Category Archives for Aircraft.
Marine One briefly lost separation with an American Eagle flight departing Washington National after the tower apparently missed Marine One’s three-minute liftoff warning over broken radio calls. Neither the president nor airline passengers were in danger, but one wonders why Marine One proceeded without confirmed communication with air traffic control.
Military testing knocked out a medevac crew’s GPS, ATC halted the jamming and then allowed it to resume. Five minutes later four people were dead after the pilots had turned toward 10,000-foot terrain on a moonless visual approach.
The FAA is creating a permanent prohibited airspace area over Trump Tower, requiring Secret Service permission to fly within roughly one nautical mile and up to 1,000 feet. That may be defensible while Trump is president, but making the restriction open-ended creates a lasting federal privilege for private commercial property even after he leaves office.
Boeing is suing to block a defunct airline’s $179 million claim over a 1995 Cameroon Airlines 737 crash. The accident report blamed engine failure and pilot handling, while Boeing says the airline’s purchase contract waived these claims decades ago.
Boeing wired $7.5 million for Lion Air 737 MAX families. More than $3 million vanished into Girardi Keese’s Ponzi scheme. Now an associate asks for probation.
Two nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 8s flown by GOL reportedly suffered chronic factory, engine, and center-of-gravity problems before being returned after just months in service—and now appear headed for teardown in the Arizona desert.
The Supreme Court will hear an Alaska pilot’s challenge to a court order forfeiting his $95,000 Cessna after a passenger tried to bring beers into a dry village. Alaska’s highest court held the plane could be taken even if he knew only about one visible six-pack.
Starting July 20, Boeing will again issue final airworthiness certificates for newly built 737 MAX and 787 aircraft—authority the FAA reserved after fatal crashes and production failures. The agency says eight months of alternating inspections produced comparable quality findings, while federal audits and production oversight will continue.
A United Flight Attendant stopped boarding twice after coach passengers put their bags in first class overhead bins despite empty space above their own seats. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the etiquette of scarce bin space and premium cabin signs actually enforced.
A Lion Air 737 MAX crash widow who received a $4 million Boeing settlement is now suing her own lawyers, alleging they failed to account for the money and deductions. 737 MAX litigation extended far beyond Boeing, airlines, and crash victim families.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
