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☆ F.A.A. Is Investigating Boeing Over 787 Dreamliner Inspections
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened a new investigation into Boeing after the plane maker told the regulator that it might have skipped required inspections involving the wings of some 787 Dreamliners. In a statement on Monday, the F.A.A. As part of its inquiry, the agency said it was looking into whether employees at the company may have falsified aircraft records. said that Boeing was reinspecting all Dreamliners still in production and that the company needed to create a plan to address aircraft already in service. will take any necessary action — as always — to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the statement said.

Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing

☆ Boeing Defends Safety of 787 Dreamliner After Whistle-Blower’s Claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Mark Walker | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing sought on Monday to reassure the public of the safety of its 787 Dreamliner plane days before a whistle-blower is scheduled to testify before Congress about his concerns regarding the jet’s structural integrity. The presentation came just under a week after The New York Times reported the allegations by the whistle-blower, Sam Salehpour, who works as a quality engineer at Boeing and is set to testify before a Senate panel on Wednesday. Mr. Salehpour said that sections of the fuselage of the Dreamliner, a wide-body plane that makes extensive use of composite materials, were not properly fastened together and that the plane could suffer structural failure over time as a result. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating his allegations. Mr. Salehpour’s claims instantly created another public-relations problem for Boeing, which has been facing intense scrutiny over its manufacturing practices after a panel came off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

Persons: Sam Salehpour, Salehpour, Salehpour’s Organizations: Boeing, New York Times, Federal Aviation Administration, Alaska Airlines Locations: North Charleston, S.C

☆ Spirit Airlines Will Delay Plane Purchases and Furlough Pilots
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Spirit Airlines said on Monday that it would delay delivery of new Airbus planes and furlough pilots to save money as it seeks to overcome several setbacks, including a blocked merger, engine problems and a lackluster recovery from the pandemic. Spirit and JetBlue gave up an effort to appeal that decision last month. Spirit plans to delay most of the Airbus planes it had expected to receive in 2025 and 2026 by about five years. It also said it expected to furlough about 260 pilots starting on Sept. 1. Those changes will help Spirit, which has lost money in each of the last four years, return to profitability, the company’s chief executive, Ted Christie, said.

Persons: Ted Christie Organizations: Spirit Airlines, Airbus, JetBlue Airways, Spirit, JetBlue

In February last year, a new Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane was on one of its first flights when an automated stabilizing system appeared to malfunction, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing soon after they took off. Less than two months later, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane with eight hours of total flight time was briefly grounded until mechanics resolved a problem with a fire detection system. And in November, an engine on a just-delivered United Airlines 737 Max failed at 37,000 feet. These incidents, which the airlines disclosed to the Federal Aviation Administration, were not widely reported. But since Jan. 5, when a panel on a two-month-old Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet blew off in midair, episodes like these have taken on new resonance, raising further questions about the quality of the planes Boeing is producing.

Persons: Max, ”, Joe Jacobsen Organizations: Southwest Airlines Boeing, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Max, Boeing Locations: Alaska

☆ 4 Takeaways About Boeing’s Quality Problems
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | Sydney Ember | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing has faced intense scrutiny and pressure since a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 shortly after the plane, an Alaska Airlines flight, took off on Jan. 5. The episode raised fresh questions about the quality of the planes the company produces several years after two Max 8 planes crashed, killing nearly 350 people. Interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees reveal longstanding concerns about quality, particularly as pressure increased to keep production going in the company’s factories. Now, Boeing faces an immense challenge as it seeks to make changes that improve the quality of its products and regain its credibility with lawmakers, regulators, airlines and the public. Current and former Boeing employees said that for years it felt as if quality took a back seat to keeping planes moving through its factories.

Persons: Max Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines

☆ Boeing C.E.O. to Step Down in Major Reshuffle at Embattled Plane Maker
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Sydney Ember | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing announced Monday that its chief executive, David Calhoun, would step down at the end of 2024 as part of a broad management shake-up, as the aircraft maker grapples with its most significant safety crisis in years. Boeing also announced that its chairman, Larry Kellner, would not stand for re-election. The board elected Steve Mollenkopf, an electrical engineer by training and the former chief executive of Qualcomm, as its new chairman. In that role, he will lead the process of choosing Boeing’s next chief executive. The management overhaul comes less than three months after a panel, known as a door plug, blew off a Boeing Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5.

