While American carriers are busy finding ways to keep their current planes in flight, Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has launched a 14-hour flight from Dubai to New York on their brand new Airbus A380. The plane uses 20 percent less fuel than other planes built to hold almost 500 passengers.

Most of the 489 seats are in coach (average tickets cost $1,477), 76 seats are business-class ($9,571), and the 14 first-class private suites ($14,635) are luxurious in every sense of the word. First-class passengers get some privacy thanks to electronic doors, can freshen up before landing by taking a five minute in-flight shower, stay refreshed with a personal mini-bar, entertain themselves with a 23-inch high-definition TV screen, and eat whenever they please with on-demand service. Get a closer look at the expensive amenities in the gallery below!

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Selecting the best college for you is an extensive process of weighing various pros and cons, and a new compensation study by PayScale Inc. may introduce another factor into the equation. The year-long study involved reviewing 1.2 million workers with bachelor's degrees from 300 American schools and at least 10 years of work experience, and excluded anyone with advanced degrees.

PayScale's data concluded that bachelor's degree holders from non-Ivy schools earn less than Ivy League graduates for doing the same job. Discover more about how college choice affects salary, including which school's graduates earn the highest wages, when you read more

Is there anything in your wardrobe or household that you're confident will stand the test of time? An MSN Money article called "Should you skimp . . . or splurge?" doubts our ability to judge the value of quality things, and points out that our preference for disposable goods is related to credit cards. Dayana Yochim, a writer at The Motley Fool, brings up some interesting points.

Credit cards let us instantly satisfy our retail desires. Our grandparents had to delay that gratification. They figured that if they had to save for it, they'd better get the best they could. Now retailers want to catch that fleeting desire. We're looking at pricing before quality.

The article offers some suggestions on where to skimp by purchasing items that aren't the best of their kind, and where to splurge by investing money in items that will last.

• Splurges: Mattress, eight-inch chef's knife, overcoat.
• Skimp: Men's dress shirts (as long as the suit is well-tailored), women's shirts (especially the trendy stuff), accent chair, table linens.

Do you agree with the article's recommendations? Where do you usually skimp or splurge?

To understand what's happening with the dollar right now, you need only walk around the shopping centers of cities like New York and San Francisco. At first glance you'd think that Americans were busy blowing their dollars on whatever they please, but given a closer listen, you'll find these shoppers aren't American at all — they're European.

The New York Times examined the reactions of some Manhattanites who have come down with a collective case of Euro-envy this Summer, as they jealously watch European shoppers have at the city. The dollar's weakness compared to some currencies abroad has allowed travelers earning even modest incomes to enjoy all New York has to offer.

One 30-year-old New Yorker explained his feelings about his purchasing power: "It’s Psych 101 — jealousy. I’m jealous that I can’t go to Italy and buy 12 Prada bags, but they can come here and buy 18 of them." Another woman said her European friends visit New York and treat it like it's Candyland. While some New Yorkers are apparently a little bitter, all of the international traffic can only be good for the economy and for business owners who are able to profit.

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