Boeing CEO grilled, American Airlines is sorry, and a new JetBlue freebie: Airlines news roundup
A Southwest Airlines plane nearly crashed into the Pacific Ocean this April, the company revealed internally. Boeing is having trouble finding a new CEO while its outgoing one got grilled in the Senate amid the fallout from a door plug blowout in January. And a competitor slowly emerges to the Boeing-Airbus planemaking duopoly. Plus: Find out which states have the naughtiest airline passengers.
Take a moment to catch up on the world of aviation.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing plane almost crashed into the Pacific Ocean
Another Southwest Airlines-operated Boeing plane was involved in a serious mid-air incident. Sky News reports that a 737 Max 8 being flown by the carrier came within 400 feet of running into the Pacific Ocean during a flight in Hawai’i.
U.S. airlines just keep losing money
For the fifth year in a row, the first quarter has been an unprofitable one for the airline industry.
Boeing’s CEO search is not going well
Boeing’s search for a new CEO does not appear to be going well. Several people once thought to be ideal candidates are spurning offers to run the plane manufacturer, the Wall Street Journal reports. That list reportedly includes Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace; Stephanie Pope, COO of Boeing; and Pat Shanahan, CEO of fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
The 5 states where flyers are the most ‘naughty’ — and the 5 least naughty
Most people go to the airport and behave decently toward their fellow passengers. Some people don’t, engaging instead in “naughty” behaviors. The website Solitaire Bliss asked survey respondents if they had encountered people who were doing stuff like leaving trash in the seatback pocket, passing gas, and asking to cut the line at airport security, and ranked them by how often they said “yes.”
Boeing’s culture is ‘far from perfect,’ CEO tells Congress as 737 Max crisis drags on
Outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun defended the company’s safety culture on Capitol Hill on Tuesday amid a flurry of regulatory scrutiny surrounding the aircraft manufacturer.
Embraer weighs the possibility of competing with Boeing and Airbus
A possible competitor to Boeing and Airbus continues to bide its time.
JetBlue’s cheapest fares are getting a new freebie
People flying the cheapest fares JetBlue Airways has to offer will soon be able to bring a free carry-on bag with them when they fly. Previously, flyers in “Blue Basic” class had to pay to extra for the privilege. The new policy will take effect starting September 6, regardless of when a flight was purchased.
A flying taxi app got the green light from the FAA
On-call flying taxis just took a step closer to reality. Joby, a manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOLs), just announced that the Federal Aviation Administration has given it the green light to develop software that could lead to a consumer-facing app.
American Airlines CEO apologizes for racist ‘body odor’ incident
The head of American Airlines has apologized for a January racial incident aboard one of his company’s planes. In a memo, CEO Robert Isom addressed the “body odor” incident that raised the ire of the NAACP.