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<ul class="summary-list"><li>My family recently visited <keyword id="20054308" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ireland" source="keywords">Ireland</keyword> to celebrate my son's third birthday.</li><li>It's the perfect country to visit with a toddler.</li></ul>Many families dream of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-go-in-europe-travel-planner-favorite-destinations-2024-10">traveling around Europe</a> because it's a great continent for kids. I've been to every country in Europe (except Russia), and in my opinion, one of these countries provides the ideal destination for toddlers: Ireland. I recently went with my own 3-year-old, and we had an amazing time. As soon as our ferry docked in Dublin, my son seemed amazed. My partner and I organized the trip to celebrate his third birthday, and I shouldn't have been surprised he was enjoying himself, as nowhere is quite as magical as Ireland. <div type="image" title="Jennifer Sizeland's son running on a beach in Ireland." height="1536" width="2048" msid="114281848" hostid="261"></div><h2>The coast acts as a wonderful base for a family trip</h2>An <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-under-the-radar-places-in-ireland-2022-4">ideal way to see Ireland</a> as a family is to stay in a cottage or caravan near the coast, which can act as your base for exploring the surrounding areas by car, bike, or <keyword id="19919009" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="public-transport" source="keywords">public transport</keyword>. This was what we decided to do and was a great choice; Ireland's roads are quieter than much of the rest of Europe, as it is sparsely populated, aside from its main cities. Even though you should take the usual precautions, it felt safe and people are very welcoming, especially to children. If you want to learn about Ireland's tangible history without the kids getting bored, there are so many beautifully preserved castles and estates with sprawling gardens to get lost in. The famous <keyword id="23623420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blarney-Castle" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Blarney Castle" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Blarney Castle">Blarney Castle</keyword> (home of the Blarney stone) is especially intriguing with a rock close, a poison garden, and a waterfall all hidden around its vast grounds. My son enjoyed playing hide-and-seek among the vast avenues adorned with sculptures and giant plants. There is also the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, a huge parkland and tree collection dedicated to the former president. <div type="image" title="Jennifer Sizeland's son running in a marsh in Ireland, the sky is cloudy and blue." height="2213" width="2950" msid="114281854" hostid="261"></div><h2>Public transportation is great in Ireland, and wildlife is everywhere</h2>There are many ways to explore Ireland with its excellent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taking-public-transportation-solo-backpacking-europe-2023-9">public transport system</a>, which includes buses, trams, ferries, boats, and trains that little ones will love riding. If you want to extend your overland trip, you can take ferries from the east and southern coasts of Ireland to France, England, Wales, and the Isle of Man to avoid the hassle of flying. You might even see a dolphin or a whale in the Irish Sea if you're lucky. Seals also haul out on the beaches and rocks along the coast, so it's fun to try to spot them. My son loved visiting the Seal Rescue Center in County Wexford, where we saw baby seals being nursed back to health. The abundance of countryside means that there is wildlife everywhere, including seabirds, deer, and otters. <h2>It's not hard to get food for even the pickiest eaters</h2>It also means that there are plenty of farms, so it's easy to find fresh local produce wherever you go. While my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/your-kids-may-not-grow-out-of-picky-eaters-study-2020-5">toddler is a picky eater</a>, the basics in Ireland, like bread, butter, and meat, are all delicious, and he loved the sandwiches and stews. As sustainability is also important there, many towns and cities have zero-waste stores and discounts for people who bring their own coffee cups. Much like any parent with a young child, I'm trying to leave a better world for him, which was much easier to do in Ireland than most places I've visited. <h2>There's just something magical about the country</h2>While these are all reasons enough to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/long-flight-with-toddlers-snacks-entertainment-2024-2">visit Ireland with a toddler</a>, perhaps the best incentive is the mythology behind this emerald isle. From fairies to leprechauns, there is a tale to capture the imagination of every child. The books about mermaids were a particular hit with mine. Museums, visitor centers, and gift shops often sell storybooks, postcards, toys, and trinkets that bring these legends to life in a way that children can bring home with them. There are so many waterfalls, toadstools, coves, and fairy pools to discover all around the country that even as an adult, I believe the stories to be true. Correction: October 16, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated where the ferries depart from. They are available on the east and southern coasts, not the west coast.

I've traveled to 86 countries and Ireland is the best place I've visited to bring a toddler on vacation

Ride hailing app <keyword id="19895382" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Uber" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Uber">Uber</keyword> has received an aggregator licence by the <keyword id="21734294" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Transport-Department" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Delhi Transport Department" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Delhi Transport Department">Delhi Transport Department</keyword> to operate buses in the national capital under the <keyword id="19158971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-premium-Bus-Scheme" source="Orion">Delhi premium Bus Scheme</keyword>, the company said in a statement. With this, Delhi becomes the first state to award a licence for bus operations, while Uber becomes the first aggregator to be granted a licence under the Delhi Premium Bus scheme, the statement said. "Following a successful pilot programme, where we witnessed significant demand for buses, we are thrilled to officially introduce the convenience of Uber rides to buses in Delhi," <keyword id="21734295" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-shuttle" source="keywords">Uber Shuttle</keyword> India head Amit Deshpande said. Customers will be able to pre-book seats on their preferred route by choosing the 'Uber Shuttle' option on the <keyword id="1999454" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-app" source="Orion">Uber app</keyword>. The formal launch of Uber Shuttle, a bus service tailored for daily commuting needs, brings to fruition a pilot programme that was initially tested in Delhi-NCR and has been operational in Kolkata since last year under an MoU with the West Bengal government, as per the statement. Commuters will be able to pre-book seats up to a week in advance, track the live location and route of the bus, and view its expected time of arrival (ETA) -- all through the Uber app, it said. Each shuttle vehicle will be able to accommodate 19-50 passengers and will be operated by local fleet partners using Uber's technology.

Uber gets licence to operate buses in Delhi

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two passengers on a Southwest got into a fistfight, a video shows.</li><li>The DoT then shared a reminder online that acting out on flights can result in a $37,000 fine.</li></ul>The Department of Transportation issued a reminder to fliers to behave on flights after two <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/02/13/messy-dispute-escalates-fist-fight-kauai-bound-flight-oakland/">passengers had a fistfight in midair</a>.The altercation took place on a Southwest flight from Oakland, California to Hawaii on Monday, according to Hawaii News Now.NBC Bay Area reported the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/2-detained-after-mid-air-southwest-airlines-fight/3452348/">punches were thrown</a> about an hour into the nearly 6-hour flight.A video obtained by the outlet shows concerned passengers and crew getting between them and trying to calm them down.It shows a man in the aisle squaring up to another standing by his seat, who then slaps him on the arm before the other punches him in the face. One witness told Hawaii News Now: "Frankly, I was a little nervous because we're 35,000 feet and you've got two guys swinging at each other, which makes no sense whatsoever."Southwest said in a statement to the outlet that the flight continued normally to its destination where it was met by local authorities."We commend our crew and customers for their professionalism in diffusing this situation," it added.42 days into the year, the Federal Aviation Administration has already received 206 reports of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">unruly passengers</a>.In an <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/USDOT/status/1757482320448151621">X post</a> about the incident, the Department of Transport said: "Reminder: Our department has zero tolerance for violent or unruly behavior aboard an aircraft.""If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000," it added.The number of unruly passenger incidents has been declining since the record 5,973 in 2021, as airlines returned from the pandemic. But last year's 2,075 was still double the numbers seen pre-COVID.

The Transport Department reminded fliers they can get a $37,000 fine for misbehaving on planes — after 2 passengers were filmed in a midair fistfight

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia has received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran, NATO countries confirmed on Tuesday.</li><li>The US said Russia used a vessel called the Port Olya-3 to transport the missiles.</li></ul>A cargo ship suspected of transporting ballistic missiles from Iran was seen at a port in Russia last week, according to newly released satellite imagery.The US and its European allies confirmed Tuesday that Russia has received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran and is likely to use them to attack Ukraine within the coming weeks, calling the development a major escalation in the war.Moscow received its first shipments of missiles in early September and used a Russian-flagged vessel called the Port Olya-3 to transport the weapons from Iran, the US Treasury Department said.Satellite imagery recently captured by Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider shows <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/11/europe/russia-iran-ballistic-missiles-satellite-intl/index.html">what has been identified</a> as Olya-3 at Port Olya on September 4. The port is located along the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia's Astrakhan region.Several days earlier, in late August, Olya-3 was docked at the Iranian port of Amirabad, in the opposite corner of the Caspian Sea, publicly available ship tracking data shows.<div type="image" title="A satellite image of a port, where multiple cargo vessels can be seen." height="1444" width="2214" msid="113270601" hostid="261" sizebytes="398644"></div><div type="image" title="A satellite image of a port, where multiple cargo vessels can be seen." height="1446" width="2098" msid="113270603" hostid="261" sizebytes="338320"></div>Sky News <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://news.sky.com/story/russian-ship-captured-in-satellite-image-delivering-ballistic-missiles-from-iran-13212835">first reported</a> the newly available satellite imagery on Wednesday.Olya-3 regularly transits the Caspian Sea to move cargo between Iran and Russia, according to the Treasury Department, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2570">announced sanctions on the vessel</a> as part of widespread measures targeting Tehran and its assets in response to the missile transfers.US officials said dozens of Russian military personnel trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 missiles that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ballistic-missiles-iran-greater-flexibility-ukraine-us-warns-2024-9">Tehran has now delivered to Moscow</a>. These short-range ballistic missiles have satellite guidance and a maximum range of around 75 miles.The missiles can be equipped with a 330-pound warhead, posing a deadly threat to Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure.It's unclear exactly how many missiles Russia received, although the Treasury Department said Moscow and Tehran signed an agreement in late 2023 for the supply of hundreds of missiles.John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that Russia could use the new Iranian missiles on closer-range targets in Ukraine while saving its own ballistic missiles to strike deeper.<div type="image" title="A missile launch, with fire erupting from the back and smoke filling the area." height="1125" width="2000" msid="113270600" hostid="261" sizebytes="63018"></div>The Biden administration has long warned of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-russia-defense-ties-worry-us-but-tehran-doubts-moscow-2023-7">deepening military ties</a> between Russia and Iran. Kirby said Tuesday that Moscow has shared space-related information and much-sought-after nuclear technology with Tehran.The British, French, and German governments called the delivery an "escalation by both Iran and Russia" and "a direct threat to European security.""This is a further escalation of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and will see Iranian missiles reaching European soil, increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people," the countries said in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/e3/2675032?pk_campaign=newsletter_Press_release_2024_09_10&amp;pk_kwd=link_E3+Foreign+Ministers%E2%80%99+Statement+on+Iranian+transfers+of+Ballistic+Missiles+to+Russia">joint statement</a>.The delivery of Fath-360 missiles marks the latest weapons transfer from abroad to Russia as it continues to depend on other pariah states like Iran and North Korea for military assistance to help sustain its war machine in Ukraine.Iran has also supplied Russia with one-way attack drones, while North Korea has given Moscow ballistic missiles and artillery. Western countries, including the US, have condemned these transactions as destabilizing and escalatory.Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that it's likely the recent transfer of missiles between Iran and Russia won't be a "one-time good deal," noting that Moscow could seek additional munitions in the future.

