In May 2024, the DOJ decided that Boeing violated its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement put in place following the 737 MAX fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.听 聽聽

reported that two people familiar with proceedings said that Boeing and the DOJ are in talks about a resolution, but no final decisions have been made.听聽

Under the 2021 agreement, Boeing was forced to pay a $2.5 billion settlement and agree to abide by several conditions in the future.    

The DOJ found that Boeing violated that agreement when a plug door separated from an Alaska Airlines 737-8 MAX on January 5, 2024, just two days before it was set to expire.   

The DOJ has until July 7, 2024, to inform a judge how it wishes to proceed. Boeing has denied it has violated the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.   

According to Reuters, one resolution that would not involve criminal charges includes a fine and a third-party being used to monitor Boeing精东影业 compliance.  

A criminal conviction against Boeing could complicate existing deals its defense segment has with the US government. 

On June 19, 2024, families of some of the victims that perished in the 737 MAX crashes urged the DOJ to fine the planemaker $24 billion and move ahead with criminal prosecution.听 聽聽

In a letter sent to the DOJ, Paul Cassel, a lawyer representing 15 families, said the large fine was justified because Boeing精东影业 鈥渃rime is the deadliest corporate crime in US history鈥� and therefore 鈥渓egally justified and clearly appropriate鈥�.听 聽

Boeing reallocates engineering staff to accelerate aircraft deliveries

• Aircraft

byClement Charpentreau

2024-06-21

The airline精东影业 new home at SFO opened its check-in gates and systems to passengers on June 19, 2024, following a two-year relocation period from Terminal 2.

It精东影业 opening day, and we鈥檙e so excited to welcome you to our brand-new home in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at . 馃コ Enjoy an all-new check-in experience that鈥檒l get you on your way to the gate in 5 minutes or less. We鈥檒l see you in Terminal 1! Learn more:

— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir)

The complete transition to Harvey Milk Terminal 1, including the opening of the airline精东影业 lounge, is set to take place in July 2024. 

Alaska Airlines鈥� multi-million dollar investment to move to Harvey Milk Terminal 1 has made it the largest operating carrier in the terminal.

Alaska said the move has allowed the airline to be closer to fellow oneworld airline members and additional global partners and will provide guests with seamless connectivity to their next domestic or international flight. 

The airline said its transition to Harvey Milk Terminal 1 has come just in time for its busiest travel months of the year.

Alaska Airlines is also the first airline at the terminal to debut the use of automated bag drops to process checked bags. 

鈥淥ur new home in San Francisco International Airport精东影业 Harvey Milk Terminal 1 delivers a world class experience that our guests will love while supporting our goals of innovation, sustainability and long-term growth,鈥� Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of fleet and real estate at Alaska Airlines, said in a statement.

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to make this move for the approximately 5 million passengers we serve at SFO each year and that this positions us for future growth at our largest hub in California,鈥� Jones said.

The $30 million relocation project to Harvey Milk Terminal 1 is part of Alaska Airlines鈥� larger $3 billion infrastructure investment to enhance the guest experience at major hubs along the West Coast of the US. 

The airline also said it will be moving into the brand-new, bolder and brighter lobby at Portland International Airport (PDX) in August 2024. 

A complete overhaul of Alaska Airlines gates at Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),where Alaska is the primary airline, will be completed by the end of July 2024.

Embraer精东影业 EVE raises $94M in fresh capital through private share placement 聽聽

• Aviation Economics & Finance
• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byMiquel Ros

2024-07-01

From June 13, 2024, flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) will restart, connecting Alaska with the Big Apple.  

While operating over the summer, the route between New York and Anchorage will become Alaska Airlines‘ longest route on its network.  

Alaska has scheduled the 3,385 mile route with its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, with the flight expected to take around seven hours.  

According to Alaska the new seasonal route, which will operate until August 19, 2024, is the only nonstop service between JFK and ANC. 

鈥淎laskans love travel options and love them even more when they include nonstop flights,鈥� Marilyn Romano, regional vice president of Alaska for Alaska Airlines, said. 鈥淥ur new service to New York JFK is a perfect addition to our flight schedule for Alaskans wanting some adventure in one of the world精东影业 most dynamic cities, and for New Yorkers eager for new experiences in our great state.鈥�   

An overnight flight will depart JFK at 09:45 and arrive in Anchorage at 13:30. The return flight will depart ANC at 20:00 and arrive in New York at 07:05 +1.听聽

During the summer, Alaska Airlines will also be flying non-stop from to Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.  

