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Why do airplanes have ashtrays on board if smoking is banned? 

Feb 23, 2024
In 2000, Bill Clinton signed a law that banned smoking on all domestic and international flights to and from the U.S.
While airline ashtrays may seem antiquated, the FAA thinks it's better to be safe than sorry.
actual_size/Getty Images Plus

The Biden administration’s bet on sustainable aviation fuel

Feb 22, 2024
Right now, sustainable aviation fuel is “a drop in the bucket” compared to conventional jet fuel, but that might not be the case for long.
"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal and Samir Sukhtankar, director of operations for World Energy, a biofuels maker, look over the company’s Paramount production facility.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

What passengers need to know about the Boeing Max 9 safety issues

Jan 10, 2024
A door plug recently blew off a Max 9 plane, prompting concerns about whether fliers should board these planes.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane sits at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 6, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Alaska Airlines grounded its 737 MAX 9 planes after part of a fuselage blew off during a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Airfares are down 13% over the past year, but they may be headed back up soon

Nov 14, 2023
Fuel costs are down but may rise again soon.
Travel demand has leveled out since last summer's spike of "revenge travel." That’s forcing airlines to compete more for customers again.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Aircraft orders can distort economic data. They also propel a lot of economic activity.

Sep 27, 2023
Their volatility can overshadow broader trends. But those orders are just the start of a long, expansive manufacturing supply chain.
While aircraft orders jump around month to month, the supply chain, which involves thousands of companies, never stops.
Juliette Michel/AFP via Getty Images

Could electric planes tempt Americans to fly short distances instead of driving?

Jul 26, 2023
Aviation company Surf Air Mobility is developing an electric engine to power planes during short jaunts. But the market is still untested.
Eviation's "Alice", the world's first all-electric commuter airplane, flew its first test flight last September. Companies are eyeing electric planes  to serve passengers taking short flights.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

Boeing earnings descend, thanks to inflation and lingering supply chain problems

Oct 26, 2022
But conditions may be improving for the planemaker.
Because Boeing had fixed price points with the U.S. government, it couldn't pass along price increases it paid to vendors.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

FAA plans to reduce the time planes spend taxiing on the runway

Sep 30, 2021
In addition to reducing wait times, the FAA estimates this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
An American Airlines plane taxis after landing on the runway at the Miami International Airport on June 16, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Grounded planes find a temporary desert home during the pandemic

Apr 14, 2021
Many jetliners are being stored in the aviation equivalent of long-term parking in the southwestern desert of the U.S.
The desert around Pinal Airpark helps preserve aircrafts' internal systems and protects the metallic surfaces from corrosive environments.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Air travel isn't getting back to normal anytime soon

Jul 6, 2020
There’s been some recovery in passenger numbers since the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns, but not much.
Travelers walk past a system of thermal imaging cameras looking for fevers, part of a test at Los Angeles International Airport in June.
Mario Tama/Getty Images