Which new airline fee will be the proverbial camel that breaks the weary air traveler's back? Maybe none of them; travelers seem to be getting used to paying extra for snacks, hot meals, legroom, windowand aisle seats, checked luggage, and other things not included in the price of basic airfare.
American Airlines will shortly become the latest carrier to charge extra in economy class for a pillow and blanket - at least on flights over two hours within North America, the Caribbean and Central America. The blanket and pillow will be packaged together and cost $8 USD as of May 1 for those who want a little extra comfort. Fellow U.S. carriers JetBlue Airways and US Airways already charge for pillows and blankets; both of those airlines charge $7 USD.
Might as well get used to it. It's annoying, but this is the brave new world of air travel - especially so on U.S. domestic flights. Airlines are starved for revenue, thanks to the Great Recession, security scares and security costs and the volatile price of jet fuel. The airlines have tried to raise fares, but consumer push-back has kept those raises at minimal levels - as compared to, say, the soaring cost of private health care in the United States, where patients have little choice but to pay up. Compared to that, the airline add-ons are small stuff.
Still, one does wish air fares - once all-inclusive or nearly so - were all-inclusive again. It's cleaner, faster, clearer, compared to the maze of fees, taxes, surcharges and add-ons that passengers pay now. But until airlines can return to profit on a consistent basis - and until passengers accept at least modest airfare hikes - the nickle and diming will continue.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
'Chic Battersea'
On the New York Times' interesting and useful "In Transit'' blog the other day, I caught a reference to a new food shop and culinary school, established by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, in what nytimes.com called "London's chic Battersea district.''
Chic? Battersea? Trendy, maybe. "In transition,'' definitely. But, chic and Battersea are two words that seldom go together - all the less so for those who have known the Thames-side district for a long time.
My English-born wife grew up in Battersea, when the south London area was a decidedly gritty and emphatically downmarket place. A working-class district across the Thames from posh Chelsea and long-dominated by the massive Battersea Power Station, Battersea was heavily bombed during World War II, due to the presence of the power station and the nearness of Clapham Junction, with its tangle of railroad lines. The house my wife's parents lived in before she was born was destroyed by a German bomb shortly after they providently moved out; the church up the street from their new flat on Rush Hill Road was similarly obliterated. The church was rebuilt, but when we visited Battersea to see her old haunts a few years back, there was still a vacant lot and an impromptu peoples' park where my wife's parents' house once stood. Most of Battersea has been rebuilt, but much of it looks worn and weary.
Still, the old 'hood is changing, if in fits and starts. We toured the former power plant - its high roof caved in, a pair of peregrine falcons nesting in the upper reaches, the station's four landmark smokestacks stabbing the sky - in a golf cart. We were shown around on a press tour by a hard-hatted developer with ambitious plans to renovate the cavernous abandoned plant with housing, retail and dining, complete with a new fleet of swift water taxis. That project appears to have stalled, though riverside Battersea Park right nearby has been brightened, new riverside housing has been built and other changes are afoot.
Walking up Lavender Hill after taking the 137 red double-decker bus from truly chic Mayfair, we came to a stretch of road that hosted no fewer than eight estate agents' shops hawking real state. Humble flats of the type my wife grew up in were selling as condominiums for staggering sums. The old town hall is now a lively and innovative nexus for new art - the Battersea Arts Centre (www.bac.org.uk). The grotty old pub at the foot of Rush Hill Road was now a smart cafe called the Lavender. The old news agents' shop is yet another estate agents' shop. The run-down old mews where shops took delivery in back is a gated community. We stopped in at an Italian restaurant and had some of the best pizza imaginable.
So far, so encouraging - but chic? I don't think so, not yet. Just off Lavender Hill, the bright re-dos give way to blocks of fixer-uppers and dog-fouled streets. Most of the buildings are Victorian-era and dreary. Clearly, Battersea is seeing better days, and this is all to the good; realistically, it has a ways to go before becoming a bona fide part of gentrified London.
So, Battersea is a work in progress, but an interesting work. If you are traveling to or around London, you might want to check it out. Battersea was until recently considered so marginal, it is one of the few parts of Greater London that doesn't have an Underground station. There is talk of extending the Northern line to Battersea, but so far, it's just talk. In the meanwhile, the district is linked by taxis and especially buses to the rest of London.
The aforementioned Jamie Oliver's food store/culinary school, called Recipease, is located at 48-50 St. John's Road, tel. 44 203 006 0001, www.recipsease.com. Not far off, foodies can also find a wine bar, Artisan & Vine, founded last year, that features "natural and organic' wines. It is located at 126 St. John's Hill, tel. 44 207 228 4997, (www.artisanandwine.com).
