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Boeing Details Plans for Mass Job Cuts

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Published: Sunday, 14 June 2020 17:36

Aerospace company starts forced layoffs as it reduces jetliner production

Boeing Co. BA 3.31% intends to shed more than 13,000 employees, the plane maker said Wednesday, including the first round of compulsory cuts as part of previously announced plans triggered by the coronavirus-driven collapse in global air travel.

The initial tranche of cuts is far larger than indicated on Tuesday by union officials. The aerospace company said the layoff notices delivered this week will be the largest part of plans announced last month to shed about 10% of its 160,000-strong global workforce this year as it reduces jetliner production in response to airlines’ inability and unwillingness to take new aircraft after huge declines in passenger traffic.

Boeing announced roughly 6,770 involuntary layoffs among U.S. employees, while a further 5,520 had been approved for voluntary severance packages and will leave over the next few weeks.

The company said it had completed its voluntary-layoff program after offering staff buyouts last month, with several thousand more jobs set to go under compulsory cuts over the next several months. They mark the first major reductions by the company since 2017, when it laid off roughly 1,500 workers as part of a wider cost-cutting drive.

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Travel and Hospitality Companies Want Customers to See Them Cleaning

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Published: Sunday, 07 June 2020 17:34

Before they can return to pre-pandemic profitability, travel-dependent businesses must win back customers’ trust

Travel and leisure companies planning and hoping for the return of business are working to make sure customers feel safe.

That confidence can’t be instilled only through advertising and messaging, executives say. It also depends on the customer experience, including what people can see with their own eyes.

“It’s about communicating the cleanliness factor optically,” said Janis Cannon, senior vice president of upscale brands for Choice Hotels International Inc., a franchiser whose hotels range from budget to high-end.

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Crash Probe to Assess if Pakistani Airliner Dragged Engines on Runway in Landing Attempt

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Published: Sunday, 31 May 2020 17:34

Landing gear on Pakistan International Airlines jet may not have been deployed; 97 died in crash Friday

ISLAMABAD—A Pakistani-led investigation into a deadly air crash Friday will examine whether the jet’s engines were damaged in an aborted first landing, causing a loss of power when the plane circled around for a second landing, officials familiar with the probe said.

Initial evidence suggests the engines of the Pakistan International Airlines jet made contact with the runway in Karachi when the pilot attempted to land without landing gear deployed, the officials said. Marks on the runway indicate the engines were dragged along it, while flight-altitude data and eyewitness accounts say that the plane took off again, they said.

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Boeing and Airbus Study How Coronavirus Behaves During Air Travel

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Published: Wednesday, 27 May 2020 21:32

Industry is working to curb pandemic risks that have brought air traffic to a near standstill

Boeing Co. BA 3.31% and Airbus EADSY -0.94% SE are researching the new coronavirus’s behavior inside jetliners, part of an industry push to curb risks that have brought air traffic to a near standstill.

Their work will involve academics, engineers and medical experts expected to examine new measures to prevent disease transmission on airplanes, according to the companies and people involved in their discussions.

The effort to better understand air-travel risks during the pandemic comes as airlines try to reassure nervous passengers that masks and filtered cabin air provide reliable protection from infection in flight. Global air traffic has plunged as governments closed borders and ordered would-be fliers to stay home.

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