Stock Market Update
April 3, 2026
UPGRADES
Does it matter where you sit if you’re sipping Champagne in first class? United Airlines is betting that for some travelers looking for luxury at a discount, it doesn’t.
The carrier is launching new, cheaper tiers for its top-end Polaris and premium economy cabins that come with many of the same perks — but plenty of restrictions too.
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Starting this spring, United will offer “Base” Polaris fares which will include a spot in the airline’s long-haul business class cabins featuring lie-flat seats, but will charge those customers extra for advanced seat selection.
The new ticket class will also come with only one checked bag instead of two, and with access to the United Club airport lounge but not the higher-end Polaris lounge, which include showers and other plush features. Ticket changes aren’t allowed.
DOWNGRADES
As the Iran war pushes jet fuel prices higher, well-heeled travelers are facing hefty surcharges to fly private, sometimes on flights booked months prior, charter brokers and aviation insiders told CNBC.
Vimana Private Jets CEO Ameerh Naran said the firm recently booked a $520,000 flight from Dubai to London on a Boeing business jet for a client. That same trip cost the client $400,000 in 2023. The difference was entirely due to jet fuel prices — which now average about $4.65 a gallon globally — Naran said.
It’s yet another ripple in the recent disruptions to air travel.
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More customers turned to private air travel during the pandemic to avoid crowds. The option remains popular and has become more important to the aviation sector as wealthier households prop up spending in travel and other sectors.
NEWS
he U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
February’s number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.
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The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%, though that was largely from a sharp reduction in the labor force.