"Rescuers were last night hailing the “miracle survival” of a single child after a passenger jet crashed into the sea off the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean. With the remaining 152 passengers and crew aboard Yemenia flight IY626 feared dead, it emerged that the aircraft had been the subject of an EU investigation two years ago.

Relatives were last night waiting for news in Paris, Marseille and Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, after officials said the airbus had plunged into the ocean short of its final destination on the island of Grand Comore.

The Yemenia flight’s complicated route had seen passengers collected on a different plane from Paris and Marseille before switching to the 19-year-old Airbus A310 in Sana’a to make the final leg of the journey to Comoros."

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"Check-in desks at Heathrow Terminal 5 have reopened following problems with luggage conveyor belts that caused major disruption.

Thousands of passengers were delayed, with some saying they had to queue for hours. Others had to rebook or board flights without their luggage.

Airport operator BAA blamed a mechanical failure. "

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Incredible..

"Ryanair is considering banning check-in luggage as part of a new system where passengers would have to carry their bags all the way to the tarmac beside the aircraft.

Yesterday, chief executive Michael O'Leary detailed proposals where customers would pass all of their bags through security checks, currently used just for hand luggage, and then carry them through terminals to their flight.

The budget airline says the plans could save €20m, through not paying baggage handlers, which would be passed on to consumers.

However, there is no timeline on when the plans could be introduced, nor what airports the system could operate in.

It is envisaged that passengers would be allowed unlimited carry-on baggage for free, subject to airport regulations, said Mr O'Leary.

Customers would carry their baggage through the airport, check it into the cargo hold at the steps of the aircraft and collect it as they disembark at their destination."

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"The Japanese government is ready to make an emergency loan to the country's biggest airline.

Loss-making Japan Airlines (JAL) could receive up to 100bn yen ($1bn; £635m) in state aid, say reports, on condition that the airline's management improves."

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"The fact that a Continental airlines flight from Brussels to Newark landed safely, despite the death of the pilot, is no surprise, says David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine.

That's what co-pilots are for, he says - to stand in for the pilot in case of emergency."

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"The Cyprus Land Registry expects property prices to fall by the end of the year as pressure grows on developers to offload unsold stock, it emerged yesterday.

Prices should start falling noticeably from September, due to the combined effect of a lack of movement in the property market and the large debts owed by developers to the banks. The Land Registry indicated that if prices of existing unsold property fall by as much as 15%; this would make the local property market more competitive for foreign investors.

Economic analyst Stelios Platis said that, according to the BuySell Home Price Index (BHPI), “selling prices are in fact already falling. Over the last three months, prices have fallen by around three per cent, which although modest, is part of a trend that will probably be gradual. We should see more of a price reduction in the second quarter.”

There do seem to be bargains to be had - for those with a bit of spare cash. UK real estate company Unique Living, which specialises in “superior properties in prime exclusive locations“, is advertising a four-bedroom villa in Souni, Limassol, at €895,000, reduced from €1 million. The company describes this as “an amazing drop of 10.5 per cent“.

Managing Director Serge Cowan is quoted in a company press release as saying that “the market is certainly giving all the appearances of being ready to bottom out“, adding that “2009 therefore, is a good time to buy while there are some distressed sales and good buys around.”

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"British Airways is asking thousands of staff to work for nothing, for up to one month, to help the airline survive.

The appeal, sent by e-mail to more than 30,000 workers in the UK, asks them to volunteer for between one week and one month's unpaid leave, or unpaid work. "

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Is the Company really in that much trouble? I don't think so. If they had hedged their fuel costs better, as some other airlines managed to do, the loss wouldn't have been so significant, would it?

So, would you work for one of the UK's largest companies for a whole month unpaid? The CEO should undoubtedly do it, and of course, can most definitely afford to, but what about the 'normal' hard-working workforce. What a state.

"Canary Wharf is getting back to work according to figures from City Airport.

The Docklands air terminal has reported a 44% surge in the number of passengers flying by private jet in May from the previous month."

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"With industry officials and journalists flocking to Paris for this week's biennial airshow, British Airways flight 314 from Heathrow was overbooked.

Some passengers were told there were no seats available, though with compensation on offer, along with seats on later flights, this is a common practice that leaves many travellers happy, according to BA's duty manager.

These days, though, the tactic of turning away customers from flights they have paid for is one the airlines are rarely able to resort to.

Increasingly, as the recession continues to bite, BA and other airlines are flying with ever more empty seats, particularly in business class.

"Business travellers are flying much less," observes Chris Wills, aviation analyst with Ascend Worldwide. And when they do travel [they] are downgrading classes and moving towards the back of the aircraft."

.......The recession has also resulted in a sharp reduction in cargo demand, down 21.7% in April - a fifth consecutive month at more than 20% below previous year levels, according to IATA figures.

And although "business confidence is improving", air freight volumes are expected to remain low "until inventories adjust to more normal levels", IATA reasons. "

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"Twenty-five years ago, Virgin Atlantic was born, offering travellers new levels of style and sophistication. But have the skies darkened for this iconic brand? Simon Calder meets the mogul with a mission

"Amanda!" Last Sunday afternoon, the UK's most recognisable female celebrity was arguably the Britain's Got Talent judge, Amanda Holden. The previous evening, her programme had attracted nearly 19m viewers.

How do you follow that? By flying to New York. Any one of five airlines could have taken her across; Heathrow to JFK is the busiest intercontinental air route in the world. But Ms Holden chose the airline designed to appeal to travellers who believe flying should still have elements of glamour.

Yet 25 years ago Virgin Atlantic had still to take to the skies; its maiden flight took off from Gatwick to Newark, New Jersey, on 22 June 1984. The talented music mogul, Richard Branson, leased a second-hand Boeing 747, started selling tickets through Virgin record stores, and began to transform travel as he had music retailing."

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"Imagine the perfect flying experience - no queues, a reclining seat, perhaps a glass of chilled champagne.

Add four-poster beds, a Turkish bath for four and somewhere to put the Rolls-Royce - not to mention a boardroom with holographic screens and a concert hall.

Then you've got a £300million flying palace - a superjumbo designed to order for a Middle Eastern prince.

When complete in three years time, the converted Airbus A380 will be the world's largest private jet."

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Miles O'Brien has written an interesting article on the search for AF447's Black Boxes...

"Now that searchers have found some floating remnants of Air France 447 in the Atlantic 430 miles (700 kilometers) north of the Fernando de Noronha islands, the hard work of trying to locate the Airbus’ “black boxes” - the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder - can begin. This is actually much worse than the proverbial needle in the haystack, because in that case, the assumption is the needle can be found after expending a lot of time and energy. These boxes might very well be truly lost to the abyss.

But of course they still must try to find them as well as any wreckage of the Airbus A-330.

To that end, a French research ship with a submersible capable of diving to a depth of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) is steaming to the area."

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