Sharp Decline in First and Business Class Travel in November
The International Air Transport Association on Monday said that First-class and business-class air travel continued to slip in November as companies cut back amid the global slowdown. The drop in premium passengers combined to paint a darkening picture for the aviation industry.
The International Air Transport Association, which has 230 members, said the number of passengers flying on premium tickets worldwide fell 11.5 percent in November, after a 6.9 percent drop in October. And the association warned that worse was still to come.
The steepest drops in premium travel, the airline organization said, came in the long-distance markets“The low point for air travel has not yet been reached since the economic environment is still deteriorating,” the association said, adding that industrial production and business confidence had fallen sharply in major economies across Asia, Europe and North America.
Business and first-class travel plunged 17.7 percent on trans-Pacific routes in November from a year earlier. Travel between Europe and Asia fell 9.9 percent during the month, and dropped 9 percent on trans-Atlantic routes.
The declines are spreading to the back of the plane, the association said, as passenger travel in economy class shrank 6 percent in November after falling 1.8 percent in October.
“Now that the recession is causing widespread job losses and falling consumer confidence, there has been a sharp contraction in those traveling on economy tickets as well,” the association said.
Karen
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