Business

  • Airline fees hit record $6 billion

    NEW YORK — U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year — the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago.

  • Microsoft won’t charge for Windows 8 update

    A planned Windows 8 update to address complaints and confusion with Microsoft’s new operating system will be made available for free this year, the company said Tuesday.

  • Court says Google must adhere to requests

    Google Inc. must respect requests to remove autocomplete entries from its search bar in Germany if they are defamatory, a German court ruled Tuesday.

  • Campaign focuses on texting while driving

    The country’s four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T’s “It Can Wait” slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer.

  • Fund manager urges Sony to sell shares

    The U.S. hedge fund manager renowned for shaking up Yahoo Inc. has set his sights on Sony Corp., proposing that the Japanese electronics giant spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division and use the money to strengthen its ailing device manufacturing unit. Sony rejected the plan, but analysts latched onto the idea as a way for Sony to unlock hidden value.

  • Big 4 cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads

    The country's four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T's "It Can Wait" slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer.

  • Retail sales rise in April

    WASHINGTON — Lower-priced gas allowed Americans to step up their spending at retailers in April, from cars and clothes to electronics and appliances. The rebound from a weak March suggests consumers remain resilient in the face of higher taxes and could continue to drive economic growth this spring.

  • Google combines cloud storage for 3 services

    Cloud storage for three of Google’s more popular services — Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ — are being combined to give users more control over how they want to use the storage space.

  • Businesses keep inventories steady

    U.S. businesses left their stockpiles unchanged in March for a second straight month while their sales fell sharply.

  • Dell board wants information from Icahn

    Dell board members say they need more details from investor Carl Icahn if he wants them to seriously consider his latest challenge to Michael Dell’s $24.4 billion plan to take the computer maker private.