.

Speed bumps

Known for its car vending machines, Carvana has more than a few scars from its time as a public company. Technically, anyone who backed Carvana since its IPO has been rewarded handsomely — but the journey’s been anything but smooth.

Carvana journey — Sherwood News

From a pandemic boom — when everyone wanted to invest in the “Amazon of cars” — to nearly going bankrupt in 2022, to raking in a better-than-expected record $4.8 billion in revenue in the latest quarter, Carvana is keeping the roller-coaster stock analogy alive. After an ill-timed, debt-heavy acquisition, the company nearly buckled under the pressure of higher interest rates, as sales started to go backward and costs mounted.

Since then, CVNA has rebounded a whopping 9,000% as it trimmed costs and slowly returned to growth, finally clawing its way to a fresh stock market high... Enter Amazon.

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Capsule Pill and Dots

Justice Department accuses telehealth Zealthy of fraud, says remedy may bankrupt it

The feds say they don’t think Zealthy has the liquidity to pay what it owes customers.

J. Edward Moreno4/14/26

Hyunsoo Rim, J. Edward Moreno

Americans aren’t drinking as much Mexican beer — that’s not been good for Constellation

The nation’s largest beer importer by sales just saw a 10-year growth streak come to an abrupt end.

Constellation beer brands

Netflix playground

Will investing in kids games finally make Netflix Games “the Netflix of games”?

Netflix is launching a game for preschoolers, its latest foray into stuff-you-play instead of stuff-you-watch.

Claire Yubin Oh4/10/26

business

Max Knoblauch4/9/26

American Airlines joins the flock, hiking bag fees amid higher jet fuel prices

American Airlines on Thursday announced that it, too, will be hiking the fees it charges customers to check luggage.

With the move, all four of the major US airlines, which together control about 80% of the US market, have now hiked their baggage fees in recent days amid surging jet fuel prices.

The change will go into effect on tickets bought on or after Thursday, the same day Southwest’s hike begins.

Since late March, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Canada’s WestJet, and Southwest have hiked their fees. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.

American Airlines updates bag fees and Basic Economy fares

American Airlines updates bag fees and Basic Economy fares

The change will go into effect on tickets bought on or after Thursday, the same day Southwest’s hike begins.

Since late March, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Canada’s WestJet, and Southwest have hiked their fees. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.

business

Max Knoblauch4/9/26

Less than a year after implementing them, Southwest is also hiking its bag fees

Southwest Airlines has joined the growing list of airlines opting to hike their bag fees amid sustained higher jet fuel costs.

Starting today, the first checked bag at the carrier — which implemented bag fees less than a year ago — will jump from $35 to $45, and the second from $45 to $55. Southwest quietly disclosed the change Tuesday.

Southwest assigned the decision to “part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop.”

As of Wednesday, jet fuel prices dropped to $4.16 a gallon, per the Argus US Jet Fuel Index, down from $4.81 on Tuesday following President Trump’s ceasefire announcement, which sent travel stocks soaring. Major airlines have shed some of those gains in premarket trading Thursday.

With the move to hike bag fees, Southwest joins JetBlue, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Canada’s WestJet, all of which also boosted fees this month. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.

Three US airlines have already hiked baggage fees. More are likely on the way.

Three US airlines have already hiked baggage fees. More are likely on the way.

Southwest assigned the decision to “part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop.”

As of Wednesday, jet fuel prices dropped to $4.16 a gallon, per the Argus US Jet Fuel Index, down from $4.81 on Tuesday following President Trump’s ceasefire announcement, which sent travel stocks soaring. Major airlines have shed some of those gains in premarket trading Thursday.

With the move to hike bag fees, Southwest joins JetBlue, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Canada’s WestJet, all of which also boosted fees this month. Experts expect more major carriers to follow, and to potentially tweak the pricing of other ancillary revenue sources like seat assignments and carry-on luggage.

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