consumer price index – Michmutters

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Here’s why Trivago CEO believes travel will be even more expensive

Here's why Trivago CEO believes travel will be even more expensive

Aussies are keener than ever to hop on a plane and escape what has been a pretty rough past few years.

Almost 57 per cent of Aussies are planning a getaway in the next 12 months which is up 49 per cent from December, according to Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker.

However, travel at the moment comes with a heftier than usual price tag.

KAYAK’s data shows the average return economy international flight price in Australia based on flight searches in July (between July 1-18) was approximately $1761 – an increase of about 14 per cent compared to the same period in May (between May 1-18) .

Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) July report shows plane tickets have soared 27.7 per cent on a year-over-year (YoY) basis.

And sadly it is a tendency likely to stick around for a bit longer, according to Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder.

“Sale fares are definitely higher than they were pre-pandemic. Tiger used to regularly offer $9 domestic fares,” Mr Kidman said.

“We won’t see that again. Jetstar has offered a handful of $22 fares this year, but only outside of peak periods and for a tiny number of seats.”

He said Virgin’s floor in sales is now generally $49, and for Qantas it’s rare to see any sub-$100 flights.

“I don’t expect we’ll see much change to that in 2022. The arrival of new competitor Bonza may create a little price pressure, but many of its routes are regional and I’m expecting that it will be charging well over $100 for a seat most of the time.”

‘On the rise’

Trivago (TRVG) CEO Axel Hefer believes “costs will continue to go up”, attributing it to staffing shortages and labor costs.

“You see a fundamental shortage of people in travel and hospitality, and the reason is that a lot of companies have actually reduced their staffing during the pandemic,” Mr Hefer told Yahoo Finance.

“[Companies] are now struggling in very tight labor markets to staff up again. So they will have to pay up, and that cost will be passed on.”

Flight cancellations

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics quantified that 88,161 flights have been canceled so far this year, with many being attributed to staffing issues.

Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Air New Zealand were all named among the global airlines with the current highest cancellation rates, while Singapore Airlines was noted as the carrier with the lowest cancellation figure.

The new data, compiled by aviation analytics company Cirium, looked at flight data from 19 major airlines in the three months to July 26 which revealed Virgin Australia to have one of the highest cancellation rates at 5.9 per cent.

Air New Zealand and Qantas were also named in the top five airlines with high cancellation rates, at 3.7 and 3.3 per cent respectively.

Singapore Airlines, which remains the top international carrier in Australia, was dubbed the most reliable airline, with a 0.8 per cent cancellation rate.

Notably, of all 19 studied carriers, Virgin boasts the smallest international network, possibly skewing the data, according to Australian Aviation.

Australia’s worst month for flying

Australian airlines recorded their “worst ever” month in June for flight delays and cancellations with a total of 5.8 per cent of all flights canceled – nearly three times more than the long-term cancellation average.

There were 63 per cent of all flights arriving on time in June, with 61.9 per cent departing on schedule, the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) report found.

BITRE said these figures mark “the worst” the industry has seen since records began in November 2003.

The report looked at delays and cancellations across all major Australian airports in the month of June.

The severe disruption was fueled by staffing shortages, staff sicknesses, mid-year school holiday travel surges and severe weather events, including flash flooding throughout NSW.

Qantas recorded the highest percentage of cancellations at 8.1 per cent during the month, followed by QantasLink, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines and Rex Airlines.

Qantas recorded just over half of their airlines arrived on time in June, at 59 per cent, while Virgin achieved the highest level of on time departures among the major domestic airlines at 60 per cent.

A Qantas spokesperson told NCA NewsWire the flight delays and cancellations were not the kind of performance that they were delivering pre-Covid.

“A rise in Covid and other illnesses among airline crew as well as the tight labor market led to flight disruptions for all domestic airlines in June,” they said.

“We had rostered additional crew on standby which helped lessen the impact of Covid-related crew absences and meant 85 per cent of our domestic flights for the month departed within an hour of schedule.”

“Flight cancellations in July were lower than they were in June, call center wait times are now better than they were pre-Covid and our mishandled bag rates are close to what they were before the pandemic.”

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Cost of living: New data from Foodbomb exposes foods hit hardest by inflation

Cost of living: New data from Foodbomb exposes foods hit hardest by inflation

As the consumer price index (CPI) tips over 6 per cent, new data reveals how much staple pantry items, fruits and vegetables have soared in price over the last six months.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 5.9 per cent in the last year due to high freight costs, supply constraints and strong demand.

As a result, consumers and businesses have gone to extreme lengths to cope with the country’s cost of living crisis as empty shelves, sky-high price tags and costly grocery bills become the new normal.

Recently there have been some unusual methods Australians have used to slash costs and make-up for insufficient stock, including broccoli stalks being broken off and left on fresh produce units and KFC switching lettuce for cabbage in its burgers.

So with the effects of inflation felt and seen right around the country, food experts from Foodbomb crunched the numbers to assess which foods are having the greatest impact on consumers’ hip pockets.

Research shows that broccoli, iceberg lettuce and baby spinach have been the most expensive items in short supply within the last six months.

Broccoli has increased by a staggering 130 per cent, with a box previously worth $42 now costing stockists $95 each. This increase is then passed onto consumers per kilo.

Meanwhile, the price of iceberg lettuce hiked from $4 to $10.80, at a 151 per cent increase. A bag of shredded lettuce also rose for $7.50 per kilo.

As for baby spinach, the price for a 1.5kg box more than doubled, rising from $16.50 to $38.50.

While these prices have caused trouble for consumers and businesses in the past, offering some hope is Mouhamad Dib, the company director at MD Provodores.

He told news.com.au that despite the increase in costs observed recently, the inflated price tags on these leafy vegetables won’t be here to stay.

“The cost of fertilizer from the farms, to labor shortages and transport costs has amplified pricing across all sectors,” Mr Dib said.

“But with spring around the corner and summer days behind it, we hope to see some prices come down. Lettuce leaves are definitely still in short supply, but broccoli and baby spinach are getting better.”

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for staple pantry items and animal products which are taking a hit as a result of global events and supply chain issues.

Oil unexpectedly soared in price with 20 liters of sunflower oil doubling from $30.60 to $66. Whereas the cost of canola oil is triple the amount, with some suppliers selling the same quantity for as much as $92.10.

It’s bad news for egg lovers with the war in Ukraine preventing farmers globally from sourcing feed grain which has in turn slowed egg production.

As a result, wholesale prices for a one dozen carton of free-range eggs have risen from $2.60 to $4.45. Caged eggs have also seen a similar increase however, they aren’t selling out in supermarkets as quickly due to the shift in demand for the cage-free range.

Foodbomb predicts that egg supply will run tight for the next 18 months as feed supply becomes increasingly difficult to source.

Salmon and chicken breast are also among some of the other animal products in short supply while selling at a higher cost, now ticketed at $40kg and 9.50kg respectively.

Similar to the egg situation, consumers can expect the price of chicken meat to remain high for the next 12 months.

Anthony Ponte from the operations and procurement department at wholesaler Melba Fresh told news.com.au that these price increases are a reflection of the market.

“(Prices) are going up because the supply is going down, while the demand is staying the same if not increasing. As a result, we’re getting less sales and it’s getting harder and harder to source produce,” he said.

“We’ve been looking everywhere, interstate and all kinds of places, just trying to get our hands on products. It’s been very hard. We have to split what we’ve got between orders, but you still ultimately end up disappointing everyone.”

Mushrooms also make Foodbomb’s top 10 list of expensive items in short supply with a box now priced at $50 each. Lebanese cucumbers, $11 per kilo, and cabbage, $14 each, come in at ninth and 10th place.

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Real estate: Property investment firm under fire for ‘cringe’ email celebrating rising rent repayments

Real estate: Property investment firm under fire for 'cringe' email celebrating rising rent repayments

A property manager has come under fire after appearing to boast about upping rent in an email to tenants.

Property investment firm Ironfish sent an email to its customers last week stating the highest weekly increase and average rent increase in Melbourne in June.

“Achievement in June: Biggest rent increase – $225 per week,” the email states, before adding that the company leased 1,103 properties in the last financial year.

The email also includes two references, one from a landlord and another from a renter, which suggests there was no target demographic for the email.

A renter who received the email posted a screenshot to reddit, with the caption: “My rent just went up $400 a month and the agency sent me an email bragging about it.”

The email is accompanied with a photo of two young children jumping on a bed, having a pillow fight with smiles on their faces.

It’s caused a stir online, with both tenants and landlords disapproving of the email, and many left shocked after reading its contents.

“As an owner and provider that’s cringe. If my real estate (agent) boasted like that I’d be out,” one user said.

“I received the same email and had the same disgusted feeling, and I’m an owner (just not with them),” said another.

“That’s just disgusting. They are literally celebrating ripping off desperate people. It’s just deplorable,” a third commented.

Meanwhile others have raised concerns about how much the rent had increased by.

“Can they actually do that large an increase? I mean legally? What do they have in your lease on how it’s calculated? Fairly sure Tenants Victoria may have a bit more to say about it,” one user commented.

“How can a $225 rent increase be justified?” another user questioned. “Heck, even $98 is a lot.”

“So nuts. Ours tried to raise it by $90 a month which I thought was ridiculous and we just said no and they agreed to stay the same if we signed a 12-month lease,” another said.

News.com.au has contacted Ironfish for comment on the email.

According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, landlords are not allowed to increase rent during a fixed-term agreement unless stated otherwise, and have to give tenants at least 60 days’ notice.

The law doesn’t state how much a landlord can increase weekly repayments by however it should be changed in line with the consumer price index, average rent prices, by a fixed percentage or by a fixed dollar amount.

Renters also have the right to challenge their increase if they believe their repayments have been raised too high.

Despite the sharp increase stated in the email, data from CoreLogic suggests Melbourne has the cheapest rental market with a typical home costing a renter $480 a week.

The rising cost of living, low vacancy rates and increasing interest rates are some of the reasons why landlords are choosing to hike weekly rent repayments.

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Inflation: NYC shop Duane Reade locks up Spam in antitheft cases

Inflation: NYC shop Duane Reade locks up Spam in antitheft cases

It’s the nation’s crises in a can.

Inflation and crime have gotten so bad in New York that even cheap meat like Spam has to be locked up, the New York Post reports.

At Duane Reade’s store in the Port Authority bus station, the shelf-stable product — only $US3.99 ($5.70) a can — is now being stocked in plastic, antitheft cases.

“I’ve never seen that before!” one cashier laughed while using a magnet to remove a can of Spam from its cage from him.

The cashier was among the employees, tourists and store regulars stunned that the iconic blue-and-yellow cans are now being kept under lock-and-key — some even poking fun at the sight as “a sort of Jeff Koons homage,” per one viral tweet.

Jenny Kenny, 43, who was visiting from Kentucky, was aware of the ongoing crime waves hitting cities like New York and San Francisco, but still couldn’t believe the sight of “so many things in boxes.”

“Some of these things are pretty ridiculous,” she said.

As prices and crime skyrocket, New York City stores have taken to locking up staples like toothpaste and soap to prevent crooks from stealing and then hawking the products on the sidewalk or online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.

Yet some shoppers were confused why Spam, along with $US1.89 cans ($2.70) of StarKist tuna, was enclosed under plastic, while pricier foodstuffs like $US5.49 cans ($7.86) of Amy’s soup sat unencumbered.

“To put Spam in a cage is stupid — and kind of insulting to the customers that would buy it,” said shopper Dennis Snow, 46.

Snow said he doesn’t think Spam is being stolen to “sell it for crack,” but rather because the homeless in the area are looking for a quick and easy meal.

“Someone is stealing this because they need it,” agreed Delia Kemph, a 28-year-old teacher.

Employees at the store said thefts have been surging over the past two-plus years, with one estimating a minimum of four shoplifters every evening shift.

“I don’t think they stop anything,” Iggy, 21, a store clerk, said of the antitheft cases. “It’s security theatre. If you really needed it, you would stomp on it.”

The employee’s complaints were prescient — at around 7pm on Thursday, a man in a black tank top and gray sweatpants had an employee unlock the glass case for a $US38 ($54.40) electric razor, and then bolted with the appliance past a yellow-shirted security guard and out the door.

With inflation out of control — the consumer price index spiked 9.1 per cent in June compared to a year ago, even as President Joe Biden this week refused to acknowledge the nation is in a recession despite the economy contracting two quarters in a row — emboldened thieves have found a ready market for discounted stolen goods among recession-weary consumers.

Petty theft complaints for the New York Police Department’s Midtown South Precinct, which includes the Port Authority bus terminal, have shot up 52 per cent — to 1,771, through July 24 — compared to the same period last year.

Hormel CEO Jim Snee told analysts last month that prices for their legacy product were set to increase in late July to cover increased transportation, packaging and meat costs.

A spokeswoman for Walgreens, which owns Duane Reade, refused to say why Spam was locked down at this particular location, and that installing antitheft devices is done “in response to theft data.”

Liz Tawfik, 57, a home health attendant, complained that the added security measures are hampering the once-smooth shopping experience — and annoying customers like herself.

“If you’re gonna catch a train you wanna grab something quick, it’s not quick anymore,” she said. “You might as well have someone take your order at the door and get what you want.”

Not all drug stores have put Spam under lockdown.

Two other Duane Reades and a pharmacy in the Times Square area, along with two other stores in Central Harlem, sold their cans of Spam, cage-free.

Dariel Cepin, 23, an employee at a West 44th Street Duane Reade, said, “Here, we lock up ice cream.”

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission

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