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Spring Break Travel; iFarmer In Bangladesh; Softball Player Scores In Trick Play. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired March 29, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Coy Wire here. Wishing a wonderful Wednesday to you. I know we`re just halfway through the week, but
we`re going to keep on grinding and shining, looking to be a little better today than we were yesterday.
Now we are looking to the skies for our lead story today for the latest news on travel. March and April, they`re considered peak season for spring
break travel in America, and industry officials expect that upwards of 150 million people will fly during that two-month window alone.
Travel is so busy during this time that officials at major spring break destinations like Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles are
asking passengers to arrive three hours early to the airport.
One of our CNN 10 producers, Maya, said that she`d never seen security so packed at LaGuardia Airport in New York when she flew over the weekend. But
tourism experts say that travel during this year`s spring break actually isn`t even as bad as it could have been.
Bad flying experiences from last year have made some people skeptical about flying. Canceled flights and missed layovers left hundreds of thousands of
travelers stranded. A series of close calls on runways has left some worried about their safety. And staffing shortages of aircraft technicians,
flight dispatchers and pilots have some folks worrying about the efficiency of airlines and airports.
So given all that, experts say that some travelers are playing it safe this year. Staying close to home. We`ll hear now from CNN Correspondent Pete
Muntean with tips for traveling from experts and passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Spring break travel is soaring back to normal and renewing worry that your flight could be canceled.
Meltdowns plagued the FAA in January. Southwest airlines over the holidays and industry wide last summer.
GEOFF FREEMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO, U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION: The air travel system is under great stress.
MUNTEAN: The Federal Aviation Administration is already warning of a shortage of air traffic controllers that could cause increased delays. At
New York`s three major airports this summer, there a key air traffic control facility is at only 54% staffing.
FREEMAN: We`re seeing it with delays, we`re seeing with cancellations and that is leading some travelers to say, you know what, I would travel more
if we could fix that air travel experience.
MUNTEAN: The latest figures from travel site Hopper show many travelers are concerned about flight disruptions. 20% of Hopper`s spring break
travelers are buying extra trip protection. That`s on top of rising airfare up 4%, Hopper says, compared to 2019.
KEN DANIELS, TRAVELER: They were quite pricey this time of year. I guess due to spring break and due to what`s going on in the economy.
BYRON WITHERSPOON, TRAVELER: They go up one day, they go down the next day. Just be diligent and be on point and when you see that good price, you
won`t hit the button.
MUNTEAN: Even still industry figures say 158 million Americans will fly for spring break. That`s an average of 2.6 million travelers each day.
HAYLEY BERG, LEAD ECONOMIST, HOPPER: We`re expecting this spring break to likely break records for number of travelers who are getting out there and
how much they`re spending given the huge demand coming out of the pandemic.
MUNTEAN: The top destinations Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Miami where the airport says demand is 20% higher than 2019. So high that
officials are asking you to show up three hours before a domestic flight instead of the typical two hours.
GREG CHIN, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: There are very few off-peak times right now for us. We have been the best alternative to leaving the country
since COVID.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten second trivia.
What country shown here is located between India and Myanmar?
Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos or Nepal?
Home to over 165 million people, Bangladesh is the country shown on the map.
A tech company is looking to bring a technology called iFarmer to farmers in Bangladesh, which provides them with financial resources and advice. The
company`s mission is to empower the farmers to yield more from the same amount of land. The catch is that investors in the technology charge the
farmers a commission on their output, and that could be seen as taking advantage of those doing the hard labor. We`ll learn more now about the
software, which is said to have furthered the livelihood of 17 million farming households.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here along the banks of the Jamuna River, around 100 miles northwest of Bangladesh`s capital, Dhaka, Hanufa Bibi farms chili
peppers and corn.
Yield is low recently, she says, due to changing weather conditions. But the 35-year-old farmer is looking to technology for solutions, an app
called iFarmer.
HANUFA BIBI, FARMER (through translator): After iFarmer help we`ve had a good experience. We`ve got a good yield of corn, a good harvest, and we are
profiting well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: iFarmer hopes to further the livelihoods of Bangladesh`s 17 million farming households.
FAHD IFAZ, FOUNDER AND CEO, IFARMER: iFarmer is an agri-tech company that provides farmers with access to finance, access to advisory services, and
we help farmers to take their produce to the market.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Established in 2019, the startup scaled rapidly from a team of four to over 250 employees today, facilitating more than $19
million in small loans for farmers across the country, so far, they say.
Agriculture is a vital part of Bangladesh`s economy. Nearly half of the country`s population is employed in the industry, with more than 70% of its
land used for farming. However, farming`s contribution to GDP is in decline.
25-year-old corn farmer, Jahidul Islam (ph), says the startup helped him set up a bank account and apply for a loan of around $470. And use soil
sensors to give him personalized information about his crops. At the nearby iFarmer Center, Islam can also get advice on farming and purchase seeds,
pesticides and fertilizers.
iFarmer opened 100 of these centers, which it says supports more than 87,000 farmers using its platform. The startup plans to launch 1000 centers
by the end of the year, with the hope of supporting half a million farmers by 2025.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10 is a real catch. A women`s high school softball game in Texas took an unexpected turn when a base runner
dodged and danced and pulled off an unbelievable prank on the catcher. It`s not all that off base to say that this is an all-time must-see base running
fake. Jeanne Moos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Forget strikeouts, this was a fake out. Jada Walton from Carthage High School in East Texas headed for
home plate, almost got tagged out and then pointed to first base.
It`s the classic made you look, look over there. The oldest trick in the book. And take another look.
JADA WALTON, CARTHAGE SENIOR: I really had no idea what to do. I was really just goofing around because I thought I was going to be out.
MOOS: Jada made it to home plate using the technique some use to steal food off a plate. The same Russ Marty used to sucker punch biff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa biff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
MOOS: And Back to the future that Arnold deployed --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elephant.
MOOS: -- who escape in Last Action Hero Inside Edition dubbed Jada.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Houdini of Softball.
MOOS: Even Major League Baseball gushed, you must see this all-time great base running fake out. As for those who said, the catcher deserves to be
benched, Jada cried foul. I probably would have fell for it. Anybody would because she is really like a good player. Like she`s the best on the team.
MOOS: By the way, Carthage won the game seven to five. And Jada won, bragging right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Now that was awesome. We love when you touch base with us. It`s #yourwordwednesday. So, follow me at Coy Wire on Instagram, Snapchat and
TikTok and put your unique vocab word in the comments section of my most recent post. And we`re going to choose one fun one to work into tomorrow`s
show.
Last week`s vocab word was from Mr. Tros (ph) class at Dwight D. Eisenhower in West Berlin. Halcyon, meaning happier, peaceful times of the past.
Now, for a special shout out, let`s go to Michigan, Fruitport, Michigan and say, what`s up, Fruitport Middle School, rise up. Thanks for all the love.
Love right back at you. See you tomorrow, everyone.
I`m Coy Wire, and we are CNN 10.
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