Bloomberg reports that vowing to “avoid a repeat of catastrophic holiday delays that stranded thousands of passengers last year, Southwest Airlines Co.’s leader said the company was ‘absolutely ready’ for an impending travel crush.” Company CEO Bob Jordan said the carrier has overhauled its operations since last year’s debacle, and has “added workers and improved training to new cold-weather equipment and revamped technology.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)
Tag: Promises
X-59 Promises to Open a New Era of Supersonic Travel
The Times (UK) reports the X-59, built by Skunk Works, “promises to open a new era of supersonic travel.” The X-59 “has been designed to fly faster than the speed of sound without generating the thunderous, window-rattling sonic boom that has, until now, accompanied all supersonic flight. Instead, it should produce what NASA describe as a ‘gentle sonic thump’ – about as loud as a car door being slammed several metres away. The aim is to persuade regulators, including in Britain, to amend rules that have banned faster-than-sound commercial flights over land since the 1970s because of the noise nuisance.” Later this year, according to The Times, the “X-59 will pass over densely populated areas of the US. Residents will be asked what they think about the thump and the findings will guide future legislation.”
Full Story (The Times {UK})