Alaska unveils new world-class $85M training hub for pilots, cabin crew and more

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-05-31

Alaska Airlines purchased the 19-acre property for $85.75 million, which includes a 600,000-square-foot (55,700-square-meter) facility that Boeing purposefully built to house an aviation training facility.听

The new facility, which is part of the 173-acre Longacres campus, will act as a centralized training hub for pilots, cabin crew members and more. 

Alaska already houses nine full-motion flight simulators in the facility, with plans to add a tenth in the next few years. 

An additional $100 million investment will be used to renovate the new space that will include a mock aircraft for in-flight simulations, classrooms, an auditorium, a production studio and significant office space.听聽聽

Customer service agents and other employee groups will also share the facility. 

鈥淥ur remarkable operations team members will, for the first time in our history, all come together and train under one roof,鈥� Constance von Muehlen, COO at Alaska Airlines, said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to build on Alaska Airlines鈥� culture of safety, performance and care in this purposefully designed space worthy of our frontline team精东影业 contributions to every guest and every flight.鈥澛�

While pilots already train on the campus using the existing simulators, other employee groups will begin moving into the facility following renovations towards the end of 2025.   

The Alaska Airlines corporate headquarters will remain at Seattle鈥揟acoma International Airport (SEA). 

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to invest in our Puget Sound home,鈥� Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of fleet, revenue products and real estate at Alaska Airlines said. 鈥淭he growth opportunity this purchase provides us cannot be overstated, and it really feels like a perfect match.鈥�  

Jones added: 鈥淗aving access to a facility that was purpose built for aviation training that we then get to customize was an opportunity we couldn鈥檛 pass up. As Longacres continues to be built out, our employees will have access to amenities that will truly make this a world class training experience.鈥�   

Alaska purchased the new facility from .听

Boeing signals progress on 737 MAX 7 and 10 certification, more delays possible

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-05-30

Starting on May 22, 2024, both business class and economy class passengers traveling on most of the carrier精东影业 flights over 1,100 miles (1,760 km) will be able to choose from up to five chef-curated dishes, including at least one hot meal option.

However, the new hot menu items will not be available on red-eye (overnight) flights and those where catering is not available, said the company in a statement.

Along with certain other pre-prepared food offerings such as the airline精东影业 鈥楽ignature Fruit & Cheese Platter鈥�, the hot meal choices will only be available for pre-order purchase and cannot be purchased on board flights.听The new menu items result from an overhaul program of the company精东影业 onboard galley kitchens, including the installation of new ovens, advised the airline.

Eastbound passengers (plus those flying to Hawaii from the mainland US) will have the option of a carnitas breakfast bowl, available from 05:00 to 10:00, while a spicy  Panang chicken curry will be on offer from 10:00 to 21:00 daily.

According to the carrier, 鈥淏oth dishes have a kick of spice to them; the carnitas breakfast bowl combines pulled pork and a green chile salsa verde with breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs. The chicken curry pairs juicy chicken thighs with edamame and chubby strips of red bell pepper and onion in a rich, medium-spicy curry.鈥�

Westbound passengers (including those also traveling from Hawaii) are offered a breakfast option of a Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich while the lunch/dinner option is pretzel roll sliders with corn chips.

鈥淲e鈥檙e known for an inflight menu that is more thoughtfully curated with care. For a while now, our guests have often asked us if we鈥檙e ever going to bring back hot meals in the main cabin,鈥� said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products at Alaska Airlines.

鈥淚t精东影业 been difficult to keep it a secret, but for more than a year, our team has quietly worked behind the scenes taste testing the best hot food options with our culinary chef and creating a West Coast-inspired menu. Now, no matter where they sit, guests will get to taste our world-class food and beverages,鈥� he added. 

All of the new hot menu items will be available onboard selected Alaska聽Airlines flights between now and the end of October 2024, when the new menu will be refreshed for the upcoming winter season. The prices for the hot selections range from $10.50-$11.50.

Emirates Flight Catering fully acquires Bustanica indoor vertical farm聽

• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-02-20

The US airlines, which include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, argue that a new rule would confuse potential customers with too many details while buying tickets online. 

