• Boeing should start designing a new plane as soon as possible, a former CEO has said.
• Phil Condit told The Wall Street Journal that working on a new plane could boost morale.
• In recent years, Boeing has only updated past models rather than designed entirely new planes.

A former Boeing CEO has called for the company to start designing a new plane as soon as possible to help change its fortunes.

Phil Condit, who led the planemaker from 1996 to 2003, told The Wall Street Journal, "You've got to get people excited about what they're doing. You don't come to work just for a paycheck. You come to work because you care about what you're doing."

Condit was asked as part of an article that asked several industry leaders how Boeing could turn things around after a difficult year.

Boeing's share price fell 31% in 2024 — the worst performer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It faced a wave of scrutiny from customers and regulators after a door plug came off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max in midair last January. A seven-week strike, further limiting aircraft production, compounded its problems.

The resolution of the strike included a commitment that Boeing's next commercial airplane would be built in the Seattle area — if a new program is launched during the term of the agreement.

Boeing last announced a new plane model more than 20 years ago — the 787 Dreamliner — which entered commercial service in 2011.

In the years since, the planemaker has instead worked on planes which are updates to previous models — but these have come with problems.

The 737 Max is the fourth-generation descendant of a single-aisle airliner designed in the 1960s.

The 737 Max suffered two crashes in 2018 and 2019, in which 346 people died.

MCAS, a software that played a major role in the crashes, was added because the Max had a tendency to tilt upward in some scenarios — linked to the addition of new, larger engines.

In 2019, The New York Times reported that the 737 Max program was hurried to compete with rival Airbus' A320neo, which broke records at 2011's Paris Air Show.

Boeing's next plane is set to be the 777X — a modernized version of the world's most popular wide-body jet, the 777.

However, it has been beset by certification delays. Initially set to enter service in 2020, Boeing announced last October this has been pushed back to 2026.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Two bodies were discovered in the landing gear of a JetBlue plane on Monday, the airline said.
• The bodies were found during a routine inspection after the plane landed in Florida.
• The plane had flown from New York's JFK Airport to Fort Lauderdale.

Two people were found dead on Monday night in a JetBlue plane during a routine inspection of the aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

In a statement provided to media outlets, JetBlue said the bodies were discovered in the aircraft's landing gear compartment.

The airline said the aircraft had recently operated Flight 1801 from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Fort Lauderdale.

Flight-tracking data from FlightAware shows that the Airbus A320 landed in Florida on Monday at 11:10 p.m.

A Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said homicide and crime scene units responded to a call at 11:30 p.m. on Monday night. Paramedics pronounced both individuals deceased at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

"The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation," JetBlue said. "This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred."

It's not clear if authorities know the identity of the individuals.

Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Carey Codd told BI the Medical Examiner's Office will perform autopsies to determine the cause of death of both individuals.

Arlene Satchell, a spokesperson for the Broward County Aviation Department, told BI by email there were "no impacts" to the airport's operations due to the incident.

Stowaways sometimes try to hide in an airplane's wheel wells, which house the landing gear.

They risk being crushed when the landing gear is contracted. When the plane reaches cruising altitude, stowaways can lose consciousness because of low oxygen levels or face hypothermia.

The Federal Aviation Administration previously told USA Today that about three-quarters of such attempts were fatal.

Monday's incident comes two weeks after a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane on Christmas Eve. The Boeing 787 had flown from Chicago to Hawaii.

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared his thoughts on Boeing.
• "What we really need to see is a pretty profound culture change," he told Bloomberg.
• He also said he hopes the next administration will prioritize Boeing's progress.

Boeing has more work ahead to change its culture, Pete Buttigieg, the outgoing transportation secretary, said in two Monday interviews.

"What we really need to see is a pretty profound culture change that will be ultimately proven out by the results, and that's results over the long term," Buttigieg told Bloomberg.

"That is a work in progress for them," he added.

Buttigieg also told Reuters that "there were real deficiencies" at Boeing and "there is much more to do."

"I think the culture change at Boeing is something that is a real work in progress and the only way to fully assess it will be to see they can consistently improve results," he told the news agency.

The embattled planemaker has a tough task ahead after a challenging 2024.

It ended the year as the biggest loser in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, following a seven-week strike and a crisis sparked by last January's Alaska Airlines blowout. Some airline bosses also spoke about their irritation with delivery and certification delays.

Kelly Ortberg, who took over as Boeing CEO last August, has also spoken about the need to change the company's culture.

In an October earnings call, he said Boeing leaders need to be "closely integrated" with other staff and the business itself — spending time on the factory floors and being held accountable to the firm's values.

"We will be relentless in changing the Boeing culture through action, not just words on a page," Ortberg added.

Buttigieg's comments come two weeks before Donald Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated as president. Trump has nominated Sean Duffy, a Fox Business host and former congressman, to take over as transportation secretary.

"I hope that making sure that Boeing makes the progress they need to make will be just as much of a priority for any other administration as it has been for ours," Buttigieg told Bloomberg.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

• A Swiss International Air Lines flight made an emergency landing last month.
• The Airbus A220's cabin was filled with smoke after encountering an engine problem.
• An autopsy said a flight attendant died due to hypoxic brain damage, Blick reported.

A 23-year-old Swiss International Air Lines flight attendant died due to a "severe lack of oxygen to the brain," according to an autopsy reported by Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper.

It comes after an incident on December 23, when Swiss Flight 1885 encountered engine problems, and the cabin was filled with smoke.

