Airplanes

Southwest Airlines, which has never laid off a worker in its 49-year history, notified 6,828 employees that they may be involuntarily furloughed next year as the airline industry continues to suffer amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Boeing has signed its first order for 737 MAX jets since the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the planes to fly again last month, the company announced Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a new policy last week that could bar most additional unfair or deceptive practices by airlines, according to reports.

The increase in passenger volume, although a noteworthy development for the devastated airline industry, is worrisome to health officials who have begged Americans to limit their holiday gatherings.

The New York-based airline expects fourth-quarter flight capacity to decline as much as 50% versus last year, worse than its prior forecast of at most a 45% drop.

Daily passenger volume continues to hover around 1 million in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Airlines are looking at potential testing innovations and protocols to help revive confidence and improve safety.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says software issues in Boeing’s 737 MAX plane that crashed twice and was grounded for the longest period in aviation history have "easily been addressed."

Bookings to last year’s most popular Thanksgiving destination, Los Angeles, are down 52 percent, while London is expecting 77 percent fewer travelers from New York.

The airlines said in a joint statement they remain committed to developing a joint venture "but in the meantime will explore deepening the alliance."

Southwest has conducted research on the Boeing Co jet throughout its 20-month grounding, which was sparked by two fatal crashes, to understand customers' awareness of the topic and confidence in the aircraft, a spokesman said.

Passenger volumes remain 65 percent below 2019 levels

The Federal Aviation Administration has rescinded its grounding order for Boeing's 737 Max jet, allowing the aircraft to return to the skies after certain modifications are made.

Truly Hard Seltzer has launched a travel giveaway initiative to benefit essential workers.

The app is expected to undergo a three-month trial at the Albany airport before a brainstorming session on how to improve it or expand its scope.

A U.S.-China agreement allows both countries to operate more than 100 weekly flights between the two nations

Chinese airlines will need 8,600 new airplanes through 2039, 6.3% higher than Boeing's previous prediction

An inaugural "travel bubble" will be launched later this month between Hong Kong and Singapore to reestablish travel links amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced on Wednesday. 

Some people don't expect to travel for work until the middle of next year.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s move to lift the MAX fleet’s grounding, expected to be promptly followed by regulators in Canada, Brazil, Europe and elsewhere, follows extensive delays and public debate that roiled the industry and plunged Boeing into its biggest financial crisis prior to the pandemic.