Headed by Airlines for America, the group of carriers asked a federal appeals court on May 10, 2024, to overturn the rule, according to .听聽

鈥淎irlines go to great lengths to make their customers knowledgeable about these fees,鈥� Airlines for America said in a statement. 鈥淭he ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process.鈥澛�

On April 24, 2024, the DoT announced that it would require airlines to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for checked bags, a carry-on bag, for changing a reservation, or cancelling a reservation.   

鈥淭his ensures that consumers can avoid surprise fees when they purchase tickets from airlines or ticket agents,鈥� the DoT said.  

Under the rules each fee must be disclosed the first time that fare and schedule information is provided on the airline精东影业 online platform and cannot be displayed through a hyperlink. 

Airlines were also required to describe any prohibitions or restrictions on changing or cancelling a flight. 

In response to the legal action taken by the airlines the DoT said: 鈥淲e will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket. Many air travelers will be disappointed to learn that the airline lobby is suing to stop these common-sense protections.鈥� 

Southwest Airlines was not involved in the legal action because its passengers can check two bags for free and changing or cancelling flights is not charged.听

Top-ranking North American airlines discover the key to happy customers聽

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-05-09

While airlines continue to wrestle with ways to create happy customers, the latest North America Airline Satisfaction Study suggests that it may be easier to achieve than they think.听聽

According to the latest annual survey, released on May 8, 2024, airlines that performed best were those with friendly staff who are simply nice to their passengers.  

Against the backdrop of crowded airports, expensive fares and annoying fellow travelers the study found that carriers making big investments in staff training and trying to improve the overall flight experience were the ones with the happiest flyers.  

鈥淭here are many aspects to the overall air travel experience that airlines cannot control, but one area in which they can profoundly influence is the positive effect that airline staff has on passengers The big takeaway from this year精东影业 study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience,鈥� Michael Taylor, Senior Managing Director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service, said. 

Taylor added: 鈥淎irlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.鈥� 

The study also discovered that the two biggest factors driving overall airline customer satisfaction are ease of travel and trust and while the cost of a ticket was important a seamless journey was more of a priority.  

The top performing airlines were also those that made substantial investments in the people side of their business and the level of trust passengers have in their carrier is correlated to media coverage about that airline.听

Study results

The two big winners for customer satisfaction in this year精东影业 JD Power study were Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines with Air Canada and Frontier Airlines performing worst.  

For customer satisfaction in the first and business segment, Delta received a score of 743 out of 1,000 and JetBlue Airways (736) ranked second. 

Delta was top for a second year running in the premium economy segment with a score of 716. Alaska Airlines (687) ranked second and American Airlines (684) in third place. 

In the economy segment Southwest claimed first place with a score of 716, while Delta (651) came second and Allegiant Air (633) third. 

The study, fielded from March 2023 through March 2024, was based on 9,582 passengers that had flown on a major North America airline within the preceding month. 

Passengers were asked to use a poor-to-perfect six-point rating scale and rate the carriers on airline staff, digital tools, ease of travel, level of trust, on-board experience, pre/post-flight experience and value for price paid.听 聽

Full results聽of study

First and business segment:聽聽

• Delta: 743
• JetBlue: 736
• United: 698
• Alaska: 695
• American: 676
• Air Canada: 629

Premium economy segment:聽

• Delta: 716聽聽
• Alaska: 687聽聽
• American: 684聽聽
• JetBlue: 667聽聽
• WestJet: 664聽
• United: 641聽
• Air Canada: 628聽

Economy segment:聽聽

• Southwest: 685聽
• Delta: 651聽
• Allegiant Air: 633聽
• Alaska: 630聽
• JetBlue: 630聽
• American: 611聽
• WestJet: 591聽
• United: 585聽
• Air Canada: 542聽
• Spirit Airlines: 507聽
• Frontier: 472聽

Embraer精东影业 EVE raises $94M in fresh capital through private share placement 聽聽

• Aviation Economics & Finance
• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byMiquel Ros

2024-07-01

Against the backdrop of the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug blowout accident, a reduced aircraft production output, disgruntled airlines and a (FAA) laser-focused on every move Boeing makes, no one was expecting any miracles among the results.听聽

However, the first quarter perhaps did not turn out quite as bad as some experts expected with $3.9 billion cash burn for the period rather than rather than a predicted $4.5 billion.   

Revenue fell from $17.9 billion for the first quarter in 2023 by 8% to $16.6 billion for the same period in 2024 and Boeing also posted a core loss per share of $1.13. 

