In the wake of the tragic crash of Yemenia Airlines Flight 626 near the Comoros Islands, it has been revealed that French safety inspectors had serious doubts about the Airbus A310 craft and had banned it from entering the country in 2007.

Though the airline had not been placed on the European Union’s safety-related blacklist of air carriers forbidden to enter the EU, the French had banned that particular Yemenia plane from entering France.

Almost every week I’ve talked about my recent experience with United Airlines, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you an update.

I reach out to anybody who either works at United or who might know this answer.

When a United Airlines plane has a problem and they ask you to fill out a form to send you a certificate, can somebody please tell me what that is?

An Airbus A310 with 153 people on board crashed into the Indian Ocean early Tuesday morning as it tried to land in the Comoros Islands amid gusty winds and rough seas.

The Yemenia Airlines jet was making its final approach to Moroni airport when it went down about nine miles off the Comoran coast.

Weather reports state that wind speeds averaged about 38 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

It should come as no surprise that the results of the 2009 J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study, which was just released today, show that passengers are anything but satisfied.

It’s been a tough year financially for airlines, and the strain has taken its toll on the flying public. The study reveals that survey respondents’ overall satisfaction with airlines has declined for a third consecutive year, hitting a four-year low.

The three categories that primarily drove the decline were in-flight services, flight crew, and costs and fees, all of which showed notable drops in customer satisfaction compared to last year.

A number of high-profile celebrities and entertainers passed away over the last few days, including comedian Ed McMahon, pop star Michael Jackson, actress Farrah Fawcett, and TV pitchman Billy Mays.

What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with the world of travel?

Well, Mays, 50, who passed away in his sleep on Sunday, recently flew on a US Airways jet that made a hard landing, which many believed may somehow have been connected to his death.

You can cruise at 35,000 feet!

If you’re taking an American Airlines flight between July 1 and July 15, you can catch Peter’s CNBC special “Cruise Inc.: Big Money on the High Seas.”

Select flights will be showing the hour-long special as part of American’s in-flight entertainment programming.