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The rollercoaster at the paradise pier in Disneyland
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Disney’s parks are getting more expensive, again

The real Mouse-heads might not care.

It’s a small, and increasingly expensive, world.

Fulfilling the dreams of kids and Disney adults alike got a lot pricier from Wednesday, with the most in-demand daily tickets at Disneyland rising between $7-$12, while annual passes to the park soared by as much as $125.

Although the base entry fee of $104 is staying the same, the move hasn’t done much to combat the growing feeling among many people that a lot of Disney’s parks are becoming almost unjustifiably expensive. In fact, a recent report from Disney blog MickeyVisit suggests that the most expensive daily tickets for the California park have risen 114% in the last 10 years, from $96 to $206

Visiting the Disney World parks in Florida, whose recent shuttering in the wake of Hurricane Milton could wipe $200 million from the company’s earnings according to Goldman Sachs estimates, will also be getting more expensive, though not until 2025, after the company announced price hikes there 8 months ago. 

The rising prices may have upset a lot of die-hard Disney-heads, but a lot of the evidence suggests that millions are still willing to pay up to get into the House of Mouse’s many global parks. In the first 3 quarters of Disney’s fiscal year so far, the company’s super lucrative Experiences division, which includes domestic and international parks and consumer products, brought in $25.9 billion — up almost 7% on the same period last year. 

Disney park revenues and popularity
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Disney still dominates the most visited theme parks in the world list too, according to the annual Global Attraction Attendance Report from TEA and AECOM, occupying 8 of the top 10 spots from Florida to France and Tokyo to China.

Deciding how much to charge for entry into some of the “happiest places on Earth” is always going to be a hard puzzle. For years, Disney’s answer has been: just a little more than last year.

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Delta to increase bag fees by $10 on domestic flights this week, following JetBlue and United, as jet fuel surges

As the price of jet fuel surges amid the war in Iran, Delta Air Lines on Tuesday announced that it will hike its checked bag fees by $10 beginning this week.

Checking one bag on a domestic Delta flight will now cost $45, up from $35. A second bag will cost $55, up from $45, and a third will cost $200, up from $150. In a statement to Sherwood News, Delta issued the following announcement:

“For tickets purchased on or after April 8, Delta will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $10 and for a third checked bag by $50 on domestic and select short-haul international routes. These updates are part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics. Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members; customers traveling in First Class, Delta Premium Select and Delta One; active-duty military customers; and those with eligible co-branded Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards will continue to receive their allotment of complimentary checked bags.”

The move follows similar hikes by JetBlue and United Airlines last week. More are likely to come: when one major airline adjusts its fees, others tend to follow quickly behind. Delta last raised its bag fees in 2024, along with other major airlines.

Jet fuel prices were $4.69 a gallon on Monday, per the Argus US Jet Fuel Index. That’s up from the low $2 range for much of January.

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Paramount reportedly receives $24 billion from Gulf funds to back its Warner Bros. takeover

Three Middle East sovereign wealth funds have agreed to back Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery to the tune of roughly $24 billion, according to Wall Street Journal reporting.

The company’s triumph over Netflix in the bidding war came thanks in part to financial backing from Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which last year led the $55 billion deal to take Electronic Arts private, will provide about $10 billion in the deal. The Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s L’imad Holding Co. is also involved.

According to the WSJ, the funds will not receive voting rights in the combined Paramount-Warner company. Those working on the deal don’t expect the Gulf funds’ involvement to spark any additional regulatory reviews.

The company’s triumph over Netflix in the bidding war came thanks in part to financial backing from Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which last year led the $55 billion deal to take Electronic Arts private, will provide about $10 billion in the deal. The Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s L’imad Holding Co. is also involved.

According to the WSJ, the funds will not receive voting rights in the combined Paramount-Warner company. Those working on the deal don’t expect the Gulf funds’ involvement to spark any additional regulatory reviews.

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