GOOD DAY FOR: Middle-seat passengers, after United Airlines joined Southwest and a few other carriers in making overweight passengers buy two seats if they cannot fit in one and no alternative can be arranged. United said it received more than 700 complaints of “seat infringements” last year. European carrier discount Ryanair is taking a different approach, proposing a “fat tax” that presumably will charge heavier passengers a higher ticket price. (BusinessWeek)
BAD DAY FOR: New York freelancers, as the price of health insurance in the city has jumped so high that the average monthly premium for a family, $4,354, is now higher than rent on a two-bedroom apartment in the Financial District. The high rates follow years of healthy New Yorkers dropping out of the insurance pool, leaving the system increasingly full of costly sick beneficiaries. (New York Post)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for December 14Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a new White House flag, Venezuela negotiations, and more
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
