SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines has won first place among the nation’s traditional air carriers in a J.D. Power & Associates satisfaction survey.

This is the second year in a row the airline won top honors.

In the low-cost carriers category, JetBlue Airways was at the top of the list.

According to the nationwide survey firm, the study measures overall passenger satisfaction in seven areas: cost and fees, flight crew, in-flight services, aircraft, boarding/deplaning/baggage, check-in and reservation.

Alaska performed particularly well in five of the seven areas, flight crew, aircraft, boarding/deplaning/baggage, check-in and reservation.

“Alaska airlines

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A Bellingham hotel developer today formally unveiled a plan to build two hotels and an office building on a near-downtown Tacoma waterfront site.

Hollander Investments’ hotel construction plan could fulfill the Foss Waterway Development Authority’s long-held desire to bring guest lodging to the waterway.

The authority has struggled unsuccessfully for five years with two developers to get a hotel built on the formerly industrial inlet of Commencement Bay.



But while Hollander appears to have better access to money than prior developers and ample prior hotel construction and operational experience, much remains to be done before

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Kelly Kearsley wrote this story this afternoon:

By Kelly Kearsley

The News Tribune

A Federal Court in Tacoma temporarily shut down a telemarketing firm Monday following a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission alleging that the company lied to consumers about helping to reduce their credit card debt and violated telemarketing sales rules.

MCS Programs – headquartered on Earnest S. Brazill Street in Tacoma – telemarketed "rapid debt reduction," promising to negotiate lower credit card rates for consumers that would allow them to pay off their debt faster, according to the FTC.

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Seattle’s daily and monthly parking rates are among the highest in the country according to a new parking survey by Collier International.

Colliers, a real estate service firm, lists downtown Seattle’s median daily parking rates as $28.00 a day and $290.00 monthly.

The nation’s highest rates are in Manhattan where midtown parking costs $44.00 a day or $550.00 monthly.



Others on the list:

Boston $34.00 and $402.50

San Francisco $25.00 and $350.00

Chicago $31.00 and $325.00

Los Angeles $28.20 and $205.00

The world’s most expensive parking is in London, $1,020.00

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The state Attorney General’s office, Secretary of State and Better Business Bureau are warning people not to be misled by two Pierce County businesses claiming to be charities.

Telemarketers from the organizations — called Jobs for the Homeless and American Homeless and Disadvantage (sic) Workers – are contacting people and asking them to buy trash bags, light bulbs and gift cards at jacked up prices.

They say that the money spent on the items will go to help the homeless or support employment for people with disabilities, according to joint news release from state officials and the

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Pierce County office vacancies rose 1.28 percent in the second quarter as companies consolidated office quarters and others awaited positive signs from the economy before expanding, a new survey says.

That survey by Colliers International said Pierce County marketplace vacancies hit 11.90 percent in the last three months.

Part of Pierce County’s increase in vacant office space came from two additions to the inventory, Tacoma’s Old City Hall and the South Hill Business and Technology Center.

Old City Hall had once been scheduled for conversion to condominiums, but the owner was unable convince two office tenants with

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The biggest customer for Boeing’s new generation 747, the 747-8, says it expects that flight test delays on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner will spill over into the 747-8 program.

German carrier Lufthansa, which has ordered 20 of the four-engine 747s, says it won’t cancel or defer its planned purchase because of those delays.

“I’m sure the delay of the 787 will mean that they have pull in more engineering resources, and that will (mean) even further delays, as a consequence for the 747-8,” said Lufthansa chief financial officer Stephan Gemkow. “I would not be surprised to learn this some

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After months of bruising fare wars, domestic airlines appear to be halting their skirmishes and reversing the fare reductions.

For the second time in two weeks, major domestic carriers, this time led by American Airlines, have initiated fare hikes ranging from $10 to $20 roundtrip on many U.S. routes, said Rick Seaney, chief executive of farecompare.com.

Seaney warned consumers that these small price hikes could the beginning of the end of big bargain air fares this summer.

“I have been cautioning consumers for the past month that they procrastinate on purchasing airline tickets at their own

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