Pickleball: America's fastest growing sport

6/7/22 8:00PM

Online interest for what has been dubbed "America's fastest growing sport" is hitting a new high as we get into the summer swing.

‍Wikipedia page hits, and Google searches, for "Pickleball" have been steadily climbing over the last few years, as the game continues to grow in popularity, having been originally invented back in 1965 by three dads who were bored on vacation.

Played on what looks like a mini tennis court — and with rules and gameplay that borrow from a multitude of different racquet sports — Pickleball was played by around 4.8 million players in the US last year according to the SFIA. 1.4 million of those played it 8 times or more, suggesting a pretty casual player base.

It has proven particularly popular with the older generation (half of the core players are over 55), perhaps because it's slightly more accessible than regular tennis.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.