Chic? Battersea? Trendy, maybe. "In transition,'' definitely. But, chic and Battersea are two words that seldom go together - all the less so for those who have known the Thames-side district for a long time.
My English-born wife grew up in Battersea, when the south London area was a decidedly gritty and emphatically downmarket place. A working-class district across the Thames from posh Chelsea and long-dominated by the massive Battersea Power Station, Battersea was heavily bombed during World War II, due to the presence of the power station and the nearness of Clapham Junction, with its tangle of railroad lines. The house my wife's parents lived in before she was born was destroyed by a German bomb shortly after they providently moved out; the church up the street from their new flat on Rush Hill Road was similarly obliterated. The church was rebuilt, but when we visited Battersea to see her old haunts a few years back, there was still a vacant lot and an impromptu peoples' park where my wife's parents' house once stood. Most of Battersea has been rebuilt, but much of it looks worn and weary.
Still, the old 'hood is changing, if in fits and starts. We toured the former power plant - its high roof caved in, a pair of peregrine falcons nesting in the upper reaches, the station's four landmark smokestacks stabbing the sky - in a golf cart. We were shown around on a press tour by a hard-hatted developer with ambitious plans to renovate the cavernous abandoned plant with housing, retail and dining, complete with a new fleet of swift water taxis. That project appears to have stalled, though riverside Battersea Park right nearby has been brightened, new riverside housing has been built and other changes are afoot.
Walking up Lavender Hill after taking the 137 red double-decker bus from truly chic Mayfair, we came to a stretch of road that hosted no fewer than eight estate agents' shops hawking real state. Humble flats of the type my wife grew up in were selling as condominiums for staggering sums. The old town hall is now a lively and innovative nexus for new art - the Battersea Arts Centre (www.bac.org.uk). The grotty old pub at the foot of Rush Hill Road was now a smart cafe called the Lavender. The old news agents' shop is yet another estate agents' shop. The run-down old mews where shops took delivery in back is a gated community. We stopped in at an Italian restaurant and had some of the best pizza imaginable.
So far, so encouraging - but chic? I don't think so, not yet. Just off Lavender Hill, the bright re-dos give way to blocks of fixer-uppers and dog-fouled streets. Most of the buildings are Victorian-era and dreary. Clearly, Battersea is seeing better days, and this is all to the good; realistically, it has a ways to go before becoming a bona fide part of gentrified London.
So, Battersea is a work in progress, but an interesting work. If you are traveling to or around London, you might want to check it out. Battersea was until recently considered so marginal, it is one of the few parts of Greater London that doesn't have an Underground station. There is talk of extending the Northern line to Battersea, but so far, it's just talk. In the meanwhile, the district is linked by taxis and especially buses to the rest of London.
The aforementioned Jamie Oliver's food store/culinary school, called Recipease, is located at 48-50 St. John's Road, tel. 44 203 006 0001, www.recipsease.com. Not far off, foodies can also find a wine bar, Artisan & Vine, founded last year, that features "natural and organic' wines. It is located at 126 St. John's Hill, tel. 44 207 228 4997, (www.artisanandwine.com).
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Last Flight of the Concorde
Today, nearly 10 years after the crash of a Concorde supersonic jetliner in Paris that killed 113 people, a trial to assign responsibility for the accident is getting underway in France. The crash of the Air France Concorde in a plume of fire just after take-off on July 25, 2000, helped put an end to the Concorde and the era of supersonic luxury passenger service. At issue is whether carelessness by Continental Airlines workers caused debris from a Continental aircraft on the runway to puncture fuel tanks on the Concorde. Continental strongly denies the charge.
News of the trial sends my mind racing back to Concorde, the stunningly gorgeous, delta-wing, needle-nosed jetliner that flew commercially from 1976 to 2003, until lingering fears from the 2000 crash combined with recessionary post-Sept. 11 economics to ground the Concorde for good. As it happens, I was on the very last scheduled commercial flight of the Concorde, British Airways flight 002, which zoomed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow International Airport on Oct. 24, 2003, carrying 100 half-smiley, half-teary, totally excited passengers. (Air France stopped its Concorde service on May 31.)
Everyone on board that day knew the likes of Concorde would not come again for a long while. Even one-way ticket prices north of $6,000 USD to cross the Atlantic didn't allow BA and Air France, the only two airlines ever to fly the Concorde, to recoup the astronomically high costs of fuel needed to operate a combined fleet of 14 Concordes. The 1970s technologies of the Concorde were very fuel-inefficient, and the ear-pounding booms when the plane broke the sound barrier prompted authorities to severely restrict how long and at what speeds the Concorde was allowed to fly over land. That, too, undermined the economics of flying the plane, which had been built with billions of taxpayers' pounds and francs.
