Boeing pledged US$100m in financial support to families and communities affected by 2 fatal crashes of its 737 MAX plane, as the company works to restore a reputation shaken by the tragedies. The plane maker said the funds would cover costs including living expenses for families, community development and education efforts. The move comes while Boeing is in talks to settle legal claims with the families of dozens of victims of the Lion Air crash in waters near Jakarta last October and another fatal MAX accident in Ethiopia in March. A Boeing official said the $100m pledge was “absolutely independent of the lawsuits” and wouldn’t have any bearing on litigation or mediation. It wasn’t immediately clear how relatives of the MAX crash victims could apply for financial assistance. <br/>
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Federal regulators want to simplify regulations meant to protect cargo compartments from fire hazards in a proposal they say will be a net savings for aircraft manufacturers. The FAA proposal would apply to manufacturers of US-operated "transport category" airplanes and would include both commercial passenger jets and cargo-only freighters. However, the proposed changes would not apply to cargo containers, "even though the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended improved flammability standards for cargo containers," the FAA pointed out in the proposal. "Unlike the cargo compartments that house them, cargo containers are usually not part of the airplane type design, and so are not directly affected by the requirements," the agency said. <br/>
A new phenomenon: Terminal tourism. A number of airports now allow people beyond security checkpoints so they can meet arriving relatives or just hang out. It’s a bit of a return to the days before the 9-11 terrorist attacks, when airport security was more relaxed and you didn’t need a ticket for a flight to get inside. The programs are taking root as airports expand options to fill passenger dwell time. Now many airports feature live music and art exhibits. There are spas, microbreweries, gourmet restaurants and clothing stores. The seed was planted in 2006, when the TSA allowed access to restaurants and shops for overnight guests at hotels connected to terminals in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Today, broadening post-security access is an option for any US airport, said a TSA spokeswoman. <br/>
The term "flight shame" emerged in Sweden, and since then flying has become a symbol of wrongdoing for the generation of school students on strike. The aviation industry, responsible for 2%-3% of man-made CO2 emissions, is now in the public's crosshairs. For a lot of very young people, flying for the first time has acquired a negative connotation. This could evolve into a major problem for the airlines in a decade, once there is not an automatically growing supply of willing new customers anymore as has been so far. Future generations could radically alter their flying behavior, possibly meaning there will be fewer passengers overall than today. That's despite facts that basically sound favourable for aviation: Modern aircraft fly with lower noise and consume less fuel than ever before, <br/>
SESAR Deployment Manager sees the 100 projects it had already completed by Feb 2019 as instrumental in reducing European air transport delays by 6.2m min. by 2030. The projects produced an estimated reduction in delays of 363,000 min. in 2019, GM Nicolas Warinsko said. SDM oversees the synchronisation and coordination of the deployment of the key Common Projects of the Europe-wide SESAR program launched in 2005 to harmonise and modernise air traffic management systems and procedures across Europe. The estimate includes Flexible Airspace Management/Free Route, one of 6 areas making up the Pilot Common Project, which is designed to boost flight efficiency through a more efficient use of airspace, providing significant benefits linked to fuel consumption and delay reduction. <br/>