Lori Aratani

Washington, D.C.

Reporter focusing on transportation issues, including airports, airlines, and the nation's railroad and subway systems

Education: B.S. from Boston University

Lori Aratani writes about transportation issues for The Washington Post. Her beat includes airlines and airports and the agencies that oversee them. She also writes about innovation in the transportation sector and how new technology is changing the way people get to where they're going. She grew up in California and graduated from Boston University, where she learned the real meaning of cold weather.
Latest from Lori Aratani

Generations of workers coveted Boeing jobs. Strike reveals how much has changed.

Striking workers say a sense of shared prosperity has all but evaporated in the past two decades as company managers focused on financial performance.

September 17, 2024
The Boeing plant in Seattle, in 1947.

Boeing workers vote overwhelmingly to strike, in defeat for troubled company

Some 96 percent of union members voted in favor of the strike, rejecting a proposal that would have boosted pay and benefits even as it fell short of other demands.

September 13, 2024

Why Boeing workers voted to strike after rejecting proposed deal

Boeing workers are voting on whether to go on strike. Here’s what to know.

September 13, 2024
Boeing workers will vote Thursday on whether to strike.

Boeing strike appears increasingly likely, as union votes on contract

Boeing faces a massive strike as union workers vote on a contract that includes 25 percent pay increases over four years.

September 12, 2024
A Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane being built for India-based Jet Airways lands after a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Alaska Airlines plane aborts takeoff in Nashville to avoid collision

No one was hurt in the incident, and Alaska praised its pilots for taking action to avoid a collision with a Southwest jet.

September 12, 2024
Travelers at the Nashville International Airport on Aug. 30.

Boeing reaches tentative contract agreement with machinists union

The agreement, reached just days before the machinists’ contract was set to expire Thursday, could help Boeing avoid a costly strike.

September 8, 2024
Boeing workers listen to union leaders speaking in July at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines merger clears antitrust hurdle, airline says

The proposed merger is expected to improve both states’ access to more mainland U.S. destinations.

August 20, 2024

Boeing’s manufacturing woes long preceded door-panel blowout

Last week’s Boeing hearings showed that the company’s manufacturing problems persisted for years despite clear warning signs.

August 11, 2024

Boeing interview transcripts paint picture of chaos in 737 Max assembly

Top Boeing executives are set to testify during two days of hearings examining breakdowns that led to the mid-air blowout aboard a 737 Max jet in January.

August 6, 2024
The door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282's Boeing 737-9 Max airplane, seen July 30 at the National Transportation Safety Board laboratory in Washington.

Boeing names next CEO as losses skyrocket

Kelly Ortberg, former CEO of Rockwell Aerospace, will try to turn around a company beset by safety scandals and production issues.

July 31, 2024
Kelly Ortberg at a Rockwell Collins production facility in 2016.