The Airbus A220 was flying from Bucharest, Romania, to Zurich when it made an emergency landing in Graz, Austria.

All 74 passengers and five crew members were evacuated, 17 of whom required medical attention, the airline said.

A week later, Swiss announced that one of the flight's cabin crew members died in the hospital in Graz.

"We are devastated at our dear colleague's death," said CEO Jens Fehlinger. "His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine."

Blick reported that the public prosecutor's office in Graz has launched an investigation into the flight attendant's death.

A spokesperson told the newspaper that a Friday autopsy found the provisional cause of death to be hypoxic brain damage and cerebral edema, meaning brain swelling.

"The brain was massively damaged by a severe lack of oxygen, and the young flight attendant died of it in the intensive care unit," the spokesperson told Blick.

"We are also looking into the role played by the respiratory mask that the flight attendant was wearing," he added.

The Graz public prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

Swiss said the investigation's initial findings point to a problem in one of the plane's Pratt & Whitney engines.

"We have no indication that the safety of the aircraft type is in question," it added.

• Storm Blair has caused travel disruption in several states.
• More than half of flights were canceled at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday.
• 94% of flights were canceled in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.

More than half of flights were canceled at Washington, DC's Reagan National Airport on Monday, according to data from FlightAware, as Storm Blair brought snow and ice to a large part of the country.

The winter storm has triggered a state of emergency in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey.

FlightAware data showed 1,339 flights within, into, or out of the US were canceled on Monday as of 6:30 a.m. ET.

Reagan National Airport appeared to be the worst hit with 229 cancellations, equivalent to 58% of all flights scheduled there for Monday.

Nearby Baltimore/Washington International and Washington Dulles airports were also affected, with 38% and 25% of flights canceled respectively on Monday.

The National Weather Service warned that the DC area could face between 5 and 10 inches of snow, with a winter storm warning in effect until 1 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News that the formal certification of Donald Trump's election as president will still go ahead on Monday.

In Cincinnati, where the National Weather Service predicts up to four inches of snow, one-third of Monday's scheduled flights were canceled, FlightAware data showed.

More than 1,800 flights were canceled on Sunday, per FlightAware.

Heavy snowfall was also recorded in Kansas City, Missouri, where local media reported 10 inches fell on Sunday night. According to FlightAware, 94% of flights were canceled there on Sunday.

Airports in Indianapolis and Kentucky also saw rates of cancellation above 20% on both Sunday and Monday.

• A transatlantic United Airlines flight turned around on New Year's Eve.
• The plane's crew reported a lightning strike, the FAA said.
• Passengers were booked into overnight accommodation in Boston, a United spokesperson said.

United Airlines passengers unexpectedly celebrated the New Year in Boston after their transatlantic flight turned around.

Data from Flightradar24 shows the Boeing 767 was about an hour into its journey from Newark, New Jersey to London when it made a U-turn off the coast of Maine.

Flight UA16's crew had reported a lightning strike, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The passengers were initially set to welcome in 2025 in the air, with the flight scheduled to land in London about 9 a.m. local time.

However, the plane "safely diverted" to Boston shortly before 11 p.m. ET, the FAA said.

A United Airlines spokesperson told Simple Flying the Boeing 767 was inspected by emergency crews upon landing. The Boston Globe reported that there were no injuries.

"We provided accommodation overnight for passengers and rebooked them on another flight to London the next day," the spokesperson said.

United did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The same aircraft departed Boston about 7 p.m. ET on New Year's Day — landing in London 22 hours later than originally scheduled, per data from Flightradar24.

The FAA said it will investigate the incident.

The National Weather Service says airliners are struck by lightning about once or twice a year on average.

It also says jets avoid thunderstorms as much as possible. They can trigger strikes because their presence enhances the electric fields found in storms.

Commercial jets are designed with several protections to mitigate the impact of a lightning, such as a metal mesh that conducts electricity away from passengers and internal electronics.

BI previously reported on other planes struck by lightning, including a Delta Air Lines flight that declared an emergency, and an Air Canada Boeing 777 filmed after takeoff. Both continued to their destinations before being inspected.

• An X post about a Southwest passenger's kitten was viewed more than 20 million times.
• The woman said she was kicked off a flight after cleaning up her cat's poop with paper towels.
• Some replied with messages of support but others were less sympathetic about flying with pets.

An airline passenger's tale about a kitten that pooped in its carrier sparked a debate about bringing pets on flights.

In an X post last Sunday that racked up more than 20 million views, a user named Alex said she was kicked off a flight and left in "a random city for 12 hours."

She said she was on a Southwest Airlines flight when her seven-month-old cat, Oni, got scared during a rough landing and had "an accident."

Alex said she took the carrier to the plane's bathroom and cleaned the mess with paper towels, putting them in the trash before asking a flight attendant for a garbage bag.

Her connecting flight turned out to be on the same plane, she said.

She added that a new crew was on board, and the bathroom was closed off due to the smell.

A "hostile" flight attendant then questioned Alex and made her cry, she said, before a Southwest agent escorted her off the plane.

The agent sorted another route to Los Angeles for her, involving another layover, and gave her a $200 voucher, Alex said.

Southwest Airlines did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Alex's post about the incident resulted in thousands of responses on X both supporting and criticizing her conduct.

"They handled that so poorly, I'm so sorry," one user replied. "I hope you and Oni make it to your destination safely."

Another reply with 7,000 likes said: "Worse things happen in those bathrooms."

Some others were less sympathetic. One repost with more than 1,000 likes said they had "zero sympathy" for people who fly with their pets and "play persecution when something goes awry."