Satellite images show the Russian cargo ship that transported ballistic missiles from Iran

<ul class="summary-list"><li>About 700,000 passengers were affected by air traffic control chaos in the UK in August 2023.</li><li>A report found an engineer struggled to log in remotely, meaning it took longer to resolve the issue.</li></ul>An engineer's login struggles hindered attempts to solve an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/becoming-air-traffic-controller-career-pros-cons-of-job-2022-1">air traffic control</a> meltdown that affected 700,000 passengers in the UK.The details were revealed Thursday in a report by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority about the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/london-airports-travel-chaos-flight-delays-europe-photos-2023-8">August 2023 travel chaos</a>.It estimated the event cost airlines, airports, insurers, passengers, and others between £75 million and £100 million ($127 million) — and that about 300,000 people had their flights canceled. Another 95,000 were delayed by more than three hours, and a further 300,000 faced shorter delays.The incident was caused by a software failure. A single flight plan for a journey from Los Angeles to Paris — passing over the UK — contained two waypoints with the same name.This confused the automatic flight planning system, causing both the primary and the backup to shut down within 20 seconds.The system can usually process 900 flight plans an hour during peak periods, but <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-traffic-control-problems-delays-travel-chaos-holiday-weekend-uk-2023-8">air traffic controllers had to process them manually</a> — reducing its capacity to just 60 an hour, the report found.It also identified numerous factors that meant it took longer to identify and rectify the problem.One such factor was that a Level 2 engineer systems expert was on call but couldn't intervene remotely because their login and password "could not be readily verified due to the architecture of the system."It took the engineer 90 minutes to reach the air traffic control site — just over three hours after the meltdown began.All the traffic regulations implemented due to the incident were lifted after a total of nine-and-a-half hours.Delays and cancellations had knock-on effects on airline schedules, causing further issues for the next week. The report estimated that airlines lost £65 million ($82 million) as a result.The report recommended that NATS, the UK's air traffic control provider, has a Level 2 engineer working on-site during busy travel periods.Its 34 recommendations include government legislation, requiring airports and airlines to review the support available for affected passengers, and for NATS to provide earlier notices of possible disruption.UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said, "My department will look to introduce reforms, when we can, to provide air travelers with the highest level of protection possible."A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ryanair-ceo-calls-air-traffic-control-boss-resign-flight-chaos-2024-9">NATS</a> spokesperson said in a statement that it welcomed the report and apologized "for the inconvenience passengers suffered because of this very unusual technical incident. Over the 15 months since this incident, we have worked hard to address the lessons from it, and to ensure this particular issue cannot happen again."NATS has implemented most of the 48 recommendations from its own investigation, including "improving our engagement with our airline and airport customers, our wider contingency and crisis response, and our engineering support processes."

Air traffic control chaos affecting 700,000 passengers was made worse when an engineer couldn't log in remotely

