Flying

 Independent UK - For years, travellers in the US have been warned that, at some point, they would need to obtain a Real ID-compliant identification if they wanted to fly in the US.  It appears that the deadline may be upon us. Again. The Department of Homeland Security recently stated that Real ID will be enforced starting on 7 May 2025, meaning Americans have just under a year to make sure their IDs are compliant, at least if they intend to use air travel or access federal buildings. Real ID was introduced under a 2005 Congressional act intending to set a “minimum security” standard for citizens’ IDs, including driving licences.... “Following the enforcement deadline, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will be prohibited from accepting driver’s licences and identification cards that do not meet these federal standards,” the DHS said in 2022.  Air travellers with up-to-date passports or permanent resident cards likely won’t need a Real ID-compliant driver’s licence. However, they will still be ineligible for entering nuclear facilities or other federal facilities, should they have reason to do so.

NPR - Boeing has violated a deal that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution following two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max airplanes more than five years ago, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors say say Boeing failed to "design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws." This means the company face criminal prosecution for defrauding federal regulators, though DOJ lawyers stopped short of saying whether they will pursue that. Boeing says it disagrees with the DOJ's conclusion that it has violated the deal. Boeing came under renewed scrutiny this year after a door plug blew out from an Alaska Airlines flight in January. But it's incredibly rare that anyone is killed or even injured on a commercial flight. Here's why there's usually no need to panic when a plane makes an emergency landing.