American Airlines struck a tentative deal with its flight attendants union, ending years of contentious negotiations.
13.07.2024 - 10:59 / skift.com / United Airlines / Meghna Maharishi
Boeing agreed to accept a guilty plea deal from the Justice Department over charges stemming from an earlier case tied to the 737 Max, according to a court filing that was uploaded just minutes before midnight on Sunday.
In particular, Boeing is pleading guilty to a charge related to misleading the Federal Aviation Administration on certain aspects of the 737 Max 8, the aircraft that was involved in two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
The plea deal is short — only eight pages — but carries a lot of significance for Boeing, which has been under intense and renewed federal scrutiny ever since the January 5 Alaska Airlines blowout incident.
Now, Boeing will have to pay a $243.6 million criminal offense fine and invest at least $455 million into compliance and safety programs. The court overseeing the case will also have to determine a restitution amount that Boeing would owe the families of the victims of the deadly crashes. The DOJ said it plans to have the agreement finalized by July 19.
As part of the agreement, Boeing will be on a three-year probationary period where it would need to install an independent monitor to oversee its compliance and safety. This monitor would be an outside aviation expert who would use the probation to review and suggest changes to the plane maker’s quality control and production practices.
Typically, such monitors tend to come from law firms or consulting companies. Since it will take time for the DOJ to select a monitor, it said in the filing that a probationary period could technically last more than three years.
The monitor would prepare an annual report for the federal government, which would be kept confidential. Only executive summaries of the yearly reports would be publicly available.
Families of the victims of the 737 Max crashes had been advocating for an independent monitor, asking the district judge overseeing the case to appoint one just days earlier. Paul Cassell, one of the lawyers representing these families, had suggested that the families should propose the monitor, according to the court filing outlining the plea deal.
As a compromise, the U.S. government plans to select a monitor through a pool of candidates based on public feedback, giving the families the opportunity to make suggestions.
The DOJ said the plea agreement only applies to the previous 737 Max case where Boeing had initially entered a deferred prosecution agreement in 2021 to avoid criminal prosecution. DOJ prosecutors argued in May that Boeing violated the terms of that previous agreement, which opened the plane maker to criminal prosecution.
As part of the plea deal, the DOJ said Boeing won’t have any protection for any ongoing or future federal
American Airlines struck a tentative deal with its flight attendants union, ending years of contentious negotiations.
Step aside, Icon of the Seas — there's a new giant cruise ship in Florida. And it's already attracting weekend warriors with a new ultra-long slide, food truck, and omakase dinner.
Alaska Airlines is upgrading its fleet, adding more first class and premium class seating to its aircraft.
Amazon Prime Day 2024 has come to a close, but some of the best deals for travelers are still going on right now. There are deals leftover across all categories, including comfortable clothing and shoes, luggage and bags, outdoor gear, home goods, and more. There are even some deals still running on best-selling tech essentials like noise-canceling headphones, portable speakers, and tablets. To make sure you don't miss out on any of the Prime Day deals that are still hanging on, we rounded up our top picks for travelers below, with some items marked down as much as 60 percent off. But hurry—these last-minute deals aren't likely to stay around for long, so be sure to add anything you’re eyeing to your shopping cart ASAP.
Wells Fargo has two Choice Privileges credit cards. A no-annual-fee Choice Privileges® Mastercard® (see rates and fees) and a $95 annual fee Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (see rates and fees). Both have compelling limited-time sign-up bonuses.
The FCCA Cruise Conference and Trade Show in St. Maarten, from October 22-25, is essential for securing one-on-one meetings with 100+ cruise executives and enjoying special rates at official hotels. Register by August 15 for guaranteed participation.
Greek beaches covered in deckchairs are becoming a rarer sight as drones patrol to enforce new rules.
Southwest Airlines and startup Archer Aviation have signed an agreement to operate air taxi flights at California airports.
Several airports across the Caribbean have closed and airline travel alerts issued as Hurricane Beryl barrels toward Jamaica.
Southwest Airlines is ready for it — ready for Taylor Swift, that is.
As part of the Thai government’s Ministry of Commerce, Thai Trade Center New York has announced its ‘Love Thai Food, Eat Thai Rice’ Campaign.
In 2022, Choice Hotels launched a new dining rewards program called Choice Privileges Eat & Earn. The program lets you earn Choice Privileges points whenever you eat at participating U.S. restaurants and bars, and it's a great way to generate extra points without much effort.