Since 2013, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> has promised that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla">Tesla</a> will have a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/business/tesla-self-drive-car/index.html">self-driving car</a>. To get there, the company has leaned on a specialized group of test drivers who are part of what's known internally as "Project Rodeo."Test drivers on Project Rodeo say they push the company's self-driving software to its limit. They work to bridge the gap between driver-assist software and fully autonomous driving. Operating on open streets with other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians, they have tested unreleased software that will be crucial to Tesla's push into autonomous driving.Test drivers said they sometimes navigated perilous scenarios, particularly those drivers on Project Rodeo's "critical intervention" team, who say they're trained to wait as long as possible before taking over the car's controls. Tesla engineers say there's a reason for this: The longer the car continues to drive itself, the more data they have to work with. Experts in self-driving tech and safety say this type of approach could speed up the software's development but risks the safety of the test drivers and people on public roads."The idea is that you're a cowboy on a bull and you're just trying to hang on as long as you can," a former test driver who trained for the critical-intervention team in San Francisco said.Business Insider spoke with nine current and former Project Rodeo test drivers and three Autopilot engineers in states including California, Texas, and Florida. The drivers worked on training Tesla's Full Self-Driving software and its Autopilot software, which, despite the products' names, require a licensed driver at the wheel. Most asked to remain anonymous, citing a fear of professional reprisal, but their identities are known to Business Insider. Eight of the drivers described experiences that occurred over the past year, mostly between November and April.<div type="image" title="tesla cars in a parking lot" height="2827" width="4195" msid="114814069" hostid="261" sizebytes="1645262"></div>None of the test drivers who spoke with BI said they had been involved in a crash.Five who worked for the company in 2024 said they narrowly avoided collisions, including almost hitting a group of pedestrians. One former critical-intervention driver in Texas told BI that they sometimes ventured into their city's bar district late at night to see how Tesla's FSD software reacted to drunk patrons spilling out after last call. The former driver in San Francisco recalled riding around Stanford University during training, testing how close FSD would allow the vehicle to get to people at crosswalks before they had to take over. And a third critical-intervention driver said they allowed the car to speed through yellow lights and drive 35 mph under the speed limit on an expressway to avoid disengaging the system.A former Autopilot engineer told BI that while testing is done on open roads, Tesla runs hundreds of simulations and sometimes tests difficult scenarios on a closed course before rolling out new software to test drivers' vehicles.Tesla did not respond to a detailed list of questions about Project Rodeo and its self-driving technology.The test drivers' experiences highlight the balancing act Tesla and other automakers face as they prepare their self-driving software for widespread consumer use.Experts say public testing is crucial and can help identify safety issues before the technology hits the market. Missy Cummings, a former safety advisor for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said that while practices vary, she believes many autonomous-vehicle companies likely employ tactics similar to Tesla's."In theory, these drivers have gone through training, and eventually these cars do need to be able to operate in the public domain," Cummings said. She added that clearly marked vehicles could help the public better identify test drivers.Safety experts say fragmented and limited autonomous-vehicle regulations, coupled with self-reporting by automakers, create a complex environment where companies balance public safety with getting their products ready for commercial use."There are very few rules around autonomous testing and a lot of dependency on self-reporting," said Mark Rosekind, a former NHTSA administrator and chief safety innovation officer for Zoox, an Amazon-owned autonomous-taxi firm. "If companies aren't reporting, it's hard to know what's going on."In the past decade, authorities have investigated several automakers, including Tesla, Waymo, and Cruise, over crashes involving self-driving or driver-assist software.<div type="image" title="elon musk looks at a tesla" height="3488" width="4868" msid="114814075" hostid="261" sizebytes="1020846"></div>A lot depends on Tesla's promise of autonomous driving; Musk said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-worth-basically-zero-without-self-driving-2022-6">in 2022</a> that self-driving was "really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money or worth basically zero." The Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-release-date-elon-musk-stock-price-2024-9">note</a> last month that the company's future valuation was "highly dependent on its ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize autonomous technologies." Tesla's stock fell by 10% on October 11, the day after the company's robotaxi event. <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-q3-earnings-elon-musk-profit-margins-guidance-2024-10">It rebounded after Tesla reported earnings on October 23</a>, and it's up by more than 3% overall in the year to date.<h2 id="e24440fb-f024-4003-b2a2-7b4d055c8c7a">Inside the day-to-day of a Project Rodeo driver</h2>Tesla went on a hiring spree this year, bringing on test drivers in at least half a dozen US cities, a review of LinkedIn profiles suggests.A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-job-openings-seasonal-test-drivers-data-capture-2023-7">job listing from 2023</a> said test drivers needed a "clean driving record, safe driving habits, and a minimum of 4 years of licensed driving experiences." Eight drivers told BI that the onboarding process included two to three weeks of hands-on training, including test drives with a trainer in the passenger seat.According to employees and internal documents, one specialty within Project Rodeo works to replicate the job of a ride-hailing driver by picking random points on a map and driving between them. Those working on a different team, known as the "golden manual" team, drive manually, without any assistance, to train FSD software on what by-the-book, error-free driving looks like.Critical-intervention test drivers, who are among Project Rodeo's most experienced, let the software continue driving even after it makes a mistake. They're trained to stage "interventions" — taking manual control of the car — only to prevent a crash, said the three critical-intervention drivers and five other drivers familiar with the team's mission. Drivers on the team and internal documents say that cars rolled through red lights, swerved into other lanes, or failed to follow posted speed limits while FSD was engaged. The drivers said they allowed FSD to remain in control during these incidents because supervisors encouraged them to try to avoid taking over.The critical-intervention drivers recalled multiple instances where they felt unsafe but believed intervening could put their jobs at risk. The former driver in Texas recalled taking over only after FSD nearly rammed the car into the side of a