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Grounded planes find a temporary desert home during the pandemic

Apr 14, 2021
Many jetliners are being stored in the aviation equivalent of long-term parking in the southwestern desert of the U.S.
The desert around Pinal Airpark helps preserve aircrafts' internal systems and protects the metallic surfaces from corrosive environments.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Air travel isn't getting back to normal anytime soon

Jul 6, 2020
There’s been some recovery in passenger numbers since the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns, but not much.
Travelers walk past a system of thermal imaging cameras looking for fevers, part of a test at Los Angeles International Airport in June.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Keep those planes clean: CDC issues new guidance for airlines amid outbreak

Mar 9, 2020
If airline staff see someone who appears to have a fever, they should do a deep clean of everything within 6 feet of the passenger.
Deep cleaning could be quite time-consuming, and potentially lead to flight delays.
Laurel Chor/Getty Images

A new jet fuel offers the prospect of no-carbon, “guilt-free” flying

Oct 10, 2019
A pilot project in Rotterdam is testing the viability of a fuel made out of air that would cut an aircraft’s emissions to zero.
A group of companies is testing the viability of a “no-carbon” jet fuel at the Hague Airport. Above, a plane flies over Germany in 2018.
Silas Stein/DPA/AFP via Getty Images

After Boeing 737 Max grounding, demand for used planes takes off

Aug 5, 2019
Companies that want to sell planes turn to brokers, who work a little like real estate agents.
United looked to the used plane market when it needed to add capacity to its fleet.
United

After deadly crashes, added scrutiny for Boeing 737 software

Mar 15, 2019
How a failure to train pilots on software led to deadly crashes.
A picture taken on December 9, 2011 in Paris shows the controls of a flight simulator in a reproduction of a Boeing 737 cockpit.
Joel Saget/AFP/Getty

After the grounding of its 737 planes, can Boeing's messaging convince flyers?

Boeing faces a tough public relations challenge in the coming months, following two crashes and the grounding of its 737 planes. The question is, how will the company control the messaging to the air-faring public? Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal spoke to Felicia Miller, professor of marketing at Marquette University, about the company’s PR strategy. Click […]
A LEAP engine is pictured on the first Boeing 737 MAX airliner is pictured at the company's manufacturing plant, on Dec. 8, 2015, in Renton, Washington.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

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Pressure mounts on FAA to ground Boeing 737 Max 8s

Mar 12, 2019
"It's the rest of the world against the FAA right now," said Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of The Air Current.
Southwest Airlines.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
About one third of the 737 aircraft that Boeing builds are bought by Chinese customers.
Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Airline tickets are priced to confuse

Jan 9, 2019
Sometimes flying a longer distance is less expensive.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images