An estimated two million pets are taken on commercial flights annually in the US, according to a 2023 research paper published in the academic journal Animals.

This isn't the first time that a fecal airline incident has made headlines.

Last April, a United Airlines flight was diverted after a dog pooped in the plane's aisle.

And in 2023, a transatlantic Delta Air Lines flight had to turn around after a passenger had "diarrhea all the way through the airplane."

• Travelers encountered bedbugs on three Turkish Airlines flights, The New York Times reported.
• One passenger said they saw bedbugs fall from the ceiling onto another person's lap.
• A science teacher said found 13 bite marks on her body after her flight.

Turkish Airlines passengers told The New York Times they had encountered bedbugs on three flights in recent months.

Two incidents resulted in offers of minor compensation, and the airline told one passenger that "no record of any disruption" existed in relation to another, the outlet reported.

Matthew Myers, 28, told the newspaper he and his girlfriend were flying from Istanbul to San Francisco in October.

He said a passenger next to him drew his attention to bedbugs on the seat and falling from the ceiling, before some landed on the person's lap.

"Multiple passengers were asking to move seats after discovering bugs," Myers told the Times.

He said one passenger moved to a jump seat for flight attendants.

Myers said Turkish Airlines offered him a 10% discount on future travel that was valid through the following two months.

In another incident the same month, Kristin Bourgeois told the Times she found bedbugs on her blanket and pillow during a 10-hour flight from Washington Dulles Airport.

The 37-year-old science teacher said she found 13 bite marks on her body afterward and took photos.

After filing her complaint, Turkish Airlines told Bourgeois it required a doctor's medical report before investigating, per the Times. The report said her flight history was later removed from the airline's app, before she was offered 5,000 frequent flyer miles.

Patience Titcombe also told the newspaper she noticed a bedbug on her seat during a Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg.

She posted a picture on X in March with the comment: "@TurkishAirlines bedbugs on our inbound flight to IST is every travelers nightmare!!!"

Titcombe said a flight attendant disposed of the bug and dismissed her concern about it.

The Times reported that Titcombe complained through Facebook Messenger and email, and sent photos, although the carrier said "no record of any disruption" existed.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider and did not respond to a request from the Times.

The report comes after heightened concern about bedbugs in 2023.

During an outbreak in Paris, bedbugs were seen on public transportation. South Korea also launched a campaign targeting transportation hubs.

• Several airlines retired the Boeing 747 during the pandemic and Boeing stopped production.
• But the iconic "Queen of the Skies" is still operated by several country's governments and royals.
• That includes China's Xi Jinping and the Saudi King, who boards on a golden escalator.

The Boeing 747 has become one of the most iconic airplanes ever built since it was introduced in 1970. The double-decker aircraft pioneered the use of the term "jumbo jet."

But the "Queen of the Skies" is growing old, and its four engines are thirstier than newer, more fuel-efficient jets.

During the pandemic, airlines like British Airways, KLM, and Qantas retired their 747s, and Boeing decided to end production.

A handful of Boeing 747s are still flying commercially, but you're more likely to see one carrying cargo.

Yet sometimes, reputation outweighs efficiency. The 747 is still the jet of choice for 11 governments and royal families around the world.

Air Force One is the most iconic — although technically, it's not a 747 but a militarized version called the VC-25A. The jumbo jet is most popular among leaders in Asia, primarily the Middle East.

In alphabetical order, here are the countries that have their own Boeing 747s.

Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, is one of many oil-rich nations on this list.

Bahrain Royal Flight operates two 747-400s which are both over 20 years old. They are used to fly King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his family.

Brunei

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is one of the flashiest leaders in the world. His palace has over 1,700 rooms, more than 2 million sq ft of space, and a 110-car garage.

One of the few absolute monarchs on this list, he has one Boeing 747-8, which is operated by the airline Sultan's Flight.

Sultan's Flight previously had another two 747s. Its current fleet also includes a Boeing 767 and a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that was delivered in 2018.

China

China is the only country whose governmental Boeing 747 is actually operated by its flag carrier.

With the Air China livery, it looks the same as the airline's eight 747s on the outside. However, the one registered B-2479 is said to have been kitted out for the government to use.

During Xi Jinping's visit to South America in November, Air China deployed another 747 for other personnel, as well as a cargo version that carried a luxury Hongqi car, Simple Flying reported.

Morocco

Morocco has the lowest GDP per capita on this list, of $4,204. However, the royal family is one of the richest: Forbes estimated that King Mohammed VI had a net worth of $5.7 billion in 2015.

There are two jumbo jets registered to the country's government: a 747-400 and a larger 747-8. It also owns a Boeing 737.

The 747s have "Kingdom of Morocco" written on the side in Arabic, and stripes in the flag's colors of red and green. It's similar to the former livery of the country's flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc.

Oman

Like Brunei's leader, the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq also heads an absolute monarchy.

Oman Royal Flight operates two Boeing 747s. The older 747-400 was delivered in 2001, while a newer 747-8 was delivered in 2012.

The Sultan also owns a business-jet version of Airbus' A320 and A319 jets.

Qatar

The Boeing 747 pictured above may look like a Qatar Airways plane from the outside, but it is only used to transport the country's ruling Al-Thani family.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his wife, Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari, arrived on one of their two 747-8s when they visited the UK in December.

Qatar Amiri Flight has 13 planes in total — the most of any on this list.

