Air fares continue to fall

Hyderabad: As the air travel industry continues to report a fall in international passengers, the region’s airlines are responding by slashing fare prices.
Etihad Airways continues to offer UAE travellers bargain basement prices, which include US$54 flights to London Heathrow from Abu Dhabi. Its online sales promotion began in May and it appeared to set an ongoing trend when Lufthansa German Air Lines dropped its prices on many of its European and US destinations.
Passengers could purchase a round-trip flight from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Europe for just $323.
Not only that, flights from the UAE to the US started from $514, with destinations including New York, Washington and Philadelphia. The airline also attempted to fill its seats by offering a European ‘destination of the month’, as well as special fares of the month.
Putting a positive spin on the ‘giveaway’ prices the airline’s general manager of passenger sales UAE and director Gulf Peter Pollak said: "Moving ahead progressively and by our consistent dedication to the UAE, Lufthansa is happy to offer its customers some attractive fares this summer, combined with our extensive network worldwide. We are positive this offer will be well received by our passengers who are committed to Lufthansa in the region."
The airline’s shift to ‘sale price’ tactics came just days after the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released figures showing overall international passenger demand declined by 3.1% in April and the tough times were set to continue.
Since then the Airports Council International (ACI) has revealed that international travel was strongly impacted by the global recession and the affects of Swine Flu in May, and no immediate upswing was in sight.
05/07/09 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Foreign Jul 2009