Business
Max Knoblauch

Premium seats help push airlines higher following third-quarter results

Shares of American Airlines are climbing toward the carrier’s best trading day since August 12, when ultra-budget rival Spirit issued its initial warning about its ability to survive. American’s shares are up more than 7% on Friday afternoon.

Investors’ optimism comes a day after American posted a better-than-expected full-year earnings forecast. In a call with investors, American said that it’s ramping up its premium cabin offerings.

“Our ability to grow capacity in premium markets will be further supported as we take delivery of new aircraft and reconfigure our existing fleet. These efforts will allow us to grow our premium seats at nearly two times the rate of main cabin seats,” CEO Robert Isom said. American CFO Devin May said that nose-to-tail retrofits of certain wide-body jets will bump the number of premium seats available on those planes by 25%.

Extra legroom has been a boon for major carriers, particularly this quarter. Delta Air Lines said its premium product revenue grew 9% in Q3, compared to a 4% drop in economy seat revenue. Similarly, United Airlines said its premium revenue grew 6%, outpacing economy. Shares of both airlines were up more than 3% on Friday.

Carriers with less exposure to first- and business-class tickets like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue didn’t see the same amount of momentum on the day.

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Max Knoblauch
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Higher prices, lower sales: Video game giants forecast the impact of the memory crunch

Video game console makers addressed the memory pricing surge this quarter.

Sony DualSense For PlayStation 5 In Starlight Blue Color.
Claire Yubin Oh
bird was the word
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Duolingo’s business was supposed to soar with AI — now it’s getting its wings clipped

The language-learning app’s shares have plunged almost 80% in the past year.

Duolingo banner over Hooters restaurant
business
Max Knoblauch

Used car prices dip in April but remain at 2023 levels as gas prices surge

Used car prices ticked down in April, the first drop in 2026, according to fresh data from Cox Automotive.

Cox’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which tracks wholesale prices, dipped 1.6% in April from March, but remains around highs not seen since 2023 as shoppers react to surging gas prices.

“Affordability remains front and center, and that’s driving some increased demand for older vehicles... as well as changing the calculus for consumers shopping for EVs,” said Cox’s chief economist, Jeremy Robb.

As reported in March, used car retailers including CarMax have told Sherwood News that gas prices are driving more shoppers to look toward EVs. Cox’s EV index is up 7.2% from April 2025, compared to a 1.1% hike for its non-EV index.

Tom Jones
gear shift
5/6/26
Harley-Davidson hopes getting “Back to the Bricks” will help turn its motorcycle business around

Its ~$1 billion financial services segment has helped keep the company ticking over in the meantime.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles cruising along scenic road during European Bike Week, showcasing vibrant atmosphere and camaraderie among riders
business
Max Knoblauch

Xbox CEO overhauls leadership team with Microsoft AI execs amid sales declines

Microsoft is continuing to shake up Xbox, with gaming chief Asha Sharma (who took over the division suddenly in February) announcing an executive overhaul.

According to an internal memo seen by CNBC, Sharma is bringing four leaders from her former CoreAI group into the Xbox fold, as they have “consumer and technical expertise [Xbox does] not yet have.”

“Right now, it is too hard to ship impact quickly. We spend too much time inward instead of with the community, and we lack the depth we need in some of the fundamentals,” Sharma said in the memo.

Aside from the CoreAI team, David Schloss, a former Instacart growth exec, will take over the subscription and cloud business.

Following Microsoft’s earnings report last week, in which Xbox console sales fell 33% from last year, Sharma said the division had work to do. The company forecast more sales declines for Game Pass and consoles in the current quarter.

Microsoft Xbox CEO overhauls leadership amid sinking sales: 'We need to evolve how we work'

Microsoft Xbox CEO overhauls leadership amid sinking sales: 'We need to evolve how we work'

“Right now, it is too hard to ship impact quickly. We spend too much time inward instead of with the community, and we lack the depth we need in some of the fundamentals,” Sharma said in the memo.

Aside from the CoreAI team, David Schloss, a former Instacart growth exec, will take over the subscription and cloud business.

Following Microsoft’s earnings report last week, in which Xbox console sales fell 33% from last year, Sharma said the division had work to do. The company forecast more sales declines for Game Pass and consoles in the current quarter.

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