Week in Review

Following the two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has said that the company will release a software update for the aircraft soon, Buying Business Travel reports.

According to Skift, the black box has been recovered from the Ethiopian Air Boeing 737 crash, and preliminary findings show clear similarities to the Lion Air tragedy nearly five months ago.

Indonesia’s national airline is trying to cancel a multi-billion dollar order for 49 Boeing Max 8 jets, USA TODAY notes. This is the first announcement of a cancellation since the two fatal crashes involving the new aircraft.

Tokyo Narita Airport is planning to introduce end-to-end facial recognition technology in Spring 2020, Business Traveller writes. Travelers flying through the international airport will see the technology throughout the check-in, immigration and boarding processes.

Phocuswright reports that Amadeus has acquired ICM Airport Technics, a technology company with passenger automation software and self-service bag-drop tools for airports in Asia Pacific and Europe. Since 2009, ICM has used the technology to process over 75 million bags at 25 airports.

According to The Guardian, sharing economy provider Lyft has officially gone public. The ride-sharing company is selling 30 million shares with the goal of raising over $2 billion.

Aviation security is too important to divert funds from the TSA. This week, the Administration’s 2020 budget included a proposal to increase the 9/11 aviation security fee by one dollar, despite the fact that a portion of the funds currently being collected are being diverted to general deficit reduction. These fees should be used as intended, to support the Transportation Security Administration and its airport security measures. Take action now.

USA TODAY shares tips on how to check for hidden cameras in a hotel room or vacation rental property.

Japan Airlines and Travelport are forming a joint venture to launch a new global distribution system tailored to the Japanese travel industry, Buying Business Travel notes.

According to Skift, Millennium Hotels & Resorts relaunched a simplified loyalty program called My Millennium. While their previous loyalty program featured a tiered membership approach, the new program offers just one tier of membership.

Austrian Airlines is turning its used plastic cups into crude oil through a partnership with Vienna Airport and OMV, Business Traveller reports. The airline collects the cups for the airport, and the airport sends the cups for cleaning and shredding. OMV then transforms the used cups into synthetic crude that can be converted into fuel or other raw materials for plastic.