vehicle stopped at an intersection.Non-critical-intervention drivers said they also felt pressure to push the system as far as possible. Five current and former employees said that they were instructed to intervene if they became uncomfortable with the software's behavior but that they sometimes received feedback from their supervisors if they were considered to have disengaged too early.John Bernal, a former test driver and data analyst at Tesla, said test drivers dealt with risky situations as far back as 2022. (Bernal was terminated that year; he said he was fired for sharing videos on his YouTube channel that showed his personal Tesla malfunctioning while using FSD.) He described instances where he broke traffic laws in order to collect data. Bernal said that his supervisors never instructed him to break the law but that he sometimes felt it was the only way to get the data the company wanted.He recalled one test in 2022 that was designed to see how well the system recognized a red light."My training was to wait until the wheels touched the white line before I could slam on the brakes," Bernal said. He said he sometimes ended up in the middle of the intersection if the system didn't work correctly.He also worked to train the autonomous software on "vulnerable road users" — defined by the Department of Transportation as pedestrians, bicyclists, people on scooters or in wheelchairs, or highway workers on foot — when he manually drove the "Ground Truth Machine," a Tesla outfitted with lidar and radar sensors to help the system map and identify objects."I'd drive over double lines to get close to a bike," Bernal said. "I would go obnoxiously slow through an alleyway where drunk people were, and I would be extremely rude and get really close to people."<div type="image" title="tesla showroom with autopilot posters" height="2939" width="4200" msid="114814073" hostid="261" sizebytes="255868"></div>Two years later, test drivers were asked to train the system near pedestrians, test drivers said. Five recalled a bug with FSD that made vehicles brake too early at crosswalks. To improve its performance, they were instructed to interact with pedestrians as frequently as possible.Sometimes, the drivers said, the software would slam on the brakes when no one was at the crosswalk; other times, it wouldn't stop at all. According to Tesla employees and internal documentation, FSD's performance depended heavily on its software version, and the versions appeared to operate at different levels of caution.The former San Francisco driver said that as they drove around Stanford University, their trainer, another test operator with more experience on the team, chastised them for braking too early. They recalled that at one point they came within three feet of hitting a bicyclist at a roundabout."I vividly remember this guy jumping off his bike. He was terrified," the driver told BI. "The car lunged at him, and all I could do was stomp on the brakes." They said the trainer was pleased by the incident. "He told me, 'That was perfect.' That was exactly what they wanted me to do."The driver added that "it felt like the goal was almost to simulate a hit-or-miss accident and then prevent it at the last second."The former Autopilot engineer said it was better for training to see whether the software could correct itself. They also said that not intervening when the car acted abnormally — including veering into another lane or doing something that confuses another driver — was important for training. Human motorists don't always drive rationally, they explained, and the software needs to know how to respond. It's also easier to parse the data if there are fewer driver interventions, they said."At the critical juncture where it's about to make the key decision," they said, it's helpful to see whether the software makes the right or wrong call. "We want the data to know what led the car to that decision," the engineer said. "If you keep intervening too early, we don't really get to the exact moment where we're like, OK, we understand what happened."<h2 id="52098605-f887-4702-a6ab-cf47e173ce28">A 'Wild West' with little regulation</h2>Tesla is one of many automakers attempting to make autonomous vehicles a reality. Waymo, backed by Alphabet, launched the first driverless taxi service in Phoenix in 2020."In many ways, it's like the Wild West out there," said Cummings, the former NHTSA safety advisor. "There is very little regulation around training or informing the public about testing."The stakes of data collection on public roads are high. In 2018, a self-driving Uber with a person behind the wheel struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. Cruise paused testing after one of its driverless vehicles hit a pedestrian in October 2023. Another vehicle had already hit the pedestrian when the Cruise car struck her, dragging her 20 feet before stopping. It <a target="_blank" href="https://www.getcruise.com/news/blog/2024/cruise-resumes-manual-driving-as-next-step-in-return-to-driverless-mission/">resumed testing</a> with safety drivers in some cities in May.<div type="image" title="waymo self driving taxi interior with pedestrians outside" height="4000" width="6000" msid="114814077" hostid="261" sizebytes="568560"></div>Two former Waymo employees said that they had a team similar to Tesla's critical-intervention team but that Waymo's version of critical-intervention testing was limited to closed tracks with dummies. Two former Cruise employees said that they had mapping teams and teams that tested on closed courses and public roads but that, unlike at Tesla, those teams were instructed to take over as soon as the software went off track, and they typically tested with at least two people in the car.A Waymo spokesperson said the company's safety framework included rigorous testing in controlled environments and on public roads. A Cruise spokesperson said the company's vehicles were designed as fully autonomous systems and were therefore fundamentally different from Tesla's driver-assistance technologies.Philip Koopman, an autonomous-driving expert at Carnegie Mellon University, said that Tesla's critical-intervention approach, as described to him by BI, was "irresponsible" and that the company should be playing out all "critical scenarios" on a closed course."By allowing the software to continue misbehaving to the point a test driver needs to avoid a crash, Tesla would be imposing a risk on other road users who have not agreed to serve as test subjects," Koopman said.Alex Roy, a general partner at NIVC and a former director of operations at the autonomous-driving startup Argo AI, said companies should be correcting the software as soon as it strays from the course, particularly on public roads."You should play those mistakes out in a simulation, not on an open road," Roy said. "Real-world testing is necessary, but real-world mistakes are not." The former Tesla engineer said they doubted that computer simulations are sophisticated enough to replicate the data generated by real-world driving. The former engineer said that, to help the software improve, it was best for test drivers to avoid intervening whenever possible."If you have a parent that's holding the bike the entire time, it never gets to learn," the engineer said.Test drivers on Project Rodeo felt this keenly."You're pretty much running on adrenaline the entire eight-hour shift," one former test driver in the Southwest said. "There's this feeling that you're on the edge of something going seriously wrong."Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:gkay@businessinsider.com">gkay@businessinsider.com</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link">248-894-6012</a>.