Bloomberg estimated the family's fortune to be $150 billion. The country's sovereign wealth fund has myriad investments around the globe, including a substantial stake in London Heathrow Airport.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has the richest royal family in the world. Including its holdings in state oil company Aramco, some estimates put the figure over $1 trillion.

Among its six active jets is one Boeing 747-400, per ch-aviation data.

88-year-old King Salman travels with a 1,500-person entourage and two Mercedes Benz limousines, The Points Guy reported.

He also has a golden escalator to board and deplane the 747 — which once malfunctioned on a trip to Russia.

South Korea

South Korea's presidential jet is known as Code One — an upgraded 747-8 leased from flag carrier Korean Air.

It's the newest plane on this list, in service since January 2022.

"From decorating the exterior of the plane to remodeling the inside of the plane with customized facilities for the president, such as an office room and sleeping area, the plane needs to reinforce its protection function for the security of the president," an industry inside told The Korea Herald.

Turkey

After opposition politicians expressed concern about using taxpayers' money to buy a jet, Qatar's Al-Thani gifted Turkey a $500 million Boeing 747-8 in 2018, per the BBC.

The two countries grew closer after Turkey supported Qatar during a diplomatic crisis from 2017 to 2021, when other Arab states cut off ties.

The Turkish government also owns four Airbus planes.

United States

Air Force One is perhaps the most iconic governmental plane. However, it stands out from the rest because it isn't technically a 747. Instead, it's a militarized version called the VC-25A, meaning it can do things like refuel in midair.

However, it's over 30 years old, with two new ones in the pipeline. In his first term, Donald Trump renegotiated the contract with Boeing to limit costs below $4 billion. He most likely won't get to fly on the new jets, though, with delivery now expected in 2029.

• OpenAI shared new details about its plan to overhaul its company structure.
• Its current for-profit arm has been governed by a nonprofit board.
• OpenAI said its existing for-profit arm would become a public benefit corporation with ordinary shares of stock.

OpenAI has detailed its plans for a new corporate structure that would separate its business from being controlled by its nonprofit board.

In a blog post shared by the company on social media on Friday, the company said its board was considering "how to best structure OpenAI to advance the mission of ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity have been."

"Our plan is to transform our existing for-profit into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation⁠ (PBC) with ordinary shares of stock and the OpenAI mission as its public benefit interest," OpenAI wrote.

"The PBC is a structure⁠ used⁠ by many others⁠ that requires the company to balance shareholder interests, stakeholder interests, and a public benefit interest in its decisionmaking," the company said. "It will enable us to raise the necessary capital with conventional terms like others in this space."

This structure aims to generate profit while also benefiting the public interest. The nonprofit arm would take shares in the public benefit corporation, it added.

OpenAI said it was planning to make the structural change "in order to best support the mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."

"As we enter 2025, we will have to become more than a lab and a startup — we have to become an enduring company," it added.

In September, OpenAI confirmed that it would convert to a for-profit structure.

The move was also widely reported to be key to its $6.6-billion funding round in October: OpenAI has two years to make the switch, or else investors in the round could ask for their money back, multiple reports said.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last month that a for-profit status makes it easier to attract new funding.

Altman is overseeing the transition just over a year after OpenAI's board temporarily removed him as the company's chief executive, thrusting its nonprofit governance into the spotlight.

While Altman was ousted for a few days, he returned as CEO, and many of the company leaders who pushed him out have since left their roles and new board members were added.

Now, OpenAI said the AI race has proven more costly than anticipated, which requires a structure more amenable to investors.

"The hundreds⁠ of billions of dollars that major companies are now investing into AI show what it will really take for OpenAI to continue pursuing the mission," OpenAI wrote in its latest blog post.

"We once again need to raise more capital than we'd imagined," it said. "Investors want to back us but, at this scale of capital, need conventional equity and less structural bespokeness."

• An unticketed passenger was caught on board a Delta Air Lines plane, the airline said.
• The incident occurred on Christmas Eve at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
• It comes weeks after another person tried to fly from New York to Paris without a boarding pass.

A Delta Air Lines passenger was caught trying to fly to Hawaii without a boarding pass on Christmas Eve, the airline and airport officials said.

The person went through standard security screening before bypassing ID verification and boarding-status stations, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement shared with BI.

Delta flight 487 was taxiing to the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when the person was discovered, the airline said.

It added that, per procedures, the Airbus A321neo then returned to the gate.

The suspect then departed the plane before police located them in an airport restroom using video surveillance, the Port of Seattle said in a statement shared with BI.

Investigators determined the unticketed passenger had passed through a security checkpoint the day before, it said.

It added that the person was arrested on charges of criminal trespass.

The flight to Honolulu departed more than two hours later than scheduled. The Port of Seattle said passengers were deplaned to be rescreened by the TSA, and the aircraft was swept by K9 dogs.

"As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation."

After a similar incident last month, 57-year-old Svetlana Dali was charged with being a stowaway on an aircraft after sneaking onto a Delta Air Lines service to Paris. If found guilty, she faces up to five years in prison.

The complaint against Dali, which BI has seen, says she boarded a Delta flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass or a passport.

It added that she was able to pass through security by entering a special lane for airline staff. Dali is also said to have admitted in an interview with authorities that she intentionally evaded TSA and Delta staff to board the flight.

The incident is said to have occurred in late November, during another busy holiday period when Thanksgiving travel set records.

The TSA said it expected to screen nearly 40 million people at airports from December 19 to January 2, up 6.2% from 2023.

It said the busiest days would be December 20, 27, and 30.