Persons: David Calhoun, Stan Deal, Stephanie Pope, Larry Kellner, Steve Mollenkopf, Boeing’s Organizations: Boeing, Qualcomm, Boeing Max, Alaska Airlines

☆ United Airlines Faces Closer F.A.A. Scrutiny After Safety Incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Aviation Administration will scrutinize United Airlines’ operations more closely in coming weeks after a spate of recent safety incidents, the airline told employees in a memo on Friday. “We will begin to see more of an F.A.A. presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” Sasha Johnson, a vice president of corporate safety at the airline, said in the memo. said in a statement that it “routinely” monitored airline operations. The agency said it “focuses on an airline’s compliance with applicable regulations; ability to identify hazards, assess and mitigate risk; and effectively manage safety.”

Persons: “, ” Sasha Johnson, ” Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines

The Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into Boeing after a panel on one of the company’s planes blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight in early January, a person familiar with the matter said. to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.” Boeing had no comment. On Jan. 5, a panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines blew out in midair, exposing passengers to the outside air thousands of feet above ground. The panel is known as a “door plug” and is used to cover a gap left by an unneeded exit door.

Persons: ” Organizations: Department, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, ” Boeing, Max, National Transportation Safety Board

Quality concerns and production slowdowns. Boeing is an American institution that has contributed to the country’s place on the global stage. As business reporters at The New York Times, we have for years been covering Boeing and concerns over the quality of the planes it makes. We want to hear from people who work — or have worked — at Boeing or at companies, government agencies or other organizations that deal with Boeing about what the company is doing wrong or right. We will not publish any part of your submission without following up with you again to get your permission.

Organizations: Boeing, The New York Times, Airbus, Alaska Airlines Locations: American

Boeing said on Friday that it was in talks to acquire Spirit AeroSystems, a struggling supplier that the manufacturer spun out nearly two decades ago and that makes the bodies of the 737 Max jet. In reabsorbing Spirit, Boeing would be seeking to rescue and restructure a troubled but important partner that has been battered by years of losses and quality control problems. Spirit’s problems have also at times limited how fast Boeing can produce Max planes, its most popular commercial jet. Bringing Spirit, one of the company’s key suppliers, back in house would be a significant strategic shift for Boeing, which has long relied on outsourcing to make its planes. Experts say the episode could have been catastrophic had it happened at a higher altitude with passengers moving about the cabin.

Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines

The Justice Department is reviewing whether an early January incident in which a part of a Boeing plane blew out in midflight violated a 2021 agreement to settle a criminal charge against the company, according to a person familiar with the review. Boeing agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion to settle the charge, which stemmed from two fatal crashes of its 737 Max 8 planes. The Justice Department agreed to drop a criminal charge that was based on the actions of two employees who had withheld information from the F.A.A. There were no serious injuries, but the incident could have been catastrophic had it occurred minutes later, at a higher altitude. The panel is known as a “door plug,” which is used to cover a gap left by an unneeded exit door.

Persons: Trump Organizations: Boeing, Justice Department Locations: midflight, Portland ,

☆ Boeing’s Safety Culture Faulted by F.A.A. in New Report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A Federal Aviation Administration report released on Monday found flaws in Boeing’s safety culture while noting that the airplane manufacturer had made some improvements since two fatal crashes involving the 737 Max 8 jet in 2018 and 2019. The report, written by a group of experts convened a year ago at Congress’ behest, found that there was a “disconnect” between senior management and other employees at Boeing. The company, the panel found, has at times been “inadequate and confusing,” in the way it carried out its safety culture. said that it would “immediately begin a thorough review of the report” and take action on its recommendations as appropriate. “We will continue to hold Boeing to the highest standard of safety and will work to ensure the company comprehensively addresses these recommendations,” the agency said.

Persons: “ Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing

☆ Boeing 737 Max Official Is Out as Questions Linger on Mishap
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Sydney Ember | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing said on Wednesday that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. Ed Clark, the head of Boeing’s 737 Max program, which includes the Max 9, is leaving immediately, Stan Deal, the chief executive of the commercial airplanes unit, said in a memo to employees. Boeing, which also announced other leadership changes, has been under pressure from regulators, airlines and members of Congress to prove that it is committed to making safe planes. Boeing said recently that it was overhauling its quality control process, including increased inspections at the factory in Renton, Wash., where Mr. Clark oversaw Max production. Those crashes cost Boeing billions of dollars, damaged its image and attracted more scrutiny of the company from regulators worldwide.

