Airlines Accept $27M Proposal for Overhead Repairs for 737
Despite the nearly $27 million price tag, airlines aren’t fighting a federal proposal to improve the safety of overhead equipment panels in Boeing 737 aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed the regulation Oct. 13 because of reports that passengers were hit in the face and head by the panels of equipment that typically hold reading lights and oxygen masks below the carry-on bins. Another concern was that the fallen panels could hinder evacuation during an emergency.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated several survivable accidents from 2008 through 2011 in which the panels separated from the planes, “likely increasing the number of reported occupant injuries, particularly to the head and face,” according to Chairman Christopher Hart.
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How to Remake the Most Famous Airport in the World
New York’s Idlewild Airport opened in the summer of 1948 on a former golf resort. This outpost at the southeastern edge of New York City became an aviation marvel in the late 1950s as several big airlines opened terminals with cutting-edge technology aimed at enhancing the passenger experience. “Its every feature bespeaks speed and function,” Life magazine wrote in a 1961 photo essay.
In 1963, Idlewild was renamed after the U.S. president slain just weeks before in Dallas. John F. Kennedy International Airport has come a long way since—becoming one of the most recognizable airline destinations in the world. More recently, though, it’s better known for a long slide into decrepitude as infrastructure investment failed to keep pace with growth.
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United Adds Baggage Handling & Carbon Footprint to Its Performance Guarantee
United Airlines has expanded its Global Performance Commitment to guarantee corporate customers that its 2017 mishandled baggage report will be better than either American Airlines' or Delta's. Additionally, United is promising an annual carbon footprint that is lower than both American's and Delta's. United's commitment already covers on-time performance and cancellations.
The carrier introduced its performance commitment, in which it guarantees compensation to qualifying corporate clients should it fail to meet the promised operational standards, in late 2015, following a similar introduction by Delta earlier that year. Delta since has added baggage handling to its commitment, although United is the first to add carbon footprint to the agreement.
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