• United Airlines' share price has more than doubled in 2024, outperforming competitors.
• The airline benefits from its hub airport structure and has been smart with deploying capacity.
• Strong finances and planned share buybacks have also helped.

United Airlines may be Boeing's biggest customer, but the two companies have had wildly different years.

A quality-control crisis and seven-week labor strike have led to layoffs, increased regulatory scrutiny, and — perhaps most problematically — production delays.

And despite massive headwinds across the entire airline industry, United has outperformed most of its peers, with its stock price up 148% in 2024.

Financial analysts and industry consultants say the airline's strong finances, share buybacks, broad network, and a coming fleet refresh are among the reasons it has been doing so well.

That's despite impacts from Boeing delivery delays, which forced United to offer pilots unpaid leave and rethink its flying this year. The airline coped by leasing planes and shrinking its domestic supply.

Clark Johns of Alton Aviation Consultancy told Business Insider that United's advantageous hub structure and hundreds of incoming narrow-body aircraft helped position the airline to better manage Boeing-related headwinds.

The carrier also benefited this year by refocusing on long-haul flying to boost business and revenue.

"Basic economy is still a major revenue stream for them, and they're expanding their premium seating," Johns said. "In some senses, they're kind of firing on all cylinders."

United flies to more overseas cities than any other US carrier

Among the biggest boons for United has been international flying.

Analysts at HSBC raised their price target for United in December to $116 —about 14% above current levels — citing its international network as a key driver.

"Its exposure to the international markets is well above its peers, and the international demand is quite strong," HSBC said, adding that United's 2024 transatlantic winter bookings — typically a slower period — are 30% higher compared to pre-Covid levels.

Johns said United "has done a good job with regards to the timing" of deploying its capacity amid delays to deliveries of new Boeing planes.

He said United had a strong performance in Europe — operating long-haul routes when demand was high but more modestly on domestic routes when overcapacity impacted US airline revenues.

United has also expanded its capacity on flights to Asia. Tokyo's Narita Airport has been a particularly key base for United, and Johns praised the airline as "tactical" in redeploying aircraft there from weaker routes out of its Guam base. In 2025, it plans to further expand in the region.

United's diverse hubs provide a strategic advantage

United benefits hub airport locations that create strong network opportunities across oceans and the Americas.

Large population centers, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Newark, New Jersey, act as strong international gateways.

Johns said these airports help United target high-yielding premium and business traffic.

The airline also feeds passengers through hubs in Chicago, Denver, and Houston, providing good connectivity across the interior US.

In an October report seen by BI, Deutsche Bank analysts said they anticipate 2025 will be a "strong year of regional growth" for the airline's network.

Johns said Delta and American don't have the same vast hub structure and have dominance in fewer places, like Dallas-Fort Worth and Charlotte for American and Atlanta and Detroit for Delta.

United is revamping its fleet with hundreds of new planes

A fleet renewal plan that includes 270 new Airbus and Boeing narrow-body planes, plus 150 widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners, is powering United's expansion.

Data from the manufacturers show that as of November 30 this year, United had received 21 Airbus A321neos, 31 Boeing 737 Maxs, and one Dreamliner. The 737 deliveries are less than half of the 71 Max planes United received through November 2023.

As it shifts capacity, United has removed the yet-to-be-certified 737 Max 10 from its future fleet plan. It has 150 units on order.

United also has new planes from rival Airbus to look forward to in the coming years, including its first A321XLR in 2026.

United's SVP of global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, previously told BI the airline plans to replace its aging Boeing 757s with the A321XLR and fly to new destinations, like northern Italy and West Africa.

This influx of narrow-body planes could help United lower costs and make the airline even more competitive.

United's fleet allows for diverse revenue streams, including basic economy and money-making premium cabins; the latter is especially lucrative as corporate travel remains on the rise.

Deutsche Bank analysts said United's adjusted pretax margin of 9.7% "reflects the company's advantage of having revenue diversification with premium customers, basic economy customers, and domestic road warriors."

United's third-quarter premium revenues, including Polaris business class and premium economy, were up 5% year over year.

Basic economy was up by a fifth, signaling United's discounted fare has likely poached some business from budget carriers struggling to maintain customers who prefer more perks when flying.

Share buyback signals strong finances

In its third-quarter earnings, United's adjusted earnings per share of $3.33 beat analysts' estimates. It also announced plans for a $1.5 billion share buyback.

"We intend this buyback to be the beginning of a consistent and disciplined return of capital that is paced by our ability to generate increasing levels of free cash," said CFO Michael Leskinen.

Johns told BI that this was another sign of United's progress toward becoming a dependable "blue-chip" stock as it works to reduce its debt-to-earnings ratio.

"I think that's probably the market broadly seeing the positive aspects in terms of how the airline is performing," he said.

In a recent earnings call, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline has been confident for the past two years that the industry is evolving to produce higher margins.

Deutsche Bank analysts are also bullish, saying: "We believe the solid earnings momentum will continue into the next two years."

• Svetlana Dali was charged with being a stowaway on a Delta Air Lines flight to Paris.
• On Sunday, she removed her ankle monitor, an arrest warrant said.
• Several outlets reported she was arrested on a Greyhound bus headed to Canada.

The woman accused of being a stowaway on a transatlantic Delta Air Lines flight was arrested after trying to sneak out of the country again, law enforcement sources told several outlets.

After being charged earlier this month, Svetlana Dali was released but ordered to wear an ankle monitor, according to court documents seen by Business Insider.

On Sunday, she "removed her location monitoring bracelet and absconded," an arrest warrant said.

CNN first reported that Dali's roommate reported her missing after finding her ankle monitor on the floor. It added that Dali was taken into custody on Monday while on board a Greyhound bus headed to Canada.

An official told The New York Times that Dali had a ticket for the ride — unlike last month's Delta flight.

She appeared in court in Buffalo on Tuesday, and a hearing for violating the terms of her release is scheduled for Friday in Brooklyn.

The Delta incident

57-year-old Dali made headlines when she was charged earlier this month with being a stowaway on an aircraft.

The criminal complaint against her says she confirmed in an interview that she boarded a Delta flight to Paris without a boarding pass or passport.

It adds that Dali was first turned away from a security checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport as she couldn't show a boarding pass.

Five minutes later, she was successful as she entered via a special lane for airline employees after blending in with a group of flight crew members, the complaint says.

Dali is said to have then boarded Flight DL264. The complaint says Delta staff realized she was on board the plane before landing, and French authorities determined she didn't have a boarding pass or passport.

The incident occurred on November 26. The 2.7 million passengers that passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints that day was a record for a Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

In a statement previously shared with BI, Delta thanked French and US authorities for their assistance. The airline said a review found its security infrastructure was "sound" and the incident was caused by a "deviation from standard procedures."

"We are thoroughly addressing this matter and will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement, and other relevant stakeholders," the statement added. "Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security."

• A Delta flight encountered severe turbulence last year, with 17 people injured.
• The NTSB's newly published report says none of the injured people were wearing seatbelts.
• One passenger fractured four vertebrae and was hospitalized for over a month.

Newly released details from a 2023 incident that injured 17 airline passengers highlight the dangers of encountering turbulence, and serve as a stark reminder of why keeping your seatbelt on is always a good idea.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 was flying from Milan to Atlanta when it encountered severe turbulence around 40 minutes from landing.

The National Transportation Safety Board made public its investigation last Friday. It found none of the injured people were wearing seatbelts despite the seatbelt sign being on.

10 of those who were injured were flight attendants, two of whom had serious injuries.

The flight's first officer told investigators that he told the cabin crew they should be seated due to expected turbulence. A list of injuries, shared with Delta and the NTSB, said the injured crew members weren't seated at the time.

One of those who was seriously injured suffered two broken ribs and back compression fractures, while the other had compression fractures in their neck and upper back, it said.

The other injuries to flight attendants included muscle strains, a concussion, and a deep cut that required stitches.

Five of the flight attendants were taken to hospital and released within 24 hours.

Of the seven passengers who were injured, one remained in hospital nearly a month after the flight. The person fractured four vertebrae and a rib, according to the NTSB report.

Another seriously injured passenger fractured one vertebra, while the others had muscle strains — mostly in the neck.

None of the injured passengers were wearing a seatbelt, the report said.

One of those passengers reported that her head hit the ceiling, hurting her neck, back, and head, although she was later able to walk off the plane.

Guy Gratton, an associate professor of aviation and the environment at Cranfield University, previously told Business Insider that a plane encountering turbulence is like "taking a box with something in it and starting to shake the box up and down."

"And clearly, if you're the person who's inside the box, then you get thrown around inside the box, and that's where injuries happen," he added.

"Passengers are told to keep their seatbelts done up because if you're tied to the box, you're much less likely to get injured."

While the Delta incident saw four serious injuries, cases of major injuries during turbulence are rare.

Between 2009 and 2023, 184 people were seriously injured by turbulence — an average of 12 a year — according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. The majority of those, 146, were flight attendants rather than passengers.

• A KLM flight diverted to Bermuda due to the smell of pigs from the cargo hold.
• The Boeing 787 was en route from Amsterdam to Mexico City when it diverted.
• Passengers stayed at local hotels and were ultimately delayed by 30 hours.

A KLM flight made an unscheduled landing when the cabin was filled with the smell of 100 pigs.

The Boeing 787 was flying from Amsterdam to Mexico City last Friday. Data from Flightradar24 shows that six hours into its journey, it diverted to Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

A spokesperson for Skyport, the firm that runs Bermuda's LF Wade International Airport, told Business Insider the diversion was caused by "the distinctive aroma of 100 pigs traveling in the cargo hold," saying the stench "prompted the flight crew to divert to Bermuda for a fresh-air break."

A KLM spokesperson said that halfway through the flight, "a strong smell caused by live animals (pigs) in the cargo hold reached the cockpit." They added that the flight was diverted as a standard precaution.

The Skyport spokesperson said 259 passengers and crew were processed through immigration and accommodated at local hotels, while the pigs were attended to by a government vet.

"Thanks to excellent collaboration between KLM, Delta Air Lines, and local partners, both our two-legged and four-legged visitors are safe and well cared for — even if this wasn't quite the Christmas vacation they had planned," they added.

Skyport shared a video on social media of the pigs being loaded back onto a different plane — a KLM 777.

According to the spokesperson and Flightradar24 data, the plane was scheduled to leave Bermuda at 9:40 p.m. — but ended up departing earlier, at 6:26 p.m.

Landing in Mexico around 9 p.m. on Sunday meant the KLM passengers — and the pigs — were delayed by around 26 hours.

This diversion comes two weeks after a KLM Boeing 777 had to turn back to Amsterdam while crossing the Atlantic.

The flight from Amsterdam to Suriname experienced a "technical malfunction," leaving passengers with a four-hour flight to nowhere.

