When President Obama suggested it was wrong for companies that have gotten bail out money to use it on junkets to Las Vegas, he apparently stepped on the toes of the sin city mayor. Should he apologize? Are you kidding?

Las Vegas mayor tells Obama his comments harmed city

The mayor of Las Vegas told President Barack Obama in a letter that his criticism of companies using taxpayer money to visit Sin City is harmful to the tourist-dependent destination.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman didn’t directly ask the president for an apology and retraction in the letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, as he did in interviews.

I can sleep anywhere if I can lie down but sleeping sitting up is much more difficult for me so I was very intrigued by this news from Airbus.

Airbus unveils plans for bunk beds

Premium economy passengers could be in line for lie-flat seats in the next few years – but they will be in a bunk bed layout.

Airbus has revealed it is considering a bunk bed configuration as the next move

It has been a rough month for the airline industry. They say that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. A pilot friend of mine says that after a great landing you can use the plane again.

British Airways jet with 71 aboard crash-lands

A British Airways passenger jet carrying 71 people crash-landed at London City Airport on Friday evening, scraping across the tarmac after part of its landing gear failed, officials and witnesses said. One person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.

BA Flight 8456 was flying from Amsterdam to London and the airline said in a statement the four-engine plane’s nosewheel failed on landing. Emergency slides were deployed to evacuate the passengers.

Other articles that caught my eye this week:

• The Pros and Cons of Travelling with a Laptop
• How to Find the Right Hostel
• Travel like a Jetson
• Meltdown at Gate 42
• Four Britons to join first tourist trip to Baghdad

Airbus and Shell Oil announced a test flight was completed recently with one of the four engines operating on an alternate fuel.

The alternative fuel used on the test flight was gas to liquid (GTL), which looks like kerosene, but is clear coloured. It is a natural gas, which has been cleaned and has undergone the Fischer-Tropsch process - the conversion of synthesis gas to liquid fuel.

The goal of these experiments is to find both cheaper and “greener” fuels. While they announced the test was a success, no mention was made of how much cheaper or how much greener the fuel is than conventional jet fuel. Airlines and by extension airplane manufacturers are getting increasing pressure from the public to reduce their carbon emissions and lower ticket prices driven up in part by the rise in fuel costs.