Plus: D-Day speech | Friday, June 07, 2024
| | | | | | | Presented By Amazon | | | | Axios PM | | By Mike Allen · Jun 07, 2024 | | Ladies and gentlemen: The weekend. Today's newsletter, edited by Alex Fitzpatrick, is 489 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing. | | | | | | 1 big thing: ✈️ Summer travel — on a budget | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Fierce airline competition could mean lower fares for travelers who don't mind roughing it this summer, Alex writes. - Delta, United and American are pushing cheap, no-frills tickets to fight back against ultra-low-cost rivals Frontier and Spirit, Bloomberg reports.
- The big airlines hope discount flyers will "buy up" to more expensive tickets, with benefits like seat selection, free carry-ons and more.
Yes, but: The ultra-cheap carriers are responding with novel offerings. - Frontier flyers can now pay extra for more legroom, priority deboarding and — hallelujah! — a guaranteed empty middle seat.
- "We're actually quite encouraged by its performance," Frontier president James Dempsey said of the option, UpFront Plus, during the company's most recent earnings call.
Meanwhile, newer budget carriers like Avelo and Play are trying to break in via smaller airports outside major cities. - Play just announced service to Croatia, Marrakech and more from Stewart International Airport — JFK and LaGuardia's oft-forgotten little cousin up in the Hudson Valley.
The bottom line: Despite high airfares broadly speaking, it's still possible to fly on the cheap — if you don't mind a no-frills flight. |     | | | | | | 2. Biden: "Democracy begins with each of us" | | President Biden delivers a speech near the monument at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy today. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images President Biden defended the power and value of democracy during a speech today in Pointe du Hoc, where allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France in World War II, Axios' Ivana Saric reports. - "American democracy asks the hardest of things: to believe that we're a part of something bigger than ourselves. So democracy begins with each of us," Biden said.
Biden also drew a parallel between the fight against fascism 80 years ago and the need today to defend democracy around the world. - "Does anyone doubt that they would want America to stand up against Putin's aggression here in Europe today" or to "vanquish hateful ideologies of today?" Biden asked.
Go deeper. | | | | | | | | A message from Amazon | | Amazon's suite of services helps small businesses thrive | | |  | | | | Jarred and Brandon Smith are using Amazon's services, like Fulfillment by Amazon and Subscribe and Save, to grow their energy drink empire, NOOMA. More info: "The great thing about Amazon is it's a la carte," Jarred Smith says. "It's easy to pick what works best for us." Find out more. | | | | | | 3. Catch me up | | A visitor takes a photo of a thermometer in Death Valley yesterday. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images - 🌡️ "Dangerously hot" conditions from California to Texas may peak today, though extreme heat will continue. Go deeper.
- 📈 The U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs in May, while unemployment edged up to 4% (from 3.9%). Go deeper.
- 💰 Justice Clarence Thomas officially disclosed two 2019 trips paid for by a Republican megadonor. Go deeper.
| | | | | | | | 4. ⚠️ Beware of gift card scams | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios Retailers are struggling to rein in gift card scammers, Axios' Sam Sabin reports. - Americans lost at least $217 million to gift card scams last year, the FTC says — and many victims are too embarrassed to report being targeted.
Some gift card scams start with texts from people pretending to be tech support, your boss or a government agent. - Eventually, scammers will ask you to buy gift cards on their behalf and text them the barcode number.
The big picture: Gift cards, like cryptocurrencies, give scammers easy access to difficult-to-trace money. - Because most gift cards are offered through third-party brands, it's hard for retailers to tell how and where the money was spent.
Go deeper ... get Axios Codebook. | | | | | | | | A message from Amazon | | Amazon helps small businesses grow | | |  | | | | When Daniel and Eileen started their local houseplant business, they struggled to find customers. Amazon's marketing tools helped them grow their business beyond their hometown of Apopka, Florida. Key number: More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers. Learn more. | | |  | Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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