Bodies, debris retrieved from Air France crash
Brazilian search crews on Saturday retrieved the first bodies from a crashed Air France flight in the Atlantic, and investigators said faulty speed readings had been found on the same type of jets. Navy ships found the bodies of two men and debris including a blue seat with a serial number matching Air France Flight 447, a rucksack containing a vaccination card, and a briefcase with an Air France ticket inside, rescue officials said.

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First made-in-China Airbus makes maiden flight
The first Airbus plane built outside Europe made a successful four-hour maiden flight on Monday in China, European consortium EADS said. Airbus began assembling some A320 jets in Tianjin near Beijing in September from fuselage parts shipped from Europe, increasing its presence in the world’s fastest growing markets for large aircraft. Airbus aims to reach output of four A320s a month in China by the end of 2011. Airbus has estimated that China would need more than 3,000 large aircraft between 2006 and 2025, including 180 super jumbo passenger planes. The first aircraft will be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing in June and be operated by China’s Sichuan Airlines. Chinese firms have ordered more than 700 aircraft from Airbus, the majority of which are from the A320 family of planes, it said. Airbus and U.S. rival Boeing have been turning to Asian markets, led by China, for growth as demand weakens at home.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSPEK18447420090518
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-05-18-a320-china_N.htm

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Amadeus and ITA to display airline charges by end of 2009
The controversial ancillary charges levied by airlines are expected to be included in screen display by at least one GDS later this year. Amadeus said it hoped to have details of the various charges by each airlines alongside fares by the fourth quarter. Robert Buckman, Amadeus North America’s director airline distribution strategy said his IT company and ITA Software would be able to offer the content. ITA Software is an American based IT company and one of the so called GNEs - global new entries - which several years back threatened to challenge the supremacy of the GDSs. Mr Buckman said both Amadeus and ITA had been working “very hard” with other industry bodies, among them the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) to perfect the software needed.
http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/1412478-airline-charges-appear-gds

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Sir Richard Branson: Proposed AA-BA tie-up threatens the survival of Virgin Atlantic
The proposed merger of the North Atlantic operations “will be absolutely disastrous” for consumers, travel agents and the industry, he said. “It will be the end of red-hot competition,” the British tycoon and head of the Virgin Group said at the National Press Club in Washington. Last year, American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia of Spain signed an agreement to cooperate over flights between North America and Europe to help them overcome soaring fuel costs, drawing fierce opposition from Branson’s group. Asked about the impact of the deal on his own airline if it wins regulatory approval, Branson said: “I cannot guarantee Virgin Atlantic’s survival if BA and AA are allowed to merge.”
http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,25486714-5014090,00.html?from=public_rss
http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/1512484-branson-hits-out-ba-aa-tie
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1136348.php

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Akoya, a superyacht capable of flying and landing on water, ground and snow!
The Akoya is the first offering from the young company and is powered by a single tail-mounted 100hp (0.745kW) Rotax 912 piston engine with a price tag of about €300,000 ($408,195). The engine runs on 95 octane gasoline, rather than traditional 100 octane LL avgas. The aircraft accommodates two passengers with a range of up to 700 nm (1,300 km) and was first unveiled in 2007, followed by first flight in September of that same year. Despite the global economic downturn, the product has found itself in a solid position, due to high net-worth individuals not being largely impacted enough to slow luxury purchases, says Benoît Senellart, marketing & communication manager for Lisa.
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2009/05/meet-the-yacht-hopping-ski-slo.html

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