Economy Takes Toll on Premium Airline Passengers

[Matt Molnar]

WSJ:

Economy Takes Toll on Premium Airline Passengers
Carriers Say That Many Business Customers Are Traveling Less or Flying Coach

OCTOBER 8, 2008
By SUSAN CAREY and PAULO PRADA

Growing worries about financial markets and the global economy are starting to weigh on the travel industry. Airlines, which had appeared to dodge a bullet when oil prices declined, are losing some of their best customers -- the ones who can mean the difference between a flight being profitable and producing a loss.

"When the Wall Street meltdown started two weeks ago, the heat turned up in an already uncomfortable world," says Simon Talling-Smith, British Airways' executive vice president for the Americas. The airline, which has a lot of exposure to the banking sector on its London-New York route and its flights to other finance centers, including Hong Kong and Tokyo, says its first- and business-class traffic fell nearly 9% in September from a year earlier. [Full Article]

[Jetinder]

They reckon in a few years time Ryanair will be selling £10 ($20) tickets to America.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...ts-for-10.html

If that happened i'd love to visit the USA again as it would be so cheap to get there.

[Matt Molnar]

Whee STN-ISP! It would cost more to get to and from the airport than the flight itself.

[Jetinder]

Whee STN-ISP! It would cost more to get to and from the airport than the flight itself.

LOL i know but visiting NYC it would be worth it as i'd love visit Time Square again, see the NYC skyline from the Staten Island ferry, visit wall street, central park, Empire state etc and may be even see my old girl (G-BOAD).

[Matt Molnar]

Of course, still worth it.