Washington
Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing
WASHINGTON (AP) — A machinists strike. Another safety problem involving its troubled top-selling airliner. A plunging stock price.
2024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company’s jets crash-landed in South Korea on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and aviation experts were quick to distinguish Sunday’s incident from the company’s earlier safety problems.
Alan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines who is now a consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. In January this year, a door plug blew off a 737 Max while it was in flight, raising more questions about the plane.
The Boeing 737-800 that crash-landed in Korea, Price noted, is “a very proven airplane. “It’s different from the Max ...It’s a very safe airplane.’’
For decades, Boeing has maintained a role as one of the giants of American manufacturing. But the past year’s repeated troubles have been damaging. The company’s stock price is down more than 30% in 2024.
The company’s reputation for safety was especially tarnished by the 737 Max crashes, which occurred off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 and left a combined 346 people dead. In the five years since then, Boeing has lost more than $23 billion. And it has fallen behind its European rival, Airbus, in selling and delivering new planes.
Last fall, 33,000 Boeing machinists went on strike, crippling the production of the 737 Max, the company’s bestseller, the 777 airliner and 767 cargo plane. The walkout lasted seven weeks, until members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers agreed to an offer that included 38% pay raises over four years.
In January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight. Federal regulators responded by imposing limits on Boeing aircraft production that they said would remain in place until they felt confident about manufacturing safety at the company.
In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration regulators who approved the 737 Max. Acting on Boeing’s incomplete disclosures, the FAA approved minimal, computer-based training instead of more intensive training in flight simulators. Simulator training would have increased the cost for airlines to operate the Max and might have pushed some to buy planes from Airbus instead.
(Prosecutors said they lacked evidence to argue that Boeing’s deception had played a role in the crashes.)
But the plea deal was rejected this month by a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, who decided that diversity, inclusion and equity or DEI policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in choosing an official to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement.
Boeing has sought to change its culture. Under intense pressure over safety issues, David Calhoun departed as CEO in August. Since January, 70,000 Boeing employees have participated in meetings to discuss ways to improve safety.
California
Border arrests little changed in December, ending Biden’s term at lowest level
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in December are little changed from a month earlier, a U.S. official said Monday, hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020 and indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president hasn’t happened.
There were about 44,000 arrests during December as of Monday morning, suggesting the month will end close to the 46,612 arrests made in November, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the count is preliminary and has not made public.
December will mark the sixth straight month that arrests for illegal crossings were less than the monthly average in 2019, the official said. It also signals that final full month of President Joe Biden’s presidency will be at or near the lowest during his four years in office.
Asked to comment on the latest numbers, the Homeland Security Department released a statement by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, that said “swift and effective implementation” of asylum restrictions in June resulted in another month below the 2019 average.
“This sustained success is the result of strong border enforcement, extensive engagement with our foreign partners, and the delivery of safe and lawful pathways that continue to provide humanitarian relief under our laws,” Mayorkas said.
Arrests fell by about half from all-time high of 250,000 in December 2023 after Mexican officials increased enforcement within their own borders and by about half again after Biden introduced severe asylum limits.
Texas’ Rio Grande Valley was the second-busiest corridor for illegal crossings in December, up from fifth in November, likely a reflection of tactical decisions by smuggling organizations and Mexican law enforcement, the official said.
San Diego remained the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. El Paso, Texas, was third and Tucson, Arizona was fourth.
For the second straight month, those allowed to enter the country through official border crossings are expected to exceed arrests for illegal crossings, reflecting the Biden administration’s approach to create and expand legal pathways while severely restricting asylum for those who cross the border illegally. The vast majority of legal entries are done through an online appointment system called CBP One, which grants 1,450 slots a day.
Trump has focused on launching mass deportations after taking office Jan. 20 but he and his aides have also emphasized border measures, touting a possible return of a policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for court hearings in U.S. immigration courts. Trump said in September that he planned to end CBP One appointments.
Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing
WASHINGTON (AP) — A machinists strike. Another safety problem involving its troubled top-selling airliner. A plunging stock price.
2024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company’s jets crash-landed in South Korea on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and aviation experts were quick to distinguish Sunday’s incident from the company’s earlier safety problems.
Alan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines who is now a consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. In January this year, a door plug blew off a 737 Max while it was in flight, raising more questions about the plane.
The Boeing 737-800 that crash-landed in Korea, Price noted, is “a very proven airplane. “It’s different from the Max ...It’s a very safe airplane.’’
For decades, Boeing has maintained a role as one of the giants of American manufacturing. But the past year’s repeated troubles have been damaging. The company’s stock price is down more than 30% in 2024.
The company’s reputation for safety was especially tarnished by the 737 Max crashes, which occurred off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 and left a combined 346 people dead. In the five years since then, Boeing has lost more than $23 billion. And it has fallen behind its European rival, Airbus, in selling and delivering new planes.
Last fall, 33,000 Boeing machinists went on strike, crippling the production of the 737 Max, the company’s bestseller, the 777 airliner and 767 cargo plane. The walkout lasted seven weeks, until members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers agreed to an offer that included 38% pay raises over four years.
In January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight. Federal regulators responded by imposing limits on Boeing aircraft production that they said would remain in place until they felt confident about manufacturing safety at the company.
In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration regulators who approved the 737 Max. Acting on Boeing’s incomplete disclosures, the FAA approved minimal, computer-based training instead of more intensive training in flight simulators. Simulator training would have increased the cost for airlines to operate the Max and might have pushed some to buy planes from Airbus instead.
(Prosecutors said they lacked evidence to argue that Boeing’s deception had played a role in the crashes.)
But the plea deal was rejected this month by a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, who decided that diversity, inclusion and equity or DEI policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in choosing an official to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement.
Boeing has sought to change its culture. Under intense pressure over safety issues, David Calhoun departed as CEO in August. Since January, 70,000 Boeing employees have participated in meetings to discuss ways to improve safety.
California
Border arrests little changed in December, ending Biden’s term at lowest level
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in December are little changed from a month earlier, a U.S. official said Monday, hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020 and indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president hasn’t happened.
There were about 44,000 arrests during December as of Monday morning, suggesting the month will end close to the 46,612 arrests made in November, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the count is preliminary and has not made public.
December will mark the sixth straight month that arrests for illegal crossings were less than the monthly average in 2019, the official said. It also signals that final full month of President Joe Biden’s presidency will be at or near the lowest during his four years in office.
Asked to comment on the latest numbers, the Homeland Security Department released a statement by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, that said “swift and effective implementation” of asylum restrictions in June resulted in another month below the 2019 average.
“This sustained success is the result of strong border enforcement, extensive engagement with our foreign partners, and the delivery of safe and lawful pathways that continue to provide humanitarian relief under our laws,” Mayorkas said.
Arrests fell by about half from all-time high of 250,000 in December 2023 after Mexican officials increased enforcement within their own borders and by about half again after Biden introduced severe asylum limits.
Texas’ Rio Grande Valley was the second-busiest corridor for illegal crossings in December, up from fifth in November, likely a reflection of tactical decisions by smuggling organizations and Mexican law enforcement, the official said.
San Diego remained the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. El Paso, Texas, was third and Tucson, Arizona was fourth.
For the second straight month, those allowed to enter the country through official border crossings are expected to exceed arrests for illegal crossings, reflecting the Biden administration’s approach to create and expand legal pathways while severely restricting asylum for those who cross the border illegally. The vast majority of legal entries are done through an online appointment system called CBP One, which grants 1,450 slots a day.
Trump has focused on launching mass deportations after taking office Jan. 20 but he and his aides have also emphasized border measures, touting a possible return of a policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for court hearings in U.S. immigration courts. Trump said in September that he planned to end CBP One appointments.