Persons: Ed Clark, Stan Deal, Clark, Max Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Max Locations: Renton, Wash, Alaska

☆ ‘Not Where We Need to Be’: Boeing to Make Changes in Quality Control
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing said Monday that it would make changes to quality control processes after one of its 737 Max 9 jets lost a portion of its body during a nearly catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight this month. And Boeing will bring in an outside party to review its quality control program and suggest improvements. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Max 9 planes and said it would expand its scrutiny of Boeing. Inspections of the planes led Boeing to conclude that its manufacturing practices needed improvement. “To that end, we are taking immediate actions to bolster quality assurance and controls across our factories.”

Persons: Stan Deal, “ Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that it was expanding its scrutiny of Boeing, increasing oversight of the company with an audit of production of the 737 Max 9, a week after a panel in the body of one of those planes was blown out during flight. Later Friday night, the F.A.A. The agency said it needed more information on the inspection process before it could approve Boeing’s guidance for distribution. The grounded planes, 171 in total in the United States, will be not be cleared to fly again until they are inspected, which could take several days, though possibly a lot longer, once the F.A.A. United Airlines is the biggest U.S. user of the plane, though the jet makes up just 8 percent of the larger company’s fleet.

Persons: Boeing’s, Max Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Airlines Locations: United States

☆ Boeing Again Under Scrutiny After Latest 737 Max Problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-07 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A harrowing flight over the weekend is again forcing Boeing to confront concerns over its planes, particularly the 737 Max, already one of the most scrutinized jets in history. No one was seriously injured in the episode on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday night in which a portion of a 737 Max 9 fuselage blew out in midair, exposing passengers to howling wind. The plane landed safely, but the event, on a flight from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Calif., has spooked travelers and prompted immediate safety inspections on similar planes. Federal authorities focused attention on a mid-cabin door plug, which is used to fill the space where an emergency exit would be placed if the plane were configured with more seats.

Persons: Max Organizations: Boeing, Alaska Airlines Locations: Portland ,, Ontario, Calif

Alaska Airlines on Sunday announced plans to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal. The combined airline will maintain the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands but with a single operating platform, Alaska Airlines said in a news release. The company would provide service to 138 destinations, including nonstop flights to airports in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. For residents in Hawaii, the company would offer three times the current number of destinations from the state to destinations throughout North America, either nonstop or with one connection. “In Alaska Airlines, we are joining an airline that has long served Hawaii, and has a complementary network and a shared culture of service,” Peter Ingram, president and chief executive of Hawaiian Airlines, was quoted as saying in the news release.

Persons: ” Peter Ingram, Biden Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Sunday, Hawaiian Airlines, Department Locations: Americas, Asia, Australia, Hawaii, North America, “

Boeing is holding 85 Max planes in storage awaiting delivery to Chinese carriers, for which the planes were even painted years ago. Over the next two decades, Boeing projects, China will account for 20 percent of global airplane demand. This means China will need an estimated 6,500 single-aisle planes like the 737 Max and more than 1,500 larger, twin-aisle planes, such as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, Boeing said. The first Max passenger flight there was in January, and all 95 Max planes in China are now back in service. Boeing has also sold and delivered dozens of 777 freighters to customers in China in recent years.

Persons: Max Organizations: Boeing, Max, ICBC Leasing Locations: China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Dubai

☆ Sharp Drop in Airfares Cheers Inflation-Weary Travelers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The glut of deals suggests that the airline industry’s supercharged pandemic recovery may finally be slowing as the supply of tickets catches up and, on some routes, overtakes demand, which appears relatively robust. Consider the fares that Denise Diorio, a retired teacher in Tampa, Fla., recently scored. She spent less than $40 on flights to and from Chicago and paid just $230 for a round-trip ticket from New York to Paris and back, a trip she plans to take this month. “I’ve been telling all my friends, ‘If you want to go somewhere, get your tickets now,’” she said. The bargains she found may be exceptional, but Ms. Diorio is right that deals abound.

Persons: Airfares, Denise Diorio, “ I’ve, ’ ”, Diorio Locations: Tampa , Fla, Chicago, New York, Paris

Chris Caputo stood on the tarmac at Burlington International Airport in Vermont in early October and looked to the clouds in the distance. He had piloted military and commercial aircraft over a long career, racking up thousands of flight hours, but the trip he was about to take would be very different. Over the next 16 days, he and his colleagues flew the plane, an CX300 built by their employer, Beta Technologies, down the East Coast. They would make nearly two dozen stops to rest and recharge, flying through congested airspace in Boston, New York, Washington and other cities. When the journey came to an end in Florida, Beta handed the plane over to the Air Force, which will experiment with it over the next few months.

