Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

Frequent-flyer programs of the top four U.S. airlines, including Chicago’s United Airlines, are being investigated. The Department of Transportation has launched the probe to determine whether the programs involve deceptive or anti-competitive practices by the airlines. The investigation will also look into programs at American, Delta and Southwest. The Department of Transportation has ordered the airlines to submit records about their rewards programs, which generate billions of dollars annually for the carriers. The feds also want to see any customer complaints received by the airlines. In some cases, the rewards programs generate more revenue than flight operations. The programs encompass credit card, consumer incentive, loyalty and frequent flier programs.

Also, American Airlines says it will launch flights from Chicago to Madrid next year. Listen for more below: