Business Blog: Hoover’s Business Insight Zone

Sometimes it’s the juxtaposition of stories that’s most interesting. Case in point: the weak dollar means that Americans traveling abroad are getting hammered on exchange rates . . . but at least one major American airline has been buoyed by strong business on its trans-Atlantic flights.

• From Reuters: Continental earnings rise on international demand.
  “Continental Airlines posted a better-than-expected 15 percent increase in quarterly earnings on Thursday on strong demand for trans-Atlantic and other international flights.”
• From the New York Times: As Dollar Crumples, Tourists Overseas Reel.
  “By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe’s great capitals. But the dollar’s latest plunge — to $2.05 to the pound and to a record of $1.38 to the euro — has turned mere sticker shock into a form of suspended disbelief for many tourists.”