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Related Newslog Items 20 July 2010 United Airlines reported Atlantic and Pacific premium cabin booking growth of 38 percent and 46 percent, respectively, during the June quarter versus a year earlier. Overall unit revenue on Asian routes jumped 52 percent--including 64 percent in China and 46 percent in Japan--partly due to "improvements in yields and load factors in premium cabins," said president John Tague. 8 June 2010 IATA reversed its 2010 air industry forecast to a $2.5 billion global profit from the $2.8 billion loss it had projected in March. The International Air Transport Association cited a recovering global economy that has generated a "strong" rebound in overall traffic to "pre-recession levels" and a "sharp" increase in business travel. "Despite earlier fears that the financial crisis would result in a structural change to the premium market, it now appears to be recovering cyclically in many regions--alongside improvements in global trade," according to IATA. "World trade is still rising sharply and surveys show business confidence, outside Europe, has regained pre-recession levels." The group expects the airline sector in all regions to post overall net profits, except Europe, where it predicted a $2.8 billion loss. 19 May 2010 The number of first and business class airline passengers in March increased 10.8 percent worldwide, marking a fourth consecutive month of growth and the largest year-over-year increase measured for any month in at least two years, according to the International Air Transport Association. "As business confidence and world trade have turned up sharply business travelers have returned," IATA said, noting particularly strong growth in Asia but a continuing decline in premium class usage measured within Europe. 15 April 2010 The number of first and business class airline passengers in February increased 5.9 percent worldwide, marking a third consecutive month of growth and the largest year-over-year increase measured for any month since April 2008, according to the International Air Transport Association. "As world trade growth returned so has premium travel," IATA said. "There is still some way to go before premium travel recovers previous highs but the decline looks to have been cyclical and we are now moving into the upturn phase of the cycle." 2 April 2010 American Airlines, British Airways and three other oneworld allies will accept U.S. regulators' conditions for antitrust immunity. Though the carriers told the U.S. Department of Transportation that they object to slot divestures required for approval, they nonetheless asked DOT to finalize the tentative decision "as quickly as possible." During a public comment period that closed this week, Virgin Atlantic again requested "a wider spectrum of remedies" to help maintain balanced competition, including "checks" on British Airways' "considerable market power over corporate customers." 21 December 2009 Amadeus announced a three-year extension for its content agreement with British Airways. Originally set to expire in April 2010 and now scheduled to run "up to 2013," the deal "guarantees full-content access to Amadeus users worldwide," according to Amadeus. "In the U.K. and Ireland, the opt-in levels that were established by Amadeus in 2007 remain unchanged." According to an Amadeus spokeswoman, those opt-in fees--paid to Amadeus by travel agents to avoid BA surcharges--are £0.50 (US$0.81) per segment booked on BA premium class fares and £1.00 (US$1.62) per segment booked on economy class fares." 3 December 2009 Air France on 1 April 2010 will introduce a redesigned product for European flights, including a "basic" offering with nonrefundable fares and a " premium" service "for those traveling for business who are looking for flexible fares and additional service." The
redesign eliminates on short- and medium-haul routes the carrier's Affaires high-end cabin. Air France said the change would improve operating profits by €500 million (US$754 million) by increasing seats per flight and cutting costs. 20 November 2009 Global premium airline traffic in September dropped 13.9 percent versus a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association, marking the 16th consecutive month of declining first- and business-class volumes and a steeper drop than in August. "The fall in premium travel numbers in September was driven by declines in the large markets of within-Europe and North Atlantic premium travel, where numbers were down 26.9 percent and 10.7 percent respectively compared with declines of 20.5 percent and 7.8 percent in August," according to IATA. "World trade and consumer confidence in the U.S. dipped in recent months. Analysis of these wider economic developments suggest they are temporary setbacks in an improving economic recovery." Meanwhile, IATA reported encouraging premium traffic trends in Asia and the Middle East. 15 October 2009 Global premium airline traffic in August dropped 12 percent versus a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association, marking the 15th consecutive month of declining first- and business-class volumes but the smallest drop-off recorded since November 2008. "World trade has picked up since June but not sufficiently to warrant a significant rise in premium travel," according IATA, which described the trend toward smaller declines as "fragile." 1 October 2009 Amadeus and Virgin Atlantic announced a full content agreement, providing Amadeus-connected travel agencies with the carrier's "full range of fares, schedules and inventory" for "at least three years."
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