Travel shares slump amid flu pandemic fears
Sunday, 27 Apr, 2009
0
Shares in leading travel companies and airlines slumped today over fears of a global fly pandemic.
Stock markets around the world in reacted as airline passengers returning to the UK from Mexico were screened for signs of swine flu which is thought to have been responsible for the deaths of at least 100 people.
Shares in British Airways, Thomas Cook, TUI Travel and Carnival Corporation were among the fallers in London.
BA shares dropped 7.2%, Easyjet fell 5.4% and Carnival 6.4% in early trading this morning.
Thomas Cook shares were down 7.6% and TUI Travel dropped by 4.3% as investors feared the outbreak could lead to restrictions on travel globally.
The FTSE 100 index was down 58.63 points, or 1.4%, at 4,097.36 at 08.15 this morning.
Shares in both Qantas and Cathay Pacific had also fallen.
Outbreaks of the flu have emerged in Mexico, the US and Canada while tests are being carried out on returning travellers to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Brazil and Israel.
The Health Protection Agency said it was sensible to plan for the possibility of cases being discovered in the UK.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent