Travel Week in Review – April 12, 2024

Intercontinental airfares in the second quarter are declining as average daily hotel rates are having “significant” increases across several markets, according to Advito’s quarterly Air and Hotel Price Index, published on Thursday. The index showed intercontinental economy fares are down year over year on flights originating from every region except Africa and Latin America, where the fares are up 1 percent year over year. The declines stem from “strong recovery of airline capacity … a sluggish economy for some key countries in Asia and Europe and the impact of high travel costs on passenger demand,” according to Advito. The sharpest declines are on flights originating in Asia, down 15 percent year over year, and North America, down 9 percent year over year. Read More…

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is predicting that 2024 will be a record-breaking year for the global travel industry, with an all-time high in global economic contribution and employment. The industry is expected to generate one in every 10 dollars worldwide, contributing $11.1 trillion to the global economy, according to WTTC’s 2024 Economic Impact Research. That’s $770 billion higher than its previous record. Read More…

SAS on Sept. 1 will join the SkyTeam airline alliance, leaving behind the Star Alliance program on Aug. 31, the carrier announced Monday. Members of SAS’ EuroBonus loyalty program “will enjoy loyalty benefits similar to those offered today” with “most of SkyTeam’s airlines,” according to the carrier, which is in “advanced negotiations” with SkyTeam and its member carriers. The new alliance will provide SAS customers access to 19 new airlines and more than 1,060 destinations globally, according to the carrier. Read More…

United Airlines will delay the launch of two previously announced new routes as a result of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration pausing some certification activities for the airline, the carrier confirmed Tuesday. Service between Tokyo Narita and Cebu, the Philippines, now is scheduled to begin Oct. 27, as opposed to the original launch date of July 31. Flights between Newark and Faro, Portugal, are now planned to begin “in the summer of 2025,” according to United. Read More…

Delta Air Lines on Wednesday painted a stark picture of increasing business travel demand, noting “sustained acceleration” of corporate sales and expressing optimism for continued growth throughout 2024, executives said during the carrier’s quarterly earnings call. First-quarter managed corporate sales—tickets sold to contracted corporate customers—increased 14 percent year over year, “with technology, consumer services and financial services leading that momentum,” Delta president Glen Hauenstein said. Read More…