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Alan Levin
For Alan Levin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A Boeing 737 Max aircraft at an airshow in Farnborough, England, in 2022. In early January, the door plug on an Alaska Air 737 Max 9 blew off shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, prompting an explosive decompression.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2024
Boeing 737 Max probe still in dark over who caused door fail
The planemaker has said it’s unable to find the relevant records, and factory security footage that may have helped have been overwritten.
A Boeing Co. 737 Max airplane on the production line at the company's manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington, in March 2019
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2024
Boeing's safety culture slammed by FAA after 737 Max midair door loss
An expert report shows the work still to be done at Boeing despite efforts to overhaul its culture after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 3, 2023
This company promises no waits at airport security, but can it take off?
Despite paying for pricey subscriptions, some airline passengers are hurrying up and waiting at security.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 12, 2023
U.S. flight chaos puts harsh spotlight on FAA after tense year
The system breakdown immediately attracted criticism from prominent lawmakers and aviation industry leaders.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2022
Airlines would have to disclose fees under new U.S. proposal
Airlines will be made to disclose information such as charges levied on passengers for canceling a trip or parents seeking to sit next to their children on a flight.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 14, 2022
Murder-suicides by pilots are vexing airlines as deaths mount
Preliminary evidence suggests the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet in March may be the latest such tragedy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2022
China Eastern jet neared speed of sound before crash, damaging black box
The exterior of the cockpit voice recorder was 'severely damaged” and analysis will take time because there is also some damage to its internal memory unit, an official said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 22, 2022
Fatal nosedive by China Eastern jet baffles crash specialists
Few past incidents fit the extreme profile of the jet's descent Monday, in which it pointed steeply toward the ground before impact.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2022
Deal over 5G cell towers soothes U.S. aviation turmoil, for now
Hundreds of 5G cell towers near U.S. airports broadcast on frequencies adjacent to those used by radar altimeters that help aircraft land in poor weather.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 2, 2021
CDC demands airlines identify flyers who visited southern Africa
The order applies to passengers, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled to listed nations within 14 days of their flight to the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 13, 2021
Space billionaires stir alarm with absence of safety oversight
The success of two privately funded human-space launches last month has supercharged the U.S. commercial launch industry, and advocates say the lack of rules is a key component.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 23, 2021
Jet engine explosion over Denver rings alarms about shielding
The incident is the latest in a string of failures that has raised alarm among regulators about debris evading shielding that's supposed to keep broken parts from hitting aircraft.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2020
Doubts raised over airlines' flight safety claims amid virus spread
Top U.S. infectious disease experts say the findings underpinning the carriers' safety claims aren't that conclusive.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2020
Boeing Max cleared to fly in U.S. as FAA lifts longest grounding
The U.S. actions set the stage for other regulators to clear the Max, which would allow airlines worldwide to resume passenger service with the plane.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 12, 2020
Biden’s transition teams sideline industries Trump put in charge
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has stocked his transition team with policy experts, academics and former Barack Obama administration officials, a contrast with the industry-friendly figures President Donald Trump placed in government upon winning office.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 1, 2020
‘We’re going to ground the fleet’: How Boeing’s 737 Max was parked
For days after the second fatal crash of a Boeing Co. 737 Max last year, one nation after another halted flights on the beleaguered jetliner.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2020
11 flyers amid a sea of seats: Airlines' woes dwarf U.S. aid
Miguel Diaz's JetBlue flight from New York to Orlando cost just $79 with a checked bag and was nearly empty. The 11 passengers each had a row of seats to themselves, spaced at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart to maintain social distancing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 27, 2019
Drones need tracking network for expanded flights, U.S. agency says
All but the smallest civilian drones would have to broadcast radio tracking data to ensure greater safety and prevent terrorism under a sweeping proposal unveiled by U.S. regulators on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 27, 2019
How Boeing and the FAA plan to restore the public's faith in the 737 Max
After two deadly crashes in five months, Boeing Co. is embarking on a campaign to restore confidence in the 737 Max so that its best-selling jet can return to the skies.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 20, 2019
One day before deadly crash, an off-duty pilot saved Lion Air 737 Max from malfunctioning flight-control system
As the Lion Air crew fought to control their diving Boeing Co. 737 Max 8, they got help from an unexpected source: an off-duty pilot who happened to be riding in the cockpit.

Longform

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