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New Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said he’s looking at the beleaguered company’s portfolio and everything outside of its core businesses of commercial aircraft and defense could face uncertain futures.

“I think that that we’re better off being doing less and doing it better than doing more and not doing it well,” he said during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Wednesday. “So we’re in the process of taking an evaluation of the portfolio. It’s something a new CEO always does when you come into a business and looking at those things and asking in the filter of what do we want this company look like, you know, five and 10 years from now?”

The company reported a loss of more than $6 billion for the third quarter overall as it deals with striking union workers that have shut down airplane production for nearly six weeks. The company has been amid years of continued losses while having major reputation issues. The company has already announced layoffs as it tries to raise cash and avoid bankruptcy. read more

By DAVID KOENIG and MANUEL VALDES

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Boeing reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion before turning its attention to whether striking factory workers would accept a contract offer Wednesday and end a walkout that has crippled the company’s airplane production for nearly six weeks.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers were voting at union halls in the Seattle area and elsewhere on a contract that includes pay raises of 35% over four years. Their strike since mid-September has served as an early test for Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who became chief executive in August.

In his first remarks to investors, Ortberg said Boeing needs “a fundamental culture change,” and he laid out his plan to turn the company around after years of heavy losses and damage to the aerospace giant’s reputation.

Ortberg repeated in a message to employees and on the earnings call that he wants to “reset” management’s relationship with labor “so we don’t become so disconnected in the future.” He said company leaders need to spend more time on factory floors to know what is going on and “prevent the festering of issues and work better together to identify, fix, and understand root cause.” read more

The cruise business is booming at Port Canaveral with nearly 7.6 million passenger movements recorded in the fiscal year.

From October 2023 through September 2024, the Orlando-area port had 911 ship calls, only five more than it saw in fiscal 2023, but because of bigger ships sailing at more than 100% capacity, the cruise side of the year’s budget blew up by 800,000 passengers year over year.

The line had already expected bigger returns in 2024, but ended the year with nearly $191 million in operating revenue, eking out about $60,000 more than it logged in 2023, according to unaudited totals reported for Wednesday’s meeting of the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners.

“It’s been stronger than we expected for August and September, so that was positive,” port CEO Capt. John Murray said.

Driving that was $156 million from total cruise revenue including parking, which ended up about $3.5 million more than expected, driven mostly by the 7,592,535 multiday passengers, which is about 288,000 more passengers, or 4%, higher than expected. read more

Walt Disney World has raised prices on all four levels of its annual passes, including the top tier Incredi-Pass, which now sells for more than $1,500, according to the resort’s website.

The increases range between $30 and $100, usually a hike of about 7%.  Annual pass pricing as it now stands:

• The Disney Incredi-Pass, which has no blockout dates and includes parking, is $1,549, up from $1,449.

• Disney Sorcerer Pass, designated for Florida residents and some Disney Vacation Club members only, is now $1,079, up from $999. It includes blockout dates during select holiday periods and theme-park parking.

• Disney Pirate Pass, for Floridians only, is $829, up from $799.  It has more blockout dates.

• Disney Pixie Dust Pass allows entry Mondays through Fridays with blockout dates during peak and holiday periods. Its cost is now $469, up from $439.

Disney: Candlelight Processional readers include Ralph Macchio, Tituss Burgess

All passes include standard theme-park parking, merchandise discounts, dining offers and the ability to travel between the four theme parks on the same day.  Add-ons include PhotoPass downloads and the water park and sports options, which are $99 apiece. read more

The Space Coast could see its 72nd launch of the year on Wednesday night equaling the total number of orbital missions flown in 2023.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 had been aiming for a Tuesday liftoff, but weather forced a scrub. It’s now targeting 5:47 p.m. Wednesday during a  window that runs through 9:23 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 with 23 Starlink satellites.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts an 80% chance for good launch conditions Wednesday night.

The first-stage booster for this mission is making its 18th flight with a planned recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Including this mission, SpaceX will have flown all but five of the 72 launches from either Canaveral or neighboring Kennedy Space Center. Of those, 65 have been the workhorse Falcon 9 while Elon Musk’s company has only use two Falcon Heavy rockets this year.

United Launch Alliance has been responsible for the rest flying two of its new Vulcan Centaur rockets, two Atlas V’s and the final Delta IV Heavy. read more