Superjumbo made its first flight by Nina Gotzmannova

The worlds' largest plane has made its first flight and proved that even a "fat bird" can fly. Curious 455 passengers served by 26 flight attendants and led by 4 pilots traveled from Singapore to Sydney to enjoy the luxury between the clouds. Seven hours of pampering could cost up to $ 100,000. Every traveler received a glass of champagne and a certificate approving their experience. One passenger turned 22 during the flight, so the crew gave him a real birthday cake and sung him a song. Tired passengers, who thought the seven hour long journey from one continent to another is too weary, could sleep in their luxurious double beds in first-class suites, wide beds from seats in business class suite and spacious seats in economy class. The most mind-bending comfort is of course in first class. Twelve suites offer among a comfortable seat and a table also a wide TV screen, laptop connection, free software, separate beds and of course quality service from flight attendants. The Airbus A380 is able to carry up to 853 passengers, if build as an economy class jet only. Singapore Airlines chose rather more privacy for their passengers, so the largest flying object for personal transport can hold 471 travelers. In comparison, Boeing 747 jumbo jet can fly with no more than 400 passengers. The seats for the first flight were mostly sold on eBay and the earnings will go for charity. The median price was about three thousand dollars, although the highest bid was $ 100,380.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071025/ap_tr_ge/travel_a380_historic_flight;_ylt=AoaHRebpRUmna.9Fw_SJVcOs0NUE

by Nina Gotzmannova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

A380 ready for maiden flight by Corina Ciubotaru

The first Airbus A380 to carry passengers as a commercial flight will take off on Thursday, November 25th from Singapore. It's been a long wait for the people eager to be the first to board it, but the day is finally here and some of them paid huge amounts for a ticket from Singapore Airlines that would take them straight to Sydney. The largest sum was paid during an auction by a man named Julian Hayward, who agreed to spend $100,380 for two one-way trips. Singapore Airlines is one of the few companies that placed an order for the A380; six other planes are scheduled to be built before 2009 provided there will be no more delays, out of the total of 189 orders for the superjumbo. Not many airports can operate an aircraft this big so its success will depend on how well owners will be able to manage its routes and users, but what's certain is that a permanent route will be established between San Francisco and Hong Kong in early 2009 the latest, and possibly another one between Singapore and London. Other airlines that expect the arrival of their own A380s are Qantas and Lufthansa, which eventually plan to fly them to the USA, as does Emirates Air, which has placed 47 orders. Only 3 airports in America will be ready to receive the massive aircraft before 2025: JFK in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with 17 others around the world, including Heathrow in London, Tokyo Narita and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071022/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_airbus380;_ylt=Ap_HbDjwzkdTB.8za4Qxvx2s0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

More options to fly with Air France-Delta by Nina Gotzmannova

Traveling is something that brings to people both excitement and troubles. Excitement comes from exploring new countries, meeting old friends and knowing new, visiting interesting places and more. But the single idea of travel is difficult. The tickets, long queues at the airport or in the train station, delays, and uncomfortable seats, all that means trouble. Airplanes and airports are most difficult, because people use them for longer journeys and expect comfort, safety and pleasure. And something like that wants Air France and Delta provide to all passengers. The two airlines decided to join together and provide more non-stop trans-Atlantic flights. First flights which will try this new cooperation will come from Atlanta, New York's JFK, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City to all cities that have Air France service. That means nineteen flights and 4,500 satisfied customers daily, who don't have to run to catch another flight or spend several hours on a strange airport waiting for their connection flight. In 2010 this venture should be fully operated at all Delta and Air France destinations all over Europe, the Mediterranean and North America. Travelers will have an option for a non-stop flight even from Los Angeles to Tahiti. Very attractive for Delta is that Air France has landing slots in Heathrow. That allows American tourists to fly straight there from Atlanta, JFK or Los Angeles. This venture will bring the airlines more money; they expect they can make $ 8 billion a year by providing these flights. But the revenue will come after several years, in the first year they can make up to $ 1.5 billion a year. The airlines will also share profits. Both air travel providers say that all this will not affect the cost of fares.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071018/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_air_france_delta;_ylt=AgK1.M6SqD0hA1Zij0P3LMas0NUE

by Nina Gotzmannova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Privacy among clouds. by Barbie Kunkelova

"Darling, make sure you're there at least two hours in advance, I mean before the landing, because we might lose our seats if we don't check in early. That means, let me see… Yes, at 3:20am, that's the latest. I'll meet you at the Air France Check-In booth, alright? Don't be late; I really do want to see Vegas!" Have you ever had a similar dialogue before taking off on a plane? How horrible, waking up at 2am so that you make it to Schwechat at 3:15am and running to that booth with two heavy suitcases hitting your hips from both sides. The line is tremendously long; you sit on the larger suitcase and check all the required documents. After making it through the second line & through security & you discover the flight's economy class is fully booked and you'll have to wait seven more hours for the next flight. At least you WILL be flying. And when you finally settle yourself under the tight belt and stare out of the window on the plane's wing, the flight attendant announces the plane will have to wait for a lane to get empty so it can depart. Such disasters never happen on private jets. Business people discovered this transportation option several weeks ago and its popularity grew stronger as more and more airports build special gates for private jets and the pilot license is not as hard to get as it used to be. Each year the amount of hours flown by private planes grows by 1%. You just need a little additional money - $50,000 per year to maintain a plane and a hangar. And, of course, to feed the plane. Thus double the price he'd pay for commercial flying. But the comfort and speed is priceless!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071017/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_business_of_life;_ylt=AhAIqQ54IdQrlg_h6kak0ims0NUE

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Shopping capital of Middle East. by Barbie Kunkelova

Every day, a total of 800 new residents settle down in the many buildings of the Dubai City. It is the second most populous (gold goes to Abu Dhabi) of the seven of United Arab Emirates. Unlike the other six emirates, Dubai's revenues come from tourism and from Jebel Ali Free Zone; only 3% from the oil industry, which is a rarity in the Arabian world. The Jebel Ali is a zone filled with lucrative business and tax incentives to corporations; it was made to solely attract foreign investors. To make it look even more special, Dubai city is divided into distinct sectors. These sectors are distinguished by the major items sold in them and the country that imports into that particular sector. Shopping is the major attraction, sight-seeing comes second. Which is surprising, because after investing so much money into the market, there is so much to see. The Dubai Museum at Al Fahidi Fort, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, many mosques, … Some of these buildings are older than 2000 or 3000 years, a period of time an American can't compare to anything on their continent. Over 120 Airlines provide direct flights to and from Dubai to majority of cities all around the world. However, in order to enter this emirate, everyone has to apply for a visa. If you want to see the true face of Dubai, visit this city in February. At that time of year, shops offer incredible discounts, sky above the skyscrapers is decorated with fireworks and special transportation is provided for acquisitive shoppers.

related story: http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ak7IUB9gRaylQqGzsPcA19ys0NUE/SIG=11ho5m4ft/**http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/101/dubai

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Airports go naked by Claudia Sonea

I think everyone knows about the pesky machines used in airports and called metal detectors passengers. Well now the federal government thought to improve them and make them more appealing to the passengers, therefore a body-scanning machine that uses radio waves to detect foreign objects like explosives, metal, plastic and liquids, anything that might be hidden on the body, according to the official press release given by Mike Golden, the Transportation Security Administration's chief technology officer. Golden explained that the machine uses electromagnetic waves to create an image based on energy reflected from the body and not radiation. There will be a large portal of about 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide and all passengers will go through, lift their arms while the machine takes two scans using radio waves- all the process will last for a minute and 1.8 seconds. US Department of Transportation Security Administration's spokeswoman Ellen Howe said the TSA officer in charge of the screening will never see faces that also will be blurred, so person cannot be recognized. Tests for the new machine took place on Thursday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Besides the fact that officials have to determine if is more effective than the metal detectors, they also have to confront the privacy advocates. Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's program on technology and liberty stated that the screening literally shows naked people and if Playboy would have come up with the idea, politicians would have classified it as pornographic. Nevertheless, John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles international will be equipped with such devices and there will be a trial period before a final decision. Stay connected and watch out at the airport, you never know when you might go…ups, naked!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071011/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_airport_body_scan;_ylt=AqWfHCAoVKAhfJPaNb0p5tms0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

BBC's new acquisition by Claudia Sonea

Lonely Planet, the largest independently-owned travel guidebook publisher in the world, with operations in Australia, Britain and California has just become the newest acquisition of the British Broadcasting Corp. Actually they announced on Monday only a 75 percent part of the guidebook. Tony and Maureen Wheeler wrote a book titled Once While Travelling: The Lonely Planet Story in which it was related how they met and married, how they travelled from London to Australia overland and how Lonely Planet was formed. Together with the advertising magnate John Singleton who became a shareholder in 1999 they sold the guidebook to BBC, keeping a 25 percent. In Melbourne will be the global headquarters, Lonely Planet that publishes about 500 titles including specialist activity guides, shoestring guides and phrase books in various languages, is supposed to go to the next level after this sale, according to the Wheelers. While Etienne de Villiers, non-executive chairman of BBC Worldwide promises visibility and growth potential to become stronger. What it will be, go ahead and try the new product and see the truth. Enjoy!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071001/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_britain_bbc_lonely_planet;_ylt=AhKV9r8ztDR1jsj0.QMsZbWs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.