Transportation

The blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Air 737 MAX 9 earlier this month is just the latest incident casting doubt on the safety culture of the aerospace giant. Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a longtime observer of Boeing, and co-author Steven Tian offer a series of steps to rebuild its internal processes and win back the trust of airlines and the public.

The door plug that plunged from an Alaska Airlines aircraft in flight earlier this month was there to seal off an unused emergency exit. Amy Fraher, a Yale SOM lecturer and former commercial pilot, explains why—and says the incident reflects a worrying approach to safety.

Our aging infrastructure isn’t ready for climate change. David Gilford ’07 explains how new resilient, technology-enabled infrastructure can help us thrive in an uncertain future.

Tesla has resisted unionization in the United States. But in Germany, where the electric car maker launched a new Gigafactory this week, unions are powerful and anxious to maintain jobs in an electric future.

Kenneth Gillingham, professor of environmental and energy economics, says that easing range anxiety and helping drivers understand the advantages of electric can help accelerate the shift.

Dan Kim ’97, chief strategic officer and director of Next Renewable Fuels, argues that existing elements of the energy and transport sectors can evolve to contribute to a future decarbonized economy, alongside more disruptive innovations.

Debilitated by COVID-19, airlines are preparing to cut more than 30,000 jobs as soon as next month. We asked Prof. Kevin Williams to explain some of the economics of air travel and how the industry can survive in an age of stay-at-home orders.

Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that the company made the right move by turning to a knowledgeable insider instead of making a clean sweep.

Boeing’s leaders are placing a multi-billion dollar bet that they can bring together innovation and global reach to survive tumultuous times.