Travel Roundup: Airlines to Lose $9B, Airlines Await Airbus Directives, O'Leary Sells 5M of Ryanair and More

(MoneyWatch)  Airlines to lose $9 billion in 2009 -- The International Air Transport Association forecast the airline industry would lose $9 billion, almost double its previous March estimates. The trade group said that there was "no modern precedent" for the economic situation. However, Asia-Pacific and European carriers are expected to take bigger hits in revenue than North American carriers. [Source: Denver Business Journal]

Airlines await Airbus directives -- Airlines using Airbus A330-200 planes, the Air France model that crashed in the Atlantic last week, awaited news from Airbus before making any equipment changes Monday. Bjorn Naf, the chief executive of Gulf Air, said he planned to meet with Airbus during the International Air Transport Association gathering in Kuala Lumpur for updates on the Air France crash and its causes. Akbar al-Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, also said he awaited any Airbus safety directives. [Source: Reuters]

Michael O'Leary sells 5 million shares of Ryanair -- Michael O'Leary, the flamboyant chief executive of Ryanair, sold 5 million shares of his company. The sale raised about ?£16.5 million ($26 million) by selling off part of his stake in the airline. O'Leary now owns only 60 million shares, or a 4 percent stake, in the company. O'Leary has sold millions of shares before, including when he sold shares and used some of the funds to pay for his wedding in 2003. [Source: The Guardian (U.K.)]

Emeril Lagasse opens restaurant at Sands Bethlehem -- Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse opened Emeril's Chop House at Sands Bethlehem, Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s newest casino in Bethlehem, Pa. It's his third restaurant for Las Vegas Sands, but at first he wasn't keen on the idea. However, after understanding the concept, Lagasse decided to open a different kind of a restaurant that would appeal to the local population as well as New Orleans-style cooking and seafood. [Source: Las Vegas Sun]