Business briefs: National Research 23rd on market research list

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National Research Corp. has maintained a place on a nationwide ranking of marketing research firms.

The Lincoln company tied for 23rd place in the recently released 2008 Honomichl Top 50 report, which ranks the top players in the industry by research revenue.

Cincinnati-based Directions Research also won the 23rd spot. In 2007, both companies recorded U.S. research revenue of $37.2 million.

That’s a small climb for National Research, which was ranked 25th in last year’s report.

The firm, which has its headquarters at 1245 Q St., employs about 270 people in Lincoln.

Allegiant Air eyeing Grand Island service

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, which flies twice a week to Las Vegas from the Lincoln Airport, has expressed interest in offering similar service at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island.

The Grand Island Independent reported earlier this week that Allegiant sent a letter to the The Hall County Airport Authority expressing interest in providing twice-weekly flights from Grand Island to Las Vegas.

Allegiant, which was one of only two U.S. airlines to post a profit in the first quarter of this year, flies from mostly smaller airports to leisure destinations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando. It has been offering twice-weekly flights from Lincoln to Las Vegas since February 2006.

Federal student loan interest rates drop

Changes in the federal student aid program that took effect Tuesday will reduce interest rates for some students while increasing the amount they can borrow.

Among the biggest changes, the interest rate on new, subsidized Stafford loans to undergraduates drops from 6.8 percent to 6 percent. Subsidized Stafford loans are awarded to lower-income students, and the government picks up interest payments while they are in school.

The rates are slated to continue to decline in stages over the next five years, part of congressional measures approved last year to increase student aid.

Earlier this year, responding to tighter credit, Congress also approved $2,000-per-year increases in what students can borrow from unsubsidized Stafford loans, which students can take out regardless of income.

Meanwhile, as part of a regular annual resetting, borrowers with older, variable-rate Stafford or PLUS loans that they have not yet consolidated will see their rates drop by 3 percentage points.

Finally, maximum federal Pell Grants — the main direct-aid program for low-income college students — officially rise to about $4,730 per student.

American may cut more than 6,000 jobs

DALLAS — Many more job cuts, likely totaling more than 6,000, are likely at American Airlines as the nation’s biggest airline hunkers down and tries to survive record high fuel costs.

American notified its flight attendants union on Wednesday that it will cut up to 900 jobs starting Aug. 31, but that appears to be the tip of the iceberg.

Although American has not given a total figure, the airline says it expects to shed 8 percent of its work force. With about 85,500 workers, including those at sister airline American Eagle, that would represent more than 6,800 jobs.

— From staff and wire reports