“Our first quarter results reflect the immediate actions we’ve taken to slow down 737 production to drive improvements in quality,” Calhoun said. “We will take the time necessary to strengthen our quality and safety management systems and this work will position us for a stronger and more stable future.”聽

‘Non-compliance issues

If anything, Boeing精东影业 first quarter results reflect the severe impact that the Alaksa Airlines Flight 1282 accident on January 5, 2024, has had on the aircraft manufacturer. 

The incident sent Boeing into crisis management mode as 737 MAX 9s that matched the Alaska jet configuration were grounded.听

The situation grew worse for Boeing when the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that there appeared to have been safety failures during the assembly of the accident aircraft.听聽

A six-week audit by the FAA of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems facilities subsequently found even more safety issues.听 聽

The FAA identified 鈥渘on-compliance issues鈥� across Boeing精东影业 manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.     

Crucially the FAA also halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX, and the 737 program has slowed production below 38 per month leaving customers without their promised planes. 

鈥淲e are using this period, as difficult as it is, to deliberately slow the system, stabilize the supply chain, fortify our factory operations and position Boeing to deliver with the predictability and quality our customers demand for the long term. As these efforts begin to take hold, we鈥檙e seeing early signs of more predictable, stable and efficient cycle times in our 737 factory, and expect this will continue to slowly improve,鈥� Calhoun said in the memo to staff.听

‘We are in a tough moment’

He added: 鈥淣ear term, yes, we are in a tough moment. Lower deliveries can be difficult for our customers and for our financials. But safety and quality must and will come above all else. We are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to make certain our regulators, customers, employees, and the flying public are 100 percent confident in.鈥� 

If there is any positive news for Boeing then the total company backlog growing to $529 billion, including more than 5,600 commercial airplanes, will have provided some hope for the future.   

鈥淭here is a lot of work in front of us, but we remain fully confident in our future. While this effort will slow our recovery timing, we are starting to see these proof points that we鈥檒l begin to stabilize and improve performance moving forward,鈥� Calhoun said.听聽

Boeing holds defensive line after bruising day across two US Senate hearings

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-04-18

At the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on April 17, 2024, the engineer whistleblower Sam Salehpour testified that Boeing is 鈥減utting out defective airplanes鈥� and taking 鈥渟hortcuts鈥� to speed up production.听聽

鈥淚 have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777 aircraft and I鈥檓 willing to take on professional risk to talk about them,鈥� Salehpour said in his opening statement.  

Equally concerning the Salehpour said that when he raised concerns with Boeing he was 鈥渋gnored鈥� and told to not 鈥渃reate delays鈥�.听

‘I was told, frankly, to shut up’

鈥淚 was told, frankly, to shut up,鈥� Salehpour told the committee hearing.听聽

Salehpour has previously alleged that small gaps at the fuselage joins on 787 aircraft could 鈥渃ause a catastrophic failure鈥� due to excessive wear.听 聽

In 2020, Dreamliner deliveries were put on hold to fix issues with small holes and after almost two years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) eventually approved a solution to the problem.    

However, Salehpour claimed the 鈥済aps in the 787 were not being properly measured,鈥� and due to the mismeasurements, shims 鈥� pieces of material used to fill small gaps 鈥� were not always inserted.     

鈥淚nstallation of fasteners with gaps exceeding .005 inches without proper shimming (or in some cases, any shimming at all) puts excessive stress on these fasteners and can cause significant fatigue in important airplane components, especially in joint areas where large fuselage barrels are connected,鈥� Salehpour testified at the hearing. 

Salehpour also said in front of Senators that while he was working on the Boeing 777 in one instance, he saw workers 鈥渏umping on pieces of the airplane to get them to align鈥�. 

A second witness, Ed Pierson, who was a former Boeing manager, also spoke at the hearing on Capitol Hill.  

Pierson described it as a 鈥渃riminal cover-up” that the (NTSB) had not been provided with documents by Boeing relating to the removal of the door plug during assembly of the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that was later involved in the flight emergency on January 5, 2024.听

鈥淩ecords do exist documenting in detail the hectic work done on the Alaska Airlines airplane and Boeing精东影业 corporate leaders know it too, because they fought to withhold these same damning records after the two Max crashes,鈥� Pierson said.  

Following the hearing the NTSB Chair Jeniffer Homendy, who is investigating the 787-9 incident, defended Boeing and contradicted Pierson精东影业 evidence.  