Persons: Chris Caputo, Caputo Organizations: Burlington International, Beta Technologies, Beta, Air Force Locations: Vermont, East Coast, Boston , New York, Washington, Florida

☆ Air Force Receives Its First Electric Air Taxi
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Air Force said on Monday that it had received its first electric passenger aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically, a milestone for the companies that hope to one day sell thousands of such vehicles to serve as air taxis. Joby Aviation, an air taxi start-up, delivered the aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, where the first supersonic flight took place. Joby, which is based in Santa Cruz, Calif., said that its electric aircraft is substantially quieter than helicopters or planes. The delivery is the first under an Air Force contract that Joby said was valued at up to $131 million and gives the government the option to receive up to nine aircraft. The Air Force and Joby will operate the vehicle, but Joby will still own the aircraft and receive both fixed and variable payments for hours flown.

Persons: Joby Organizations: Air Force, Joby Aviation, Edwards Air Force Base, NASA Locations: Southern California, Santa Cruz , Calif

The fastest train in the country outside of the Northeast began service between Miami and Orlando on Friday, connecting two major cities in car-loving Florida and testing whether private passenger rail can thrive in the United States. Tickets from Miami to Orlando start at $158 round trip for business class and $298 for first class, with discounts for families and larger groups. Brightline became the nation’s first private passenger rail to launch in a century when it started its service between Miami and West Palm Beach, where the company’s trains do not reach such high speeds, in 2018. If Brightline proves profitable in Florida, it could represent a turning point for American passenger rail. The last private intercity passenger train — the Rio Grande Zephyr, which connected Denver and Salt Lake City — shut down four decades ago.

Persons: Brightline Organizations: Northeast, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Salt Lake City —, Amtrak Locations: Miami, Florida, United States, West Palm, Rio, Denver, Salt Lake City

A new biography of Elon Musk portrays the billionaire entrepreneur as a complex, tortured figure whose brilliance is often overshadowed by his inability to relate on a human level to the people around him — his wives, his children and those on whom he relied to help build the space exploration and electric car businesses that made him the wealthiest man on Earth. Mr. Musk’s life so far — his difficult childhood in South Africa, his stormy romantic relationships, his success as a visionary who created SpaceX and Tesla, and his impetuous decision to buy Twitter — is detailed through scores of interviews with his family, friends, business associates and Mr. Musk himself. The book, which will be released on Tuesday, is by Walter Isaacson, the journalist whose previous works have chronicled the lives of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin. It opens with a quote from Mr. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who once said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Jobs, “, ” Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Apple Locations: South Africa

Ian killed 75 people in Lee County, nearly half of the statewide death toll of 149, officials said. At that point, the National Hurricane Center flagged the possibility of a storm surge covering much of Cape Coral and Fort Myers. Parts of Fort Myers Beach had a 40 percent chance of a six-foot-high storm surge, according to the surge forecasts. In Lee County officials said they were waiting to make an assessment the next morning. Officials expanded their evacuation order later in the morning, and by the middle of the afternoon, Lee County officials were more urgent in their recommendation.

Persons: Ian, Lee County, Ron DeSantis, Lee, Fort Myers, ” Organizations: National Hurricane Service, National Hurricane Center, Fort Myers, Facebook Locations: Florida, Tampa, Fort Myers, Lee County, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, State, Coral, Fort, Cape Coral, Neighboring Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Charlotte, Sarasota County, Lee

☆ American Airlines Pilots Ratify Contract Offering Big Raises
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | More About Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pilots at American Airlines approved a contract on Monday that will increase pilot compensation by more than 46 percent and includes other benefits and changes. Under the contract, the pay of pilots at the company immediately increased by an average of 21 percent upon ratification. By August 2027, total compensation will have increased by more than 46 percent, including pay raises and increased retirement contributions by the airline. Across the industry, pilots have negotiated big raises and other gains, including greater protection against last-minute schedule changes. At the top end of the profession, pilots who fly long international flights typically earn several hundred thousand dollars a year.

Persons: ”, Ed Sicher Organizations: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Allied Pilots Association

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