The A380 will fly the daily AF7/AF6 flights between New York (JFK) and Paris (CDG):

AF7: Dep JFK 19.10 – Arr CDG 08.35+1

AF6: Dep CDG 13.30 – Arr JFK 15.45.

The Air France A380 will be fitted with 3 cabins:

- 9 Première seats at the front of the main deck

- 80 Business seats at the front of the upper deck

- 449 “Voyageur” (Economy) seats, including 343 on the main deck and 106 on the upper deck.

Seats on non-revenue inaugural flights (AF6 on 20 Nov and AF7 on 21 Nov) will be auctionned in favor of charities.

The first Air France A380 has been given the new Air France livery by Airbus at Hambourg-Finkenwerder, where it will be delivered to the airline in October.

http://www.airfrance.fr/

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The move follows the Spanish stock market regulator CNMW exempted Iberia from making a takeover bid for the new airline. Iberia will hold a 45.85% shareholding in the new Vueling. The 36-month old Clickair brand will disappear and Vueling will become Spain’s second largest carrier flying 11 million passengers a year from six bases including its Barcelona headquarters. The new Vueling will cover a route network of almost 50 destinations.

The merged airline will also retain Clickair flights to Casablanca and Marrakech, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Budapest and Bucharest. Italy will continue to be Vueling’s second biggest market after Spain. Madrid will feature prominently on the new Vueling’s network as one of its six Spanish bases, the others being Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Malaga and Valencia. The new Vueling will cater for 70% leisure/30% business travellers, said Cruz. Vueling will operate 35 Airbus A320s (18 aircraft coming from clickair and 17 from Vueling), serve 46 airports and run 92 routes. The combined workforce will total 1,300, including flight crew and office staff.

Source: http://www.travelmole.com

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• Aviation Safety: Better Data and Targeted FAA Efforts Needed to Identify and Address Safety Issues of Small Air Cargo Carriers. GAO-09-614, June 24, 2009 (55 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-614
• Highway Trust Fund: Options for Improving Sustainability and Mechanisms to Manage Solvency. GAO-09-845T, June 25, 2009 (14 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-845T
• International Aviation: Federal Efforts Help Address Safety Challenges in Africa, but Could Benefit from Reassessment and Better Coordination. GAO-09-498, June 16, 2009 (38 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-498
• Public Transportation: New Starts Program Challenges and Preliminary Observations on Expediting Project Development. GAO-09-763T, June 3, 2009 (16 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-763T
• Recovery Act: The Department of Transportation Followed Key Federal Requirements in Developing Selection Criteria for Its Supplemental Discretionary Grants Program. GAO-09-785R, June 30, 2009 (7 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-785R

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• Aviation Security: TSA Has Completed Key Activities Associated with Implementing Secure Flight, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Mitigate Risks. GAO-09-292, May 13, 2009 (62 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-292
• Federal Transit Administration: Progress and Challenges in Implementing and Evaluating the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program. GAO-09-496, May 21, 2009 (52 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-496
• Freight Rail Security: Actions Have Been Taken to Enhance Security, but the Federal Strategy Can Be Strengthened and Security Efforts Better Monitored. GAO-09-243, April 21, 2009 (123 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-243
• Motor Carrier Safety: Commercial Vehicle Registration Program Has Kept Unsafe Carriers from Operating, but Effectiveness Is Difficult to Measure. GAO-09-495, May 12, 2009 (37 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-495
• Responses to Questions for the Record: March 18, 2009, Hearing on ATC Modernization: Near-Term Achievable Goals. GAO-09-718R, May 20, 2009 (14 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-718R

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• Aviation Safety: Potential Strategies to Address Air Ambulance Safety Concerns. GAO-09-627T, April 22, 2009 (17 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-627T
• Commercial Aviation: Airline Industry Contraction Due to Volatile Fuel Prices and Falling Demand Affects Airports, Passengers, and Federal Government Revenues. GAO-09-393, April 21, 2009 (52 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-393
• High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role. GAO-09-560T, April 1, 2009 (6 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-560T
• Transportation Security: Comprehensive Risk Assessments and Stronger Internal Controls Needed to Help Inform TSA Resource Allocation. GAO-09-492, March 27, 2009 (57 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-492

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• Coast Guard: Observations on Changes to Management and Oversight of the Deepwater Program. GAO-09-462T, March 24, 2009 (8 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-462T
• Commuter Rail: Many Factors Influence Liability and Indemnity Provisions, and Options Exist to Facilitate Negotiations. GAO-09-282, February 24, 2009 (66 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-282
• High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role. GAO-09-317, March 19, 2009 (102 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-317
• Highway Infrastructure: Federal Efforts to Strengthen Security Should Be Better Coordinated and Targeted on the Nation’s Most Critical Highway Infrastructure. GAO-09-57, January 30, 2009 (79 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-57
• Highway Trust Fund: Improved Solvency Mechanisms and Communication Needed to Help Avoid Shortfalls in the Highway Account. GAO-09-316, February 6, 2009 (23 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-316
  
• Next Generation Air Transportation System: Issues Associated with Midterm Implementation of Capabilities and Full System Transformation. GAO-09-481T, March 25, 2009 (20 pages). 
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-481T
• Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Transformation and Issues Associated with Midterm Implementation of Capabilities. GAO-09-479T, March 18, 2009 (21 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-479T
• Responses to Questions for the Record: February 11, 2009, Hearing on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009. GAO-09-467R, March 10, 2009 (8 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-467R
• Transportation Programs: Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation and Congress. GAO-09-435T, March 10, 2009 (22 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-435T
• Urban Partnership Agreements: Congestion Relief Initiative Holds Promise; Some Improvements Needed in Selection Process. GAO-09-154, March 25, 2009 (93 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-154

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A worldwide famous aerospace Star and a technical success, Concorde was chartered for prestige travels or for exclusive use of Heads of States or celebrities, but was above all an airliner for  ”regular” revenue flights.

Unique supersonic civil aircraft, Concorde represented for Air France, not to say for France, the Herald of the refinement and “de luxe” French flair.

It seemed natural for a group of enthusiasts from Toulouse to pay a tribute to Concorde thru a website introducing, among various information, a Collection of more than 1,500 items only dedicated to Prototype and Air France  Concorde aircraft.

This Collection, named “Concordescopia”, is of a high historical interest, since it includes items which exist in no other Collection or Air museum anywhere in the World !
(See: http://www.concordescopia.com/)

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Air France should be the next carrier on the list, with the first aircraft due for expected delivery in October 2009 and revenue service on the New York JFK route for crew familiarization. (For more details, see: http://www.bolsamania.fr/analyses/analisis.php?origen=feed_cerclef.noticias&id=PARISANA03-11-2009-16-46-00.xml&isin=FR0000031122&esficha=1)

Lufthansa should join “the club” in Spring 2010. The German carrier launched a web micro-site to communicate on this major event. (For more details, see: http://a380.lufthansa.com/#en/main/faszination_fliegen/intro)

On the negative side, some carriers are reported to be in discussions with Airbus to delay future deliveries (Air France, Singapore Airlines, Emirates).
Moreover, Emirates is reported to have delivered to Airbus an extensive list of malfunctions which need to be fixed. (For more details, see: http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=15942)

While schedule adjustments are part of routine airline management (e.g. Emirates replacing A380s with B777 on the Dubai-New York JFK route), as well as technical teething problems (fuel leaks on Qantas aircraft), it seems that every information or rumor related to the A380 feeds the headlines of the economical press.

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