Boeing junk, United gets fed up, JetBlue moves on: Airlines news roundup
Airlines have had a rough week. Namely, Boeing’s troubles have created a headwind for all of the companies that rely on its aircrafts, but that’s not all troubling the industry.
Check out the slideshow above for those and more highlights (or should we say, lowlights) from the week in airlines news.
Boeing is getting closer to junk bond status
Boeing got dealt another reputational blow, but not because of something one of its planes did. Instead it’s because the credit ratings agency Fitch announced that it was affirming the rating for plane maker’s long-term default risk but downgrading the outlook on that rating to “stable” from “positive.” A small change that speaks volumes.
Boeing to 787 pilots: Your seats might move mid-flight
After a LATAM Airlines flight threw passengers to the ceiling of a Boeing 787 and injured 50 when a pilot unexpectedly slammed forward into their controls, the plane manufacturer sent a memo to other 787 pilots to make sure their seats are secure before taking off.
United Airlines is tired of waiting for Boeing planes and might replace them with Airbus
It turns out that one of the many airlines frustrated with Boeing’s continued production delays is channeling those feelings into action. United Airlines is close to signing at least 36 leases for the A321neo, the Airbus model that competes with Boeing’s 737 Max 10.
Boeing is frustrating the CEOs of American Airlines, Southwest, and more. They’re trying to be diplomatic
A a gaggle of airline CEOs put on their best face at a conference this week to make their case to investors in the general public about the future of their respective companies.
JetBlue wants to get past ‘3 years of distraction’ after the failed Spirit merger. Here’s how
What do you call it when you initiate a $3.8 billion hostile takeover of a rival company, get them to abandon a merger they had been planning with a different company, give up a sweet longtime revenue-sharing agreement with a business partner, get sued by the government, then abandon your takeover plans because a judge said you’d have controlled too much of the market?
A mysterious United Airlines ‘maintenance incident’ was its 6th problem flight in a week
United Airlines is having a rough go of it lately. On Tuesday morning, a flight that was heading to San Francisco from Sydney, Australia had to dump a bunch of fuel and turn around after a mysterious “maintenance issue.” An fuller explanation hasn’t been given yet, but a plane spotter, according to footage acquired by NBC Bay Area, caught fluid appearing to spray from the plane’s landing gear. It was the sixth safety incident involving a United plane within the span of a week.
33 delayed Boeing planes have Southwest Airlines rethinking its entire fiscal year
The line of airlines waiting on delayed Boeing planes is getting longer by the day. The latest company to enter the queue is Southwest Airlines, which informed investors that it will be “reevaluating all prior full year 2024 guidance” because it won’t be getting nearly as many aircraft as it had been expecting this year.
Delta Air Lines might get some of its Boeing planes 2 years late because of safety delays
Another airline is grumbling about its problems with Boeing 737 Max 10. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the company doesn’t expect to receive its deliveries of the planes until 2027, up to two years later than it had previously expected.