Inside 'Project Rodeo,' the Tesla effort pushing the limits of self-driving technology

New York City's biggest airport is getting a major facelift.John F. Kennedy International Airport broke ground on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-see-inside-jfk-airports-new-world-class-international-terminal-2022-2">a new Terminal One</a> in September 2022. The 2.4 million-square-foot facility will live where terminals 1, 2, and 3 once stood, with the first facilities expected to open in 2026.A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jfk-airport-nyc-solar-microgrid-energy-roof-terminal-2023-1">private consortium is investing $9.5 billion</a> to modernize the new terminal, focusing on safety, efficiency, and the customer experience. This is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's $19 billion <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newark-airports-new-27-billion-terminal-a-photos-2023-1">total investment in upgrades at the city's largest airport</a>.And there's no better time than now, as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-airlines-are-struggling-despite-record-travel-demand-profits-revenue-2024-6">industry sees record-breaking travel</a>, with JFK considered among the most prominent international gateways in North America.JFK hosts more than 70 airlines and handled about 62 million passengers in 2023. The new terminal is expected to expand passenger capacity, with carriers like Phillippines Airlines, Air France, and Italian low-cost airline Neos all pledging to fly in.<div type="image" title="Rending of the departures hall of NTO." height="1129" width="1505" msid="114638209" hostid="261" sizebytes="184222"></div>Developers hope the future state-of-the-art terminal will become a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/laguardia-and-newark-have-5-star-terminals-after-dramatic-turnaround-2024-4">Skytrax five-star airport terminal</a> — a feat no US airport had achieved until New York's LaGuardia Airport finally ditched its infamous "LaGarbage" nickname with a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-the-new-terminals-b-c-laguardia-airport-delta-2022-7">new and improved Terminal B in 2023.</a>But to reach that status, JFK will have to overcome many long-standing problems, such as overcrowding and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airports-worst-delays-summer-2022-flightaware-memorial-weekend-travel-newark-2023-5">traffic congestion</a>. In September, researchers from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-advice/travel-planning/us-airport-statistics-flight-cancellation-data/">InsureMyTrip</a> analyzed data from the Department of Transportation and found that JFK was among the worst airports for flight cancellations in 2024.Business Insider, alongside other media, toured SITA's pre-production testing center in Long Island to get a behind-the-scenes look at the technology coming to the new terminal to address the pain points of international travelers.This includes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-id-or-boarding-pass-for-security-at-more-airports-with-tsa-precheck-2024-2">facial recognition</a> boarding, AI-powered gate systems, and air traffic technology to reduce the chance of near misses. If the technology works as promised, I'd look forward to flying through.<h2 id="826eed5d-c320-486a-aa1a-c61326c7f2dc">Customers can use their face to travel</h2>Facial recognition has been installed at some airports across the country for international flights, including JFK's revamped Terminal 8. In March, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-airways-boeing-777-new-york-london-economy-review-2024-3">BI used biometrics to board a London-bound British Airways</a> flight.The new terminal wants to make facial recognition mainstream across the 23-gate facility.The "e-gate" technology appeared easy enough to use for even less tech-savvy travelers. Flyers simply sign up for the service at check-in with their passport. Data is only stored for 24 hours, so travelers will have to do this step every time they fly.<div type="image" title="A JFK NTO developer demonstrating the e-gate technology." height="4030" width="5374" msid="114638211" hostid="261" sizebytes="276196"></div>"E-gates mean no boarding pass and no ID required to board an aircraft," a SITA developer said during the tour.The developer said the technology is about 99% accurate and can distinguish between identical twins. The company acknowledged not every traveler would be comfortable with their face being used as an ID and said there would be manual lines available for boarding, too.Meanwhile, the enhanced TSA will feature new biometric and touchless <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/new-terminal-one-nto-jfk-airport-new-york-usa/">technologies</a> to optimize wait times. Other <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2024/04/09/tsa-jfk-international-airport-now-using-credential-authentication">terminals</a> at JFK have already introduced similar face-reliant security features.<h2 id="46726c0b-0979-4ff3-ab00-68a31998d96e">Concessions will be top-notch</h2>While JFK will likely not offer a free movie theater or butterfly garden like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-singapore-changi-airport-10-coolest-things-2023-2">Singapore's famous Changi Airport</a>, the new terminal will boast high ceilings, natural light, and plenty of retail spaces, lounges, and restaurants.<div type="image" title="NTO retail spaces rendering." height="2250" width="3000" msid="114638217" hostid="261" sizebytes="861538"></div>Still, if the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-jfk-airport-new-terminal-8-american-british-airways-2022-12">revamped Terminal 8</a> is any indicator, customers can expect "world-class" offerings, including luxury and local brands that represent NYC's boroughs, and swanky new airline lounges that could meet the desired five-star status.For example, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flew-korean-air-boeing-747-business-felt-like-private-jet-2023-9">Korean Air</a> — a Skytrax five-star airline itself — plans to open one of its largest lounges yet with a kitchen and bar and a panoramic view of the airfield.<h2 id="2ecb21a6-6b36-47f1-a6b8-173de983eab5">The new JFK aims for safer operations with fewer disruptions</h2>Developers demonstrated technologies aimed at ensuring high levels of safety and traffic management — especially as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/near-miss-incidents-wakeup-call-to-the-aviation-industry-2023-2">near-misses continue to shake flyers.</a>One is a state-of-the-art ramp tower from technology provider ADB Safegate. This is where agents work to efficiently move aircraft around taxi and parking areas. It's separate from the federally run air traffic control tower that guides aircraft to and from runways.The technology includes a "virtual control tower" with screens that display live camera feeds across the ramp. This will assist in low-visibility conditions and improve awareness."There are cameras that allow a controller interested in a specific aircraft or a certain area of the airport, they can zoom in and zoom out to look at the area of interest," ADB Safegate project manager Taha Zahir told media during the tour.<div type="image" title="Screens showing LaGuardia airport as an example of the virtual control tower planned for NTO." height="4116" width="5233" msid="114638214" hostid="261" sizebytes="842938"></div>Another ADB Safegate technology will be a parking aid that allows an aircraft to dock at a gate in virtually any weather condition. Zahir said this would be particularly useful during lightning storms when wing walkers are evacuated from the tarmac and forced to leave fully loaded planes sitting idle just meters from the gate.Zahir said the docking system, which can handle everything up to the mammoth Airbus A380, is already proving its efficiency at existing JFK terminals and at several other airports like LaGuardia and Los Angeles.<div type="image" title="The dock aid demonstrating a regional jet parking at a gate." height="1739" width="2319" msid="114638221" hostid="261" sizebytes="293546"></div>Complementing the gate and ramp tower tech is ADB Safegate's AI-powered apron manager that can predict aircraft on-time performance and improve aircraft turn times — meaning passengers can get on their way faster than before."We have identified 25-30 activities that every flight must go through from arrival to departure," Zahir said, noting things like fueling and baggage loading. "We know exactly what is going on with the aircraft."