• Campbell Wilson has been CEO of Air India since it was privatized in 2022.
• He's leading a turnaround that involves hundreds of new jets plus refurbishing old cabins.
• Wilson told BI about his frustrations with the airline's supply chain, and his leadership style.

Campbell Wilson has a tough job — he compares his efforts turning around Air India to "drinking from a firehose."

The New Zealander was appointed CEO in June 2022 after the state-owned flag carrier was privatized in a deal with India's Tata Group conglomerate.

"It was sort of like walking down a beach with 10,000 stones, and under each one of those stones, you knew that there was a creepy crawly," Wilson told Business Insider in an interview at a Taj Hotel in London, also owned by the Tata Group.

"But progressively, you work through it, and you pick up all the stones, and you address everything that's sitting underneath," he added. "And I think now, for the most part, the beach is clean. It's just we have to erect the edifice on top."

At 2023's Paris Airshow, the new Air India set out its ambitions when it signed deals for 470 aircraft worth $70 billion at list prices.

To speed things up, the airline agreed to take six Airbus A350 jets originally destined for the Russian carrier Aeroflot. They're a much more modern upgrade from the aged jets that make up most of Air India's fleet.

For passengers, it's the most tangible evidence of the turnaround, operating on flights to New York and London.

There are another 44 Airbus A350 jets on the way — 10 of which were ordered on Monday. As well as hundreds of narrow-body jets, Air India has ordered 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 10 Boeing 777X jets.

The 777X has been much anticipated throughout the industry but has faced several delays in certification. First deliveries are expected in 2026, six years later than initially scheduled.

"I have full confidence in Boeing to go through whatever's necessary to get these aircraft in the air," Wilson told BI.

"There are other airlines ahead of us who are equally impatient with the delivery," he added. "We just need to let them run through that process with the [Federal Aviation Administration]."

Wilson is more concerned about delays in the supply chain, given plans to retrofit old cabins. "It's the No. 1 frustration I have, to be quite honest," he said.

Two-thirds of its widebody planes haven't been updated since deliveries dating back to 2007. For all the work on behind-the-scenes operations, Wilson says the seats are "the most visible manifestation of the old Air India."

Passengers have seen problems including missing charging outlets, malfunctioning TVs, and broken tray tables.

"The gap between modern and what we offer is big, and so the urgency for us to refit these aircraft is probably greater than any other airline."

"Until we upgrade the aircraft, then people won't believe that the transformation has happened," he added. "And so it's frustrating, but we're working through it."

New Zealand to New York

Wilson didn't find himself running an airline out of a passion for aviation but was instead first driven by opportunities to see the world.

After a season playing field hockey in England, he traveled to New York, where he stayed at a teammate's brother's high-rise apartment.

"I'm sleeping on this guy's couch, looking between my feet at the Empire State Building," Wilson recounted.

He learned the apartment was a perk of his host's job, having been posted to New York. So back home in New Zealand, Wilson was excited when he spotted an ad for Singapore Airlines' management trainee scheme — with the offer to relocate to any of the destinations to which it flew.

"I had to make a sufficient nuisance of myself and knuckle down, work hard, make an impression," he said. "I got sent to Auckland, Sydney, and a few other places."

After working his way up the ranks of Singapore Airlines, Wilson was in 2011 tapped to become the founding CEO of Scoot — its subsidiary budget airline.

Over a decade later, Singapore Airlines took a minority stake in the Air India deal, and Wilson was chosen to lead the turnaround.

Contextual leadership

Wilson said a turnaround requires you to "get a lot of balls up in the air being juggled at once."

"You don't have the luxury of time to do things sequentially, and so you have to do everything in parallel," he added.

He said this can lead to heavy workloads, uncertainties, and people being stretched. "But you've only got a certain window before people really want to see the outcome."

Wilson described his leadership style as contextual. "Certainly, in the early part of the transformation, it was very hands-on," he said.

But after more progress was made, he said, people would come to him with ideas of what they wanted to do and how they could achieve them.

"Without being glib, I think the higher you go in the organization, more and more of your job is about people," Wilson told BI. He referred to the importance of aligning people behind a common objective and ensuring they have the necessary resources.

Wilson said his favorite part of being a CEO is interacting with people. Before he was in his 40s, he said, he was more interested in his own success and progress.

"And then you get to the mid-to-late 40s, and actually you take just as much pleasure — and eventually more pleasure — from seeing other people develop," he added.

The Air India boss said he was pleased with the turnaround so far, but there's still more to come.

What is he most excited about in 2025? "Getting these damn seats installed on the aircraft."

• Two planes narrowly avoided hitting each other in an October incident in Long Beach.
• A Southwest Airlines jet was cleared to land on a runway that had another plane on it.
• The incident was revealed in a preliminary NTSB report published this week.

A Southwest Airlines jet avoided disaster after it landed on a runway that already had a plane on it.

The incident occurred in Long Beach in October, although the National Transportation Safety Board published its preliminary report into the incident this week.

The Southwest Boeing 737, arriving from Oakland, was cleared to land on runway 30 at Long Beach Airport — although it was occupied by another plane.

A Diamond DA40, a four-seater light aircraft, had just arrived from Camarillo airport.

The NTSB report said that the smaller plane's crew was cleared to land on runway 30 and to hold short of an intersecting runway.

They requested to circle around and land on the other runway, but the air traffic controller denied their request.

About three minutes later, the Southwest flight was cleared to land on the same runway.

The controller provided the crew with a traffic advisory about a Cessna landing on runway 26.

