Consumer Catch-up: Equifax credit monitoring deadline, Southwest Hawaii flights, Plastic bottle cap ban

SAN FRANCISCO -- Free credit monitoring deadline this week

Time is running out to get free credit monitoring by Equifax. The last day to sign up is this Wednesday.

You may remember Equifax suffered a massive data breach, 145 million Americans are at risk of identity theft. Fifteen million here in California alone.

Equifax is offering a free year of monitoring to those it believes were affected, and is also opening up the offering for those who weren't.

Southwest still planning flights to Hawaii

Airlines are competing and that means better prices ahead for air travelers, especially those flying to Hawaii.

Southwest says its plan to begin flights to Hawaii is on track, but it's unclear whether those flights will begin at the end of this year, or early next year.

The timing largely depends on when the Federal Aviation Administration approves Southwest's application to offer long flights over water. The new routes will depart from California.

State lawmakers considering plastic cap ban

Detachable caps on plastic bottles could become a thing of the past, under a measure headed for a vote in the assembly this week. The bill requires all plastic caps to be tethered to bottle by the year 2020.

Lawmakers say the caps are often found littered on public land and beaches and pose a severe threat to fish and other marine life.

The beverage industry opposes the measure, saying manufacturers aren't equipped to make the change yet. Proponents disagree, saying tethered bottle caps are only a slightly modified version of existing caps.

Click here for a look at more stories by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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