I saw how New York's biggest airport wants to build a 5-star terminal. I'd actually look forward to flying through.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The DoJ opened a criminal investigation into the Boeing 737 blowout, The Wall Street Journal reported.</li><li>Boeing has come under increased scrutiny over the safety of its 737 Max fleet.</li></ul>The Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal probe into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a hole in the side of an Alaska Airlines plane in January.Citing unnamed sources, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/justice-department-opens-probe-interviews-crew-in-alaska-airlines-blowout-d4cdfa6d?mod=hp_lead_pos1">The Wall Street Journal reported</a> on Saturday that DoJ investigators had contacted passengers and crew members who were on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-boeing-737-max-planes-have-issues-2024-1">Boeing 737 Max 9</a>.On January 5, seven minutes after take-off from Portland, Oregon, a panel that had plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off the side of the fuselage. The pilots made an emergency landing.Alaska Airlines said in a statement: "In an event like this, it's normal for the DoJ to be conducting an investigation. We are fully co-operating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation."Boeing declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.<h2>Increased scrutiny</h2>The Journal reported that the investigation would occur in tandem with the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-could-face-criminal-prosecution-as-doj-reviews-agreement-2024-3">DoJ's review of Boeing's compliance with a previous settlement</a> sparked by two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed nearly 350 people.In 2021, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-fine-settlement-charges-defraud-faa-737-max-2021-1">Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion</a> as part of the settlement, most of which was compensation for the victims' families. It also agreed to strengthen its compliance program.<div type="image" title="Lion Air crash" height="2000" width="3000" msid="108406525" hostid="261" sizebytes="939838"></div>On Friday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-admits-it-cant-find-records-on-the-alaska-airlines-door-plug-work/">in a letter to Congress seen by the Seattle Times,</a> Boeing said it cannot find any records for work carried out on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.The company said in the letter that the records may not have been created as required.The report came after Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board traded barbs on Wednesday, over whether the company had cooperated with regulators.In a Senate committee hearing, Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB chair, said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-didnt-give-key-info-for-737-max-investigation-ntsb-says-2024-3">Boeing had consistently obstructed the investigation</a> by not identifying employees who worked on door panels and by failing to provide the documents Boeing now says it has lost."It's absurd that two months later we don't have that," she said. "Without that information, that raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management, safety management systems [at Boeing]."After the hearing, Boeing said it had provided the NTSB with the names of all employees who worked on 737 doors.Boeing said in its letter to Congress that prior to Wednesday's hearing, the company "was not aware of any complaints or concerns about a lack of collaboration."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-airlines-boeing-737-blowout-missing-bolts-ntsb-investigation-2024-2">Last month, the NTSB revealed in a preliminary report</a> that four bolts crucial for securing the 737's door plug had been missing after the panel was taken off to repair damaged rivets last September.These repairs were carried out by contractors from Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems. However, the NTSB is still unsure about who removed and replaced the door panel, Homendy said Wednesday.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-door-plug-alaska-airlines-2024-3">The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave Boeing a 90-day deadline</a> to outline its plan for addressing quality-control concerns highlighted by both the FAA and an expert panel comprising industry and government representatives.

The Justice Department reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines door blowout

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian automaker Sollers is under fire over reports that its cars are breaking down along the war front.</li><li>One former top official complained of a gearshift lever falling off, constant leaks, and engine problems.</li></ul>A Russian contractor providing SUVs and pick-up trucks to Moscow's troops blamed Western sanctions on Thursday amid criticism that its vehicles were arriving in poor condition.Sollers, the Russian company that owns the auto firm Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, or UAZ, told local outlet <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gazeta.ru/auto/news/2024/10/17/24167389.shtml?updated">Gazeta.RU</a> that its subsidiary had lost key suppliers in 2022 due to the "conditions of sanctions restrictions."To maintain its production lines, UAZ had switched component suppliers in the "shortest possible time," Sollers' press service added, per the outlet.The company's statement comes as Dmitry Rogozin, a once-prominent official now based in the Donbas, has repeatedly slammed the quality of UAZ vehicles delivered to Russian troops for months.Rogozin was head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos before he was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-fires-russias-space-chief-dmitry-rogozin-who-trolled-elon-musk-2022-7">fired in July 2022</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-fires-russias-space-chief-dmitry-rogozin-who-trolled-elon-musk-2022-7">.</a> In the absence of a new posting from Moscow, he's rekindled his public image as a volunteer leader on the front lines in Ukraine. Before working at Roscosmos, he was also Russia's ambassador to NATO and a deputy prime minister overseeing defense production.He's been complaining about UAZ vehicles since July, when he wrote on his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/rogozin_do/6060">public Telegram channel </a>that they arrived in seemingly brand-new condition but suffered from constant oil leaks, "flimsy" transfer cases, and engines that seized up after about 3,000 miles of use.Rogozin recounted seeing a UAZ-made "Patriot" SUV stalling about two miles from battle lines at night, forcing three Russian soldiers inside to flee into a nearby forest and return with a repair kit as Ukrainian recon drones watched."All this speaks of the disgusting quality of assembly and the unworthy quality of the parts and components themselves," Rogozin wrote.In September, he wrote that his UAZ vehicle had broken down due to a power steering fluid leak, forcing him to call for a second pick-up truck. However, Rogozin said that the gearshift lever of the second vehicle, also made by UAZ, fell off while on the road.Posting a photo of the broken lever on his Telegram channel, Rogozin blasted the quality of the cars as so poor that their production might as well be an act of sabotage."The war is going on, and you're sending defective products to the front. Shame and disgrace!" he wrote.Sollers did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.On Thursday, Rogozin said BARS-Sarmat, a volunteer military organization that he formed under the Russian reserve, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/rogozin_do/6426">would sign a cooperative agreement</a> with UAZ's management to ensure "control of the required quality" of vehicles sent to the front.Sollers also told Gazeta.RU that it was in talks with Rogozin and BARS-Sarmat, including a discussion on producing custom vehicles tailored for specific combat missions.The Moscow-based firm is one of Russia's biggest auto manufacturers. Its UAZ brand specializes in off-road vehicles, including the military transport car UAZ-469 and commercial SUVs frequently used by Russian troops.Sollers shared a factory in Moscow with the Michigan-based Ford Motor Company until October 2022, when the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/10/26/-ford-exits-sollers-ford-joint-venture-in-russia-following-seven.html">US company pulled out</a> amid pressure for Western firms to leave Russia.In November of that year, Mazda also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/russian-carmaker-sollers-buy-out-mazdas-stake-vladivostok-joint-venture-2022-11-10/">withdrew from its joint venture plant in Vladivostok with Sollers</a>. The Japanese carmaker sold its stake for one euro and maintained the right to buy it back for the same price in three years.The Russian automaker's recent blaming of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kadyrov-tesla-cybertruck-questions-us-eu-export-bans-sanctions-holes-2024-8">Western sanctions</a> is a reversal of its statements in September 2023, when it dismissed being <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20230914">blacklisted by the US Treasury Department.</a>Sollers had told Russian media it did not foresee a significant impact as it already restructured its supply chain to prepare for the restrictions.UAZ was also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://data.europa.eu/apps/eusanctionstracker/subjects/140578">sanctioned by the European Union</a> in June 2023.In August this year, it said it earned <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://sollers-auto.com/en/press-center/news-and-events/sollers-announces-ifrs-financial-results-for-1h2024/">revenues of $452.7 million</a> in the first half of 2023, up 27.3% from $335.7 million in the same period of 2022, due to "a significant increase in production and sales of Sollers vehicles."The company's net profit was $16.4 million, per its statement.

