Budget air travel drive the prices down
Eyefortravel | May 01, 2006
The true extent of the budget air travel revolution has emerged in newly released government figures which show that fares have plummeted dramatically over the past decade to a record low, reports The Guardian. (5/1/2006)
According to a report by the publication, data shared by the Department for Transport under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that the typical price of a short-haul leisure air ticket has tumbled from ?10 to ?3 over 10 years - a fall of 43 percent. For business travellers, average domestic and European fares fell 49 percent to ?13 from 1994 to 2004 as corporate fliers increasingly occupied economy-class seats and began using low-cost airlines.
The statistics were hailed by the aviation industry as proof that it had delivered value despite challenges such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, fluctuating economic conditions and soaring oil prices. Easyjet, for example, warned in February that its fuel bill would rise by ?5m in the first half of the year, adding that it expected a first-half loss of ?5m. Figures from the airline are due later this week. But environmentalists warned that the statistics were further evidence of the damage being wreaked as aviation's share of carbon emissions steadily rises,?it was reported.
The drop in prices has been delivered against a backdrop of steadily rising demand. The number of holidaymakers flying to European destinations has leapt from 36 million to 65 million annually over the same period, it added.