The pilots of an Emirates flight that crashed in 2016 and caught fire in Dubai did not realize the engines of their Boeing 777 remained idle as they tried to take off from a failed landing attempt, according to an investigative report released on Thursday. Without power from the engines to lift the plane, Flight EK521 coming from Thiruvananthapuram, India, was doomed to crash on the runway at Dubai International Airport on Aug. 3, 2016. But prior to its attempt to land, air-traffic controllers also failed to warn the pilots that two other flights before it couldn't land due to windshear, a final report by the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority said. The crash represents the most-serious incident ever to face the government-owned long-haul carrier in its 34-year history. While the 300 passengers and crew onboard the Boeing 777-300 escaped with their lives even as high winds blew away some of plane's evacuation slides, a subsequent explosion that engulfed the aircraft in flames killed a firefighter on the ground. “The flight crew reliance on automation and lack of training in flying go-arounds from close to the runway surface ... significantly affected the flight crew performance in a critical flight situation which was different to that experienced by them during their simulated training flights,” the report said. Emirates COO Adel al-Redha said the airline had taken steps to improve based on the findings of the investigative report, as well as from its own internal probe into the crash.<br/>
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Southwest had a particularly rough 2019, but it still managed to turn a profit. As part of an annual tradition, Southwest is sharing that profit with employees. The airline announced Thursday it's giving 60,000 employees a $667m profit-sharing bonus. That means some eligible employees will soon receive 12.2% of their annual salary, which is the equivalent of roughly an additional six weeks of pay. Other employees will get the contribution added to their retirement accounts. "Our employees delivered outstanding results despite a challenging year, and it's a pleasure to reward our people for all they contribute to our continued success," said Southwest CEO Gary Kelly. Southwest's profit fell 6.7% last year, hampered by the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max and several federal investigations. But it's not taking that out on its employees. Roughly $125m of the bonus comes from compensation Boeing gave the airline. The two companies reached a confidential agreement in December for the grounding. Southwest has 34 Max planes in its fleet, the most of any airline in the world.<br/>