鈥淚 believe the whistleblower has the ship-side tracker, which we already have, [and] is not the documents we are looking for. We鈥檙e looking for other documents that don鈥檛 exist,鈥� Homendy told .听聽

However, Pierson later told following Homendy精东影业 comments that he has more than just the tracking data documents.听

After the conclusion of the hearing Boeing reaffirmed its view that the safety of the 787 and 777 has not been compromised during production.  

鈥淏oeing is fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner because of the comprehensive work done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. Claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate,鈥� Boeing said.听

Information on 787 quality:

— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes)

The planemaker added: 鈥淭he issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under U.S. Federal Aviation Administration oversight. This analysis has validated that the aircraft will maintain its durability and service life over several decades, and these issues do not present any safety concerns.鈥� 

Boeing also said that it 鈥渆ncourages all employees to speak up when issues arise鈥� and that 鈥渞etaliation is strictly prohibited鈥� at the company.听

Second Senate hearing聽

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation also heard evidence on April 17, 2024, about the safety culture at Boeing.  

The chair of the committee, Senator Maria Cantwell, welcomed the FAA精东影业 Independent Expert Panel that in February 2024 published a report looking at Boeing精东影业 safety culture, safety management systems (SMS) and Organization Designation Authorization (ODA).听

As part of its investigation the expert panel looked at more than 4,000 pages of Boeing documents, conducted 250 interviews and held meetings with Boeing employees across six sites. 

In its conclusions the panel said it observed a 鈥渄isconnect鈥� between the senior management at Boeing and the other staff members on 鈥渟afety culture鈥�.   

Interviewees, including ODA Unit Members who are authorized by the FAA to carry out functions at an organization or company such as issuing certificates, questioned whether safety systems at Boeing enabled 鈥渙pen communication鈥� and 鈥渘on-retaliation鈥�.听

At the hearing Senator Tammy Duckworth, said the ODA 鈥渘eeds to be relooked at鈥� and that 鈥渂ad actors are removed from that process within Boeing,鈥� according to the .听聽

The Associated Press reported that panel member Javier de Luis, an aeronautics lecturer at MIT, told the committee that workers at Boeing felt pressured to process planes as fast as they can.  

鈥淭here was a very real fear of payback and retribution if you held your ground,鈥� de Luiz said. 

Following the conclusion of the second hearing Boeing said it will 鈥渢ake the FAA review panel精东影业 detailed assessment to heart and will act on their findings and feedback鈥�.听聽聽

Boeing whistleblower calls for 787 production to stop ahead of Senate hearing

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-04-17

At around 07:30 Pacific Standard Time (PST), the FAA ordered a ground stop for all flights operated by the carrier along with its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. According to reports, an issue had arisen with the airline精东影业 system that it uses to calculate aircraft weight and balance – integral information required for the safe dispatch and operation of any flight. The ground stop did not apply to Alaska flights operated by regional carrier SkyWest, which operates its own independent software system. 

According to the carrier, the issue arose following a scheduled software upgrade that for reasons still being investigated by the airline, failed to integrate with existing systems. As a result, the entire system failed just as the company精东影业 first wave of flights for the day were due to depart from various airports around the US and Canada.  

In a statement, the FAA said that Alaska Airlines had “asked the FAA to pause the airline’s mainline departures nationwide,” after becoming aware of the software issue. Meanwhile, in response to passenger complaints on social media platform X, the airline said it was working on getting people back in the air as soon as possible. 

Fortunately for both the airline itself and tens of thousands of its customers, the glitch was resolved after around an hour, following which the ground stop was lifted, and a full service was resumed.听

“We experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance,鈥� said a company statement. 鈥淥ut of an abundance of caution, we requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights, which was instituted at approximately 07:30 PST. 

“The issue was mitigated and the ground stop for Alaska and Horizon flights expired at 08:30 PST. We have begun releasing flights. Residual delays are expected throughout the day. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage guests to check the status of their flights on [the company website] or the Alaska App before heading to the airport.” 

Although Alaska said that although there had been some rolling delays resulting from the ground stop throughout the remainder of the day, all passengers were ultimately flown to their destinations and that there would be no ongoing repercussions for its operations in the coming days.听聽

Passenger tracks AirTag lost on Alaska Airlines Embraer jet around 37 airports

• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-04-12