Ticket mishaps, overbookings kept 4 people off doomed Air France Flight 447

PARIS — A reservation mix-up, an overbooking and a Brazilian cabbie’s passion for soccer are all that saved some would-be passengers on Air France flight 447 from the fate of 228 others who lost their lives in the mid-Atlantic.

Brazil’s air force says a helicopter recovered the first debris from Air France Flight 447

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — A Brazilian helicopter crew recovered the first wreckage from Air France Flight 447 on Thursday, pulling a cargo pallet from the sea. No sign of human remains have been spotted, and Air France has told families that the jetliner broke apart, killing all 228 people on board.

Air France chief tells families plane broke apart, no hope of survivors in Atlantic crash

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Air France has told families of passengers on Flight 447 that the jetliner broke apart and they must abandon hope that anyone survived, a grief counselor said Thursday as Brazilian ships neared debris bobbing in the Atlantic.

Air France tells families plane broke apart, no hope of survivors in crash over Atlantic

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Air France has told families of passengers on Flight 447 that the jetliner broke apart and they must abandon hope that anyone survived, a grief counselor said Thursday as military aircraft tried to narrow their search for the remains of the plane.

Final messages from Air France jet indicate plane likely broke apart above ocean

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Military planes located new debris from Air France Flight 447 Wednesday while investigators focused on a nightmarish ordeal in which the jetliner broke up over the Atlantic as it flew through a violent storm.

Investigators about disappearance over Atlantic of Air France jet with 228 aboard

RIO DE JANEIRO — Was Air France Flight 447 downed by wind and hail from towering thunderheads? By lightning? Or by a catastrophic combination of factors?

Searches on both sides of vast Atlantic Ocean for Air France jet missing with 228 people

RIO DE JANEIRO — An Air France jet with 228 people on a flight to Paris vanished over the Atlantic Ocean after flying into towering thunderstorms and sending an automated message that the electrical system had failed. A vast search began Monday, but all aboard were feared killed.

French president: Prospect of finding survivors from missing Air France plane ‘very small’

PARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the prospects of finding any survivors from an Air France jet that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean carrying 228 people are “very small.”

Tentative timeline of disappearance of Air France jet en route from Rio to Paris

Timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, according to Air France, Brazilian Air Force. All times in Brazilian local time:

Air France jet missing with 228 people over Atlantic after running into thunderstorms

SAO PAULO — An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into a towering wall of thunderstorms and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. French President Nicolas Sarkozy told families of those aboard Monday that “prospects of finding survivors are very small.”

Air France jet with 228 aboard missing over the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil mounts search

SAO PAULO, Brazil — An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, an Air France official said Monday. Brazil immediately began a search mission off its northeastern coast.

Air France jet with 228 aboard missing over the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil mounts search

SAO PAULO, Brazil — An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, an Air France official said Monday. Brazil immediately began a search mission off its northeastern coast.