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Transportation

How Boeing Can Restore Trust

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.

An airplane fuselage with plastic sheeting over an opening
  • What the ‘Door Plug’ on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Tells Us about the Airline Industry

    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.

    The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft that was involved in a midair fuselage blowout in a hangar at Oregon’s Portland International Airport on January 9 during the investigation of the National Transportation Safety Board.
  • Imagining Future-Ready Infrastructure

    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.

    A photo illustration showing highways overlaid with electronic readouts
  • How Tesla’s Arrival in Germany Could Set Off a Labor Showdown

    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.

    CEO Elon Musk at the opening of Tesla's Gigafactory outside Berlin on March 22, 2022.
  • What Will It Take to Transition to Electric Cars?

    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.

    Glowing charging stations at night
  • Delivering Decarbonized Transport

    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.

    The hood of a semi truck with a hydrogen fuel cell logo
  • How Is the Airline Industry Adapting to COVID?

    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.

    A contractor disinfecting a Frontier airplane at Denver International Airport in May 2020. Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images.
  • Can Boeing Keep Up?

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

    A Boeing 787 Dreamliner