One of Rusisa's biggest automakers said it's struggling under Western sanctions after frontline complaints that its vehicles are falling apart

<ul class="summary-list"><li>346 people died in two Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.</li><li>The DoJ will meet with victims' families as it considers a criminal probe into Boeing.</li></ul>The families of those who died in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-crashes-groundings-timeline-737-max-777-air-force-tanker-2024-1">Boeing 737 Max crashes</a> will meet with officials from the Justice Department.It comes as federal prosecutors consider whether to proceed with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-opens-criminal-investigation-alaska-airlines-blowout-report-2024-3">criminal charges against Boeing</a> in the wake of the Alaska Airlines blowout.Bob Clifford, an attorney representing the families of victims of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-ethiopian-airlines-302-crash-year-2020-3">2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash</a>, confirmed the news in an email to Business Insider.Last month, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-tells-boeing-737-blowout-passengers-may-be-victims-crime-2024-3">FBI sent letters warning passengers</a> of the blowout flight that they may be victims of a crime.The possibility of criminal charges against Boeing would occur alongside an investigation into <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-could-face-criminal-prosecution-as-doj-reviews-agreement-2024-3">whether Boeing violated the terms</a> of an agreement it made with the Justice Department back in 2021That came after 346 people died in two crashes involving the Max in 2018 and 2019.The manufacturer reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Justice Department in 2021 — agreeing to pay $2.5 billion and promising to strengthen its compliance program.But January's blowout has prosecutors questioning whether Boeing has abided by all the settlement terms.In its preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board said the Alaska Airlines 737 Max had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-airlines-boeing-737-blowout-missing-bolts-ntsb-investigation-2024-2">left Boeing's factory missing key bolts</a> designed to secure the door plug that came off.The DPA expired two days after the blowout, and the Justice Department has until July 7 to decide whether Boeing violated it."The Max 8 families strongly believe that recent events, such as the Alaska Airlines midair door plug blowout in January, demonstrate Boeing's lack of compliance with the DPA," Clifford said in the email.Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah helping represent victims' families, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/doj-to-meet-with-families-of-max-crashes-victims-as-boeing-probe-intensifies/">The Seattle Times</a>: "The families are going to point out what I think has become pretty obvious: Boeing did not seriously follow the obligations it made through the [agreement]."The Seattle Times reports the meeting will take place on April 24.Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

The Justice Department is meeting with the families of those who died in the Boeing 737 Max crashes as it considers a criminal probe

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Lufthansa was fined $4 million for discrimination over a 2022 incident involving over 100 Jewish passengers.</li><li>128 were denied boarding to a connecting flight after some were said to have misbehaved.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jewish-men-barred-from-german-lufthansa-flight-allege-antisemitism-report-2022-5">Lufthansa</a> has been fined $4 million by the Department of Transportation after it was found to have discriminated against 128 Jewish passengers.According to the DoT, the German flag carrier's fine is the largest issued against an airline for civil-rights discrimination.Tuesday's fine relates to a May 2022 incident involving a journey from New York to Budapest, where there was an annual memorial event to honor an Orthodox rabbi.After some people were said to have misbehaved on the first flight to Frankfurt, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/100-jewish-passengers-to-get-21k-each-germanys-lufthansa-report-2022-12">Lufthansa prevented 128 Jewish passengers</a> — most of whom wore garments typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men — from boarding their connecting flight to Budapest, the DoT said.According to the consent order, Lufthansa said as many as 60 passengers disregarded instructions to wear face masks, as was mandated under German law at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.However, the Transportation Department found that Lufthansa failed to show its crew "took any action to document the identities of specific passengers who engaged in misconduct."Yitzy Schmidt, a passenger on the flight, previously told Business Insider: "I was guilty by association, and that association is being an Orthodox Jew."Lufthansa said that it regrets denying boarding to the passengers, but said it was due to "inaccurate communications, misinterpretations, and misjudgments" rather than discrimination, according to the DoT's statement.The airline agreed to pay the $4 million fine, half of which consists of compensation it has already paid to the affected passengers.In a statement shared with BI, Lufthansa said it has "fully cooperated" with the DoT's review.The airline also said it is "a respected corporate citizen, playing a meaningful role in shaping a more inclusive society" and pointed to its partnership with the American Jewish Committee and being the first airline to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism."Lufthansa will continue to foster a thoughtful dialogue with Jewish communities and organizations around the world," it added.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, "No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today's action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers' civil rights are violated."

You Searched For "department of transportation" and got 11 results

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I saw how New York's biggest airport wants to build a 5-star terminal. I'd actually look forward to flying through.

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