By Jackie Varriano From The Seattle Times SEATTLE — “Service sucks now.” It’s a phrase I’ve heard uttered a lot the past two years. When pressed, the person might say it was because service was slow or harried, there wasn’t enough — or too much — conversation, they felt ignored, or the server hovered too…

WASHINGTON—A measure of U.S. services industry activity dropped to a one-year low in February and employment contracted, suggesting that a slowdown in economic growth at the end of 2021 persisted beyond the disruption from the winter wave of COVID-19 cases. The Institute for Supply Management said on Thursday its non-manufacturing activity index fell to 56.5…

AirAsia Aviation Group on Wednesday unveiled plans for a low-cost air ridesharing service in Southeast Asia after signing a non-binding deal with lessor Avolon for at least 100 Vertical Aerospace VX4 electric vehicles. Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia parent Capital A, said flights could start by 2025, with regulators in Malaysia and Singapore likely…

WASHINGTON—A measure of U.S. services industry activity dropped to an 11-month low in January as a resurgence in COVID-19 infections hurt demand at high contact businesses and kept workers at home. The Institute for Supply Management said on Thursday its non-manufacturing activity index fell to 59.9 last month, the lowest reading since February 2021, from…

TOKYO—Japan’s services sector activity contracted at the fastest pace in five months in January in a sign businesses faced pressure from a record surge in new coronavirus infections due to the Omicron variant. The world’s third-largest economy has seen COVID-19 cases surge in recent weeks, forcing the government to roll out tougher curbs across much…

The recovery of the UK service sector regained momentum last month as Omicron coronavirus restrictions and case numbers eased back, according to new figures. The closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services PMI survey scored 54.1 in January, bouncing back from a 10-month low of 53.6 in December. Any score above 50 shows growth in the sector….

Federal safety officials are directing operators of some Boeing planes to adopt extra procedures when landing on wet or snowy runways near impending 5G service because, they say, interference from the wireless networks could mean that the planes need more room to land. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday that interference could delay systems…

From delayed ambulances to police shortages, Canadian public agencies hit hard by COVID-19 worker absences have cut back on service, rearranged staff or warned the public that emergency responses may be disrupted. Over the weekend, paramedics in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, said there were briefly no ambulances available to respond to emergencies. The city said…

TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. said on Tuesday it will launch a service next year offering customization and updates for cars as customers increasingly hold on to their vehicles for longer. The service, known as Kinto Factory, will start in late January and offer new safety features, refreshed interiors, and software upgrades to car computer systems. Toyota…

Hats off to all blue-collar workers!