Delta Airlines today initiated $10 domestic airfare increases on more than 18,000 different pairs of cities, according to Farecompare.com.

This is the second week in a row when a major airline has started a round of fare increases. Last week United started the fare increases, and all the major carriers had followed along by early Tuesday.

The airlines are battling fuel price increases. So far, the fare hikes have not driven down business enough that they are beginning to have a negative effect on airlines’ total revenues.

Last year, airlines tried 23 times to start

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Boeing’s venerable 747 reached a new milestone today.

The Boeing Co. delivered its 1,400th 747, a 747-400 Freighter delivered to GE Commercial Aviation Services.

GECAS will lease 747 to AirBridgeCargo Airlines, a subsidiary of the Volga-Dnepr Group.

AirBridgeCargo 747

The 747s production numbers have far exceeded those of many smaller and less expensive airliners including Boeing’s own 757 and 767, Lockheed’s L-1011 and McDonnell Douglas’ DC-10 and MD-11.

According to Boeing, the 747 fleet has completed more than 17 million flights through 2007. It has logged

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Gov. Chris Gregoire spent nearly an hour today with a couple hundred Realtors at the Fircrest Golf Club today, focusing much of her lunchtime speech on the economy.

But not before the governor, who’s up for reelection in the fall, talked golf, lauding the new Chambers Bay Golf Course while also being quick to knowledge that the Fircrest course was also very nice too.

The rest was a lot of good–times talk, from the state budget to exports to the wine industry and a pinch of today’s housing market: "It is an amazing time in Washington state. I

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We’ve heard that the Baby Boomers and are redefining “retirement.”

But a new survey released by Careerbuilder.com reveals many may actually be postponing retirement altogether.

Careerbuilder.com reports that 51 percent of workers age 50 or older plan to retire after the age of 65 and 16 percent plant to retire after the age of 70.

That’s a lot of years of work. When asked why they are postponing retirement, workers reported:

- I can’t afford to retire financially (44 percent)

– I need the health insurance benefits (30 percent)

-

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As Washington Saves Week draws to a close – along with America Saves Week – here’s today’s Money Tip. It comes from David Bennett, director of public relations for the Washington Credit Union League.

"Avoid credit card interest charges by paying off your entire bill each month. If you are unable to pay off a large balance, pay as much as you can or shift the balance to a credit card with a lower annual percentage rate (APR) by shopping around at a variety of financial institutions."

Six new retailers have joined Kent Station, the mall’s owner announced today. Kent Station is now 93 percent leased.

They are:



Links Golf Café: This is the first Links Golf Café in the United States. Slated for a May opening, Links Golf Café will provide food, drinks, golf apparel and accessories, Quantum Business Golf seminars and various tiers of memberships.

The Mac Store: The Mac Store will sell Apple products including the iPod. The 2,539-square-foot store, which opened in late January, is located adjacent to Ann Taylor Loft.

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I’ve been meaning to catch up with Chuck Valley, vice president and manager of hotels with Hollander Investments. He’s back at his first South Sound hotel – the 100-room South Hill Best Western – after overseeing the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tacoma. Hollander also owns the nearby Holiday Inn Express.

Last night Valley was hosting an open house at the Best Western, which Hollander bought while it was under construction in 1993. Heres’s a look at the lobby and one of the rooms.

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I was out working on a story this morning – it’s about a group of Puget Sound livestock growers who are banding together to secure a portable processing facility.

One of the people I spoke to was Cheryl Ouellette, who grows cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, goats and pigs on her farm out in Summit, between Tacoma and Puyallup.

And what better way to celebrate the promise of spring than with a litter of piglets? So here’s Gardenia and her piglets born three days ago.