After years of little presidential attention during the last administration, aerospace and defense industry executives are now more in the loop with top Pentagon officials—but they don't feel any better. In the latest in a series of get-togethers, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and several CEOs and trade organization leaders sat down last week to discuss the so-called sequestration budget cuts that are set to take effect in January. But from reports of the meeting, neither side walked away with answers or reasons to feel less anxious.

Politics—not policy or technology—is proving to be the biggest obstacle to developing alternative-fuel programs for the military that could prove to be successful commercial energy alternatives, says Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate. The Pentagon is employing and deploying ships and aircraft using sound technology for alternative energy, particularly biofuels, Cuttino says.

The pressure for fuel-efficient jets has soaked up nearly all of Boeing's production slots for the next 12-18 months

Eleven years ago, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary famously predicted that one day most or all of the airline's fares would drop to zero because the low-cost carrier would be raking in so much ancillary revenue from other flight and non-flight products and services.

Even as the congressional clock ticks away, a bill to prevent U.S. airlines from paying the EU for carbon emissions may yet receive attention. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is expected to mark up the bill aimed at blocking the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) on July 31. “If we could get a good, strong vote out of the committee, it would increase the likelihood we could get it voted on the floor,” says bill co-sponsor Sen.

If industry officials were right, a common travel experience at European airports may soon have looked like this: Very long queues—in the worst cases, five times as long as the current average—slow security checks, confusion about what passengers are allowed to bring on board and what is forbidden. And spending up to €50 million ($62 million) per terminal would have been required to facilitate upgrades.

Russia tries to shore up its position in the Indian defense market

SkyWest’s selection of MRJ jets stings Embraer, Bombardier.