Boeing Co. said yesterday that it will record a $1 billion charge because of a delay in producing a new version of the 747 freighter jet, blaming slow sales and late design changes. It’s the second time in four months that the company has announced delays in delivering a new aircraft model. In June, it announced a further postponement of the 787, a highly anticipated passenger plane that is more than two years behind schedule.

The Virginia-based regional airline that operated a plane that crashed and killed 50 people in upstate New York has been pushing pilots to fly even if they say they are too sick or too tired, a union official told Congress yesterday. John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said regional airlines are continuing practices that jeopardize safety even in the wake of the Feb. 12 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. Revelations about the conduct of the pilots in that crash prompted widespread criticism of the training, pay and working conditions of pilots at smaller carriers.

ATLANTA You may never need them at 35,000 feet, but you’ll be glad they’re around if you do. Defibrillators, medical kits and life vests are a few examples of the safety equipment the government requires airlines to put on passenger jets. Of course, each item comes with a cost—from hundreds to thousands of dollars to install and maintain.

Delta Air Lines will drop its nonstop flights between Richmond and New York’s LaGuardia Airport at the end of March. Delta has been providing four flights daily on that route, using 50-seat Canadair CRJ100 regional jets. The reduction will leave Richmond International Airport with 20 daily nonstops to the three New York metro-area airports.