As it was landing, the crew told ATC that there was another plane on the runway.

They came within 857 feet of each other. But the Southwest jet slowed down in time before both aircraft taxied to their requested parking areas without further incident.

Because the NTSB's report is preliminary, it does not aim to establish a cause of the incident but rather gives a statement of facts.

This isn't the first time that a plane has ended up on an already occupied runway.

In 2023, a JetBlue pilot taking off in Colorado made a quick maneuver to avoid a smaller plane coming in to land.

• A Qantas flight U-turned over the Pacific Ocean — 1,100 miles after leaving Los Angeles.
• Investigators said sparks were seen coming from an engine, and Qantas confirmed a "mechanical issue."
• Passengers were left with a six-hour flight to nowhere.

Qantas passengers endured a six-hour flight to nowhere when their flight turned around over the Pacific Ocean.

Flight 16 from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, on December 3 U-turned after 2 ½ hours, about 1,100 miles off the California coast, per FlightAware data.

It landed back at LAX at about 2:45 a.m. the next day in Los Angeles.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is investigating the incident, said the Airbus A330 suffered an engine malfunction.

From initial reports, it said, sparks were seen coming from one of the engines, prompting the Qantas pilots to return to Los Angeles.

It added that a bang was heard during the approach, followed by stall indications for the engine. After landing, an inspection found evidence of metal in the engine's tailpipe.

FlightAware's data shows that the A330, registered under the tail number VH-EBQ, has been grounded since the incident.

A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the plane returned because of a "mechanical issue with one of the engines."

"The pilots followed normal procedures and returned to LA where the aircraft landed normally," they added.

"We apologize for the inconvenience and recognize this would have been unsettling for some passengers. We'll work closely with the regulators on their investigation."

So-called flights to nowhere can be frustrating for passengers and costly for airlines — but typically less so than other diversions. It is generally easier to repair problems and reroute passengers where airlines have bases. Qantas has a maintenance facility at LAX.

The airline spokesperson said the engine would be repaired before it returned to the fleet. In the meantime, a replacement is being sent to Los Angeles from Melbourne.

It isn't especially rare for planes to turn back to where they came from when an issue arises.

On Saturday, a United Airlines flight to London returned to Newark, New Jersey, where a 24-year-old was arrested on suspicion of interference with transportation.

Earlier this month, a KLM Boeing 777 U-turned over the Atlantic, leaving passengers with a four-hour flight to nowhere.

• British Airways told customers on X it faced "baggage disruption" due to a fault at London Heathrow.
• Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport and the world's second-busiest for international flights.
• An aviation news site reported BA warned crews against checking bags due to the baggage system fault.

Some flight crews have been advised not to check bags amid a system fault at Europe's busiest airport, aviation news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported.

London Heathrow is also the world's second-busiest airport for international flights, behind Dubai, according to travel data provider OAG. On Wednesday, Heathrow announced that it's expecting its busiest-ever December after last month's 6.5 million passengers broke records for November travel.

Responding to customers who reported luggage troubles on Monday and Tuesday, British Airways' X account said the airline faced "baggage disruption" due to issues at Heathrow.

In another post, it said it was "unable to load a number of bags onto flights" on Monday "due to a fault with London Heathrow Airport's baggage system, which was out of our control."

PYOK reported that British Airways also told pilots and cabin crew not to check luggage due to the fault at Terminal 5.

It added that BA told crews the risk of reaching their destination without their bags was too high, and that they should pack essential uniform items and spare clothes in their carry-ons.

The report also said that, in an internal update on Tuesday, Heathrow Airport said that it was still working on "what can be done" to fix the fault.

Business Insider understands that as of Wednesday morning, British Airways passengers were no longer facing baggage issues.

British Airways did not comment when contacted by Business Insider. London Heathrow Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• A United Airlines flight turned back to Newark, New Jersey, after 90 minutes.
• It's the latest example of a flight to nowhere — when flights return to their origin.
• Passengers eventually made it to London 12 hours later than scheduled.

United Airlines passengers faced a 12-hour delay after their transatlantic trip became a flight to nowhere.

Saturday's flight from Newark, New Jersey, to London was in the air for about 90 minutes when it U-turned just off the coast of Nova Scotia, according to data from FlightAware.

The flight-tracking website shows that after landing back in New Jersey at about 2:30 a.m. ET, the Boeing 767 didn't take off again for nearly five more hours.

Flight UA940 ultimately made it to London Heathrow at 7.29 p.m. local time on Sunday — 12 hours and 5 minutes after it was initially scheduled.

In a statement shared with Business Insider, a United Airlines spokesperson said the flight returned to Newark "to address a disruptive passenger."

The statement added that law enforcement removed the passenger before the flight continued to London that morning.

One Reddit user who said they were on the flight said the plane turned around after a business-class passenger threatened the aircraft's security.

They added that the delay at Newark was compounded by the flight crew reaching their maximum time on the clock, so new staff had to be brought in from standby.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey didn't immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside US working hours.

Returning all the way to Newark rather than landing at a nearer airport in Canada may initially seem a strange decision, but so-called flights to nowhere aren't uncommon. Going back to an airline's hub airport usually means it's simpler to reroute passengers and solve any issues.

There have been several flights to nowhere in recent weeks.

Last month, a Delta Air Lines plane turned back over the coast of Newfoundland after the crew observed a potential engine issue.

Then, a KLM flight U-turned over the Atlantic Ocean and headed back to Amsterdam in a four-hour flight to nowhere as a precaution because of a technical malfunction.