American Airlines strike looms, Southwest vs. activist Elliott, more Boeing woes: Airlines news roundup
Flight attendants at American Airlines are picketing ahead of a possible strike. Boeing got no orders for its 737 Max planes for the second month in a row. A hedge fund wants Southwest Airlines’s CEO out, but he says he’s not going. Plus, rankings of U.S. airlines by passenger volume and legroom.
Take a moment to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of airlines.
Singapore Airlines will compensate passengers on a flight that hit deadly turbulence
Singapore Airlines will be offering money to passengers who were on an especially turbulent flight last month.
‘We could potentially mess up an airplane’: Boeing has to train thousands of new workers to build safe planes
After a piece of fuselage fell off a Boeing 737 Max 9 earlier this year, the company has been working harder to strengthen its safety culture through training. The Wall Street Journal reports that a wave of pandemic-era retirements among its workforce meant that the people putting planes together were younger and less experienced in the field, with executives saying that led to production problems.
The 10 U.S. airlines that carry the most passengers
United States-based airlines carried more than 941 million people to various international and domestic destinations last year, according to data from the Department of Transportation. The data enthusiasts at StatsPanda recently looked into the stats to figure out which carriers had the largest chunks of that total.
American Airlines flight attendants might go on strike soon. Here’s what to know
American Airlines could soon have a strike on its hands. Negotiations to prevent it are ongoing.
Boeing sold only 4 new planes last month — and zero 737 Max jets
Boeing is still having a rough go of things as it tries to build itself back up after its door-plug blowout scandal. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the plane manufacturer only recorded four new orders for its passenger jets in May, with none of them being for the company’s 737 Max moneymakers. That would be the second month in a row in which that model received no new orders.
Southwest Airlines CEO says he’s not quitting after an activist investor told him to get lost
It looks like the activist hedge fund that is trying to force changes at Southwest Airlines has a fight on its hands. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told reporters that if Elliott Management wants him out of the company, they will have to find a way to fire him.
The U.S. airlines with the most legroom — and the least
When people get on an airplane, they like having enough room to be comfortable. But not all airlines have the same amount of room. The travel news website Upgraded Points pored over data about how much legroom is on each of the big U.S. airlines and ranked them.
American Airlines flight attendants are picketing at 30 airports before a potential strike
Flight attendants for American Airlines picketed Thursday at 30 airports across the United States and in Guam to raise pressure on the airline’s management to finish negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement and avert a strike. The demonstrations will take place at many major airports, including LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Los Angeles International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Boeing oversight was ‘too hands-off’ before the 737 Max crisis, FAA chief says
The increased federal government scrutiny of Boeing in the wake of its door plug blowout scandal continues apace.
Boeing is ‘too big to fail,’ Bank of America says
Boeing is in a lot of trouble after a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 Max 9 plane, but a Bank of America analyst says the plane maker is “too big to fail” and that the challenges in front of it are not too big to overcome. It and Airbus are the only players able to field orders for commercial jetliners, and that should make it easier for Boeing to survive.