Bad News / Good News

[omegaet]

...just noticed this news article regarding premium seat capacity.....could bethe right time to dig through those FFaccounts and see if some upgrade seats are available.

19 February 2009



Premium air travel continues to fall




The current slump in premium air travel worldwide may continue to accelerate this year after plummeting forthe seventh straight month in December, the International Air Transport Association said.

The number of passengers with first- and business-class tickets fell 13 percent in December from a year prior, the Montreal- and Geneva-based industry group said today in a report on its Web site. Premium air travel fell 2.9 percent in 2008 as the collapse in demand canceled out growth earlier in the year.

Inability of airlines to cut capacity as quickly as declining demand is causing yields, or average fares, to slump, the organization said. IATA estimated that a 20 percent decline in premium fares will slash about 3 percent, or $15 billion, from airline revenue globally.

It seems that the bottom has not yet been reached for air travel, and even weaker numbers may become evident in the first few months this year, IATA said.

Declines in premium traffic were led by Asia, with travel in the Far East declining 25 percent and across the Pacific 20 percent. Premium travel in Europe fell 16 percent, while across the Atlantic it was down 8.8 percent.

Source: Blomberg

[travel2fun]

Thanks, -O-, just when I was starting to feel sorry for myself at the prospects of not being able to find any cheap air fares, you snag this little gem. Guess I will check my two leading airlines and see if I might be able to qualify for a Business seat some place interesting, some place where I can get a nice auction package here on LL!