Friday, March 13, 2009

Proving an Airline Depression - Top three reasons you know the airline industry is screwed (for a while)

Three things I noticed recently that really prove it is hell on earth for airlines:
  1. Air New Zealand agreed to pay commission on fuel surcharges. Finally proving what we have all known, that fuel surcharges were a complete travel agent income denying scam and that airlines are getting more and more desperate to find ways to convince travel agents to shift share;
  2. 2008 compared to 2007, Cathay Pacific carried 7.3% more passengers, generated 14.9% more revenue but lost US$1.1 billion. How is that for a collection of numbers; and
  3. In 1990 I bought my first long haul airline ticket with my own money. A European round trip ticket from Sydney on Qantas to go backpacking. Cost A$2,100. In 2009 a close friend bought seats for him, his wife and two sons round trip from Sydney to Los Angeles on Qantas. Cost A$2,700. 1 person 17,000 kms, 19 years ago for just $600 less than 4 tickets to go 12,000kms . Given the inflation rate, $2,700 in 2009 is less than $2,100 in 1990.
What have you seen?

thanks to temp13rec for the photo

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