Boeing

Southwest Airlines Markets Green to What End?

Jonathan A. Schein | Posted 10.27.2009 | Green


Jonathan A. Schein

Southwest Airlines just announced that it will present a "green plane" at its annual media day. What does "green plane" mean to the air carrier?

Obama Small Business Plan Falls Short of Real Solutions

Lloyd Chapman | Posted 10.21.2009 | Business


Lloyd Chapman

Today, President Barack Obama held a press conference in Landover, MD to announce the administration's plans for a, "New Small Business Lending Initia...

United, US Airways Face Millions In Safety Fines From FAA

AP | JOAN LOWY | Posted 10.14.2009 | Denver


WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday proposed levying multimillion-dollar fines against United Airlines and US Airways for safety violations, including flying a plane after mechanics stuffed shop towels into an engine.

The agency said it has proposed a $5.4 million fine against US Airways of Tempe, Ariz., for operating eight planes on a total of 1,647 flights from October 2008 to January 2009 in violation of safety directives or the company's own maintenance rules.

The agency also said it is proposing a $3.8 million fine against United of Chicago for operating one of its Boeing 737 aircraft on more than 200 flights with shop towels covering openings near where oil collects in the bottom of the engine instead of using protective caps required by the carrier's maintenance procedures.

Under FAA rules, the airlines have 30 days to present mitigating evidence before the agency can impose the fines. It's not unusual for fines to be reduced as the result of negotiations.

The hefty fines reflect the large number of flights that were allowed to carry passengers in violation of safety requirements, FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette said. The agency doesn't know how many passengers were on the flights, she said.

Can $1.4 Million Buy the President of the United States?

Beau Friedlander | Posted 10.12.2009 | Politics


Beau Friedlander

The prize came at a crucial juncture in the war in Afghanistan, and it seems clear why Obama was selected to be the next Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The folks in Oslo wanted to force him to make the "right" choice.

Cannibal Conservatism: Author Makes Up Charges Against Secretary Gates

Richard Allen Smith | Posted 10.09.2009 | Politics


Richard Allen Smith

In a time of crisis, Republicans begin to eat their own. The infighting has been going on for months and has occasionally touched the national security establishment.

Boeing Steps Up Lobbying Efforts

The Huffington Post | Jenna Staul | Posted 10.09.2009 | Business


The New York Times reports Friday that due to Obama administration cutbacks in spending on weapons systems, defense manufacturer Boeing has intensifie...

Latin Arms Race Heats Up: Obama Leans on Brazil To Buy Boeing Warplanes

Eric Ehrmann | Posted 09.29.2009 | World


Eric Ehrmann

While sharing his vision of a more peaceful world with the UN and demanding big Pentagon cuts, Obama has also been lobbying Brazil to buy warplanes from shrinking defense giant Boeing.

To the Dems Who Voted to 'Defund ACORN': Where is the Defund Blackwater Act?

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 09.24.2009 | Politics


Jeremy Scahill

Democrats have joined Republicans in voting to "Defund ACORN," yet they have done nothing to stop Blackwater's ongoing taxpayer-funded crusade in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Commerce Secretary From Boeing

David Segal | Posted 09.22.2009 | Politics


David Segal

Former Washington governor Gary Locke has worked hard to minister to the needs of the hometown corporation. Since being appointed as commerce secretary, he has an even higher perch from which he can do so.

Time to Get Real About the ACORN "Controversy"--and Republican Double Standards

Robert Creamer | Posted 09.21.2009 | Politics


Robert Creamer

The Right wing has always hated ACORN. Partially that's because the organization has been so effective at allowing poor people to vote. The Right hates it when poor people vote.

Score One for Fair Trade

Jim Arkedis | Posted 09.11.2009 | World


Jim Arkedis

The WTO's ruling late last week in a case involving Boeing and European arch-rival Airbus is a big and welcome victory that shows rule-based trade works.

Senate Panel OKs $128 Billion For Afghanistan, Iraq Wars

AP | ANDREW TAYLOR | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — With hardly any debate, a powerful Senate committee Thursday approved President Barack Obama's $128 billion request for military op...

Obama Administration Policies Will Divert Funds From Middle Class Economy

Chris Gunn | Posted 10.18.2009 | Business


Chris Gunn

We project that by counting big businesses in the United States and Europe as small businesses the Obama Administration may be shortchanging middle class firms out of as much as $100 billion a year in contracts.

Obama Officials Avoided Questions from Press on Misleading Contracting Data

Lloyd Chapman | Posted 10.18.2009 | Business


Lloyd Chapman

According to information in the Federal Procurement Data System, eight of the top ten recipients of federal small business contracts were actually large businesses or divisions of large businesses.

Nearly Nine Percent Of Southwest Fleet Uses Unapproved Parts; FAA Investigating

AP | DAVID KOENIG | Posted 09.27.2009 | Business


DALLAS — Federal officials say a maintenance company hired by Southwest Airlines used unapproved parts for repairs on some jets. The parts will...

Air France 447: A Cockpit China Syndrome

John T. Halliday | Posted 09.25.2009 | Technology


John T. Halliday

You feel silly; you Googled the odds of dying in a plane crash: one in thirteen million. You'll take those. But then again, pilots don't call these 'Scarebuses' for nothing.

Obama Spouts Pro Small Business Rhetoric, But Gives Small Business Billions to Corporate Giants

Lloyd Chapman | Posted 09.24.2009 | Business


Lloyd Chapman

When you look closely at Obama's policies towards small businesses you start to think its just a matter of time before he loads small business owners into crowded train cars headed for prison camps.

U.S. Fast-Tracks MOP, New Bunker-Buster Bomb

SpaceWar.com | Posted 09.18.2009 | Home


Amid continuing tension over political upheaval in Iran, the U.S. Defense Department says it wants to accelerate production of a 30,000-pound "ultra-l...

Sahil Kapur

Defense Contractors Lobby For More F-22s, Obama Threatens Veto

HuffingtonPost.com | Sahil Kapur | Posted 08.16.2009 | Politics


The F-22 stealth fighter jets may no longer be needed, but its manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, are lobbying aggressively to keep them in th...

Los Angeles Nuclear Meltdown Anniversary

Michael Rose | Posted 08.14.2009 | Green


Michael Rose

Fifty years ago today Los Angeles experienced the meltdown at the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) that, except for blind luck, didn't become LA's Chernobyl.

Its Official! Pentagon Cyber Command Gets Ready to "Stand Up"

Frida Berrigan | Posted 07.25.2009 | Politics


Frida Berrigan

It seems to me that the Pentagon, the administration and the military industrial complex are all treating cyberspace like any other battle domain.

BOEING 787 DELAY Downplayed By Flight Companies

CNBC | Posted 07.25.2009 | Home


British Airways, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) and other buyers of Boeing's new 787  said Thursday the plane's delay would have little or no impac...

Weapons Makers Look Overseas As Pentagon Cuts Back

AP | STEPHEN MANNING | Posted 07.14.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Foreign governments looking to kick the tires of fighter jets and cargo planes at this week's air show in Paris will likely hear a ...

The Arrogance of FedEx

James P. Hoffa | Posted 07.06.2009 | Business


James P. Hoffa

FedEx CEO Fred Smith is always full of surprises. First, he threatened to pull his Boeing contract if Congress passes a provision of the Federal Aviat...

Boeing Economic Espionage Trial Begins

AP | GILLIAN FLACCUS | Posted 07.03.2009 | Business


SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Chinese-born engineer stole trade secrets critical to the U.S. space program and passed them to China for three decades withou...