I was in the last row of the plane when we took off shortly after sunrise, television camera crews racing in trucks along the runway at JFK to record take-off. As soon as the seatbelt signs blinked off and BA captain Michael Bannister welcomed everyone on board, passengers began popping up, taking each other's photographs in the narrow single aisle, heads bent beneath the low overhead bins, clinking flutes of Champagne as BA flight attendants wriggled past to commence the meal and beverage service. There were lobster fish cakes on the menu, and wild mushroom truffled omelets, and smoked Scottish salmon with caviar. I sipped Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1986, one of three Champagnes served that day.
We presslings were seated in the rear cabin of the aircraft; celebrity guests were up front in the first cabin, at safe remove from the journalists. I spotted David Frost, a regal Joan Collins, a chipper and pretty Christie Brinkley. It was a rollicking party all the way across the pond for about three and a half hours - three hours faster than normal aircraft could make the trip. As advertised, the skies were darker when we reached cruising altitude of 57,000 feet and we could see the curvature of the earth, though barely - it was a less dramatic sight than I expected. Also as advertised, the windows felt warm, almost hot, to the touch, thanks to the Mach 2 top speed: 1,350 miles per hour. I had a window seat, so I was nicely positioned to enjoy the special effects.
Captain Bannister brought the plane in low and slow down the Thames, heading east past Buckingham Palace and Big Ben before turning west toward Heathrow. Our plane was the last of three Concordes to land in quick succession, the first two having flown around Britain before returning to Heathrow. At the airport, there was a red carpet rolled out to the foot of the aircraft and scads of spectators taking photos and videos; some airport workers stood on the rooftops to have a last look at the fastest and most beautiful passenger jet ever built. At the head of the red carpet, disembarking passengers were greeted by the dignified Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, BA's chairman. The red carpet led into a big tented area where one found abundant finger food and, of course, more Champagne. I wandered about for a bit, then headed out of the tent - there was, to my surprise, no customs or immigration inspection - and over to my car for the slow glide into London and the posh comforts of the London Ritz Hotel.
It all seems like a long time ago now. I read that assorted entrepreneurs are planning to build a new generation of supersonic passenger jets - though these will probably be private jets and fly at speeds of Mach 1. If and when that happens, it will be a back to the future moment.
News of the trial sends my mind racing back to Concorde, the stunningly gorgeous, delta-wing, needle-nosed jetliner that flew commercially from 1976 to 2003, until lingering fears from the 2000 crash combined with recessionary post-Sept. 11 economics to ground the Concorde for good. As it happens, I was on the very last scheduled commercial flight of the Concorde, British Airways flight 002, which zoomed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow International Airport on Oct. 24, 2003, carrying 100 half-smiley, half-teary, totally excited passengers. (Air France stopped its Concorde service on May 31.)
Everyone on board that day knew the likes of Concorde would not come again for a long while. Even one-way ticket prices north of $6,000 USD to cross the Atlantic didn't allow BA and Air France, the only two airlines ever to fly the Concorde, to recoup the astronomically high costs of fuel needed to operate a combined fleet of 14 Concordes. The 1970s technologies of the Concorde were very fuel-inefficient, and the ear-pounding booms when the plane broke the sound barrier prompted authorities to severely restrict how long and at what speeds the Concorde was allowed to fly over land. That, too, undermined the economics of flying the plane, which had been built with billions of taxpayers' pounds and francs.
I was in the last row of the plane when we took off shortly after sunrise, television camera crews racing in trucks along the runway at JFK to record take-off. As soon as the seatbelt signs blinked off and BA captain Michael Bannister welcomed everyone on board, passengers began popping up, taking each other's photographs in the narrow single aisle, heads bent beneath the low overhead bins, clinking flutes of Champagne as BA flight attendants wriggled past to commence the meal and beverage service. There were lobster fish cakes on the menu, and wild mushroom truffled omelets, and smoked Scottish salmon with caviar. I sipped Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1986, one of three Champagnes served that day.
We presslings were seated in the rear cabin of the aircraft; celebrity guests were up front in the first cabin, at safe remove from the journalists. I spotted David Frost, a regal Joan Collins, a chipper and pretty Christie Brinkley. It was a rollicking party all the way across the pond for about three and a half hours - three hours faster than normal aircraft could make the trip. As advertised, the skies were darker when we reached cruising altitude of 57,000 feet and we could see the curvature of the earth, though barely - it was a less dramatic sight than I expected. Also as advertised, the windows felt warm, almost hot, to the touch, thanks to the Mach 2 top speed: 1,350 miles per hour. I had a window seat, so I was nicely positioned to enjoy the special effects.
Captain Bannister brought the plane in low and slow down the Thames, heading east past Buckingham Palace and Big Ben before turning west toward Heathrow. Our plane was the last of three Concordes to land in quick succession, the first two having flown around Britain before returning to Heathrