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Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday November 20, 2014
Nov 20, 2014

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday November 20, 2014

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On today's show: President Barack Obama speaks tonight on his plans to change America's immigration rules; executive orders that he believes do not need Congressional approval. Perhaps five million deportations might be stopped. More details will emerge tonight, but first, we take a closer look at who this could affect, and what it might mean for them. Plus, with air fares remaining high, road trips are likely going to be the preferred mode of travel this Thanksgiving. We also look at the price difference between flying and driving, and how these shifts impact people's holiday travel decisions. And there's this term "digerati," meaning the folks most handy with all that is digital, online, and mobile. Visualize for a moment a digerata or digeratus … How old were you thinking?  A 20-something, or maybe a 30-something with a pork pie hat? But what about retirees? 

 

Segments From this episode

With low gas prices, Thanksgiving travel hits the road

Nov 20, 2014
AAA releases its holiday travel forecast on Thursday. The big takeaway: lots more people will be hitting the road this Thanksgiving, due in no small part to plummeting gas prices. Drivers aren't alone with their lower fuel expenses—The airline industry saved $1.6 billion in fuel costs this past year; meanwhile, airfares have gone up. During the holiday season, the vast majority of people will travel by car. "Usually accounting for about 85 to 90 percent of all travelers," says AAA spokesperson Heather Hunter. For people taking incredibly long trips, or very short trips, the choice to fly or drive is clear. "But it is the medium length trips, say between 200 and 1,000 miles, where it gets more complicated," says Jon Lal is the CEO of befrugal.com and the creator of <a href="http://www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/">Fly or Drive calculator</a>, which takes into account lots of factors. For example: Will you need a rental car if you fly? Are you checking bags? What are current gas prices and how much wear and tear will the trip put on your car? Dan Sniadoski lives in Seattle. He’s been invited to Thanksgiving dinners at his mom’s place in Montana and at a friend’s house in Portland. "And I still haven't made up my mind if I’m going to travel, and if I do, where am I going to go," he says. Flying is out of the question; he can’t afford last minute airfare. So at this point, his decision comes down to whether to spend the holidays with friends or family.
People descend into Pennsylvania Station to board trains on the busiest travel day of the year November 27, 2013 in New York City.
John Moore/Getty Images

Falling oil won't mean huge savings on home heating

Nov 20, 2014
Winter has got an early grip on the country.
A woman bundles up against the cold. Cold temperatures are already striking hard in the midwest and northeast parts of the country.
(Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

PODCAST: Pirates off the coast of West Africa

Nov 20, 2014
Inflation misleads, a new Senate report, and pirates off the coast of West Africa

On today’s show: President Barack Obama speaks tonight on his plans to change America’s immigration rules; executive orders that he believes do not need Congressional approval. Perhaps five million deportations might be stopped. More details will emerge tonight, but first, we take a closer look at who this could affect, and what it might mean for them. Plus, with air fares remaining high, road trips are likely going to be the preferred mode of travel this Thanksgiving. We also look at the price difference between flying and driving, and how these shifts impact people’s holiday travel decisions. And there’s this term “digerati,” meaning the folks most handy with all that is digital, online, and mobile. Visualize for a moment a digerata or digeratus … How old were you thinking?  A 20-something, or maybe a 30-something with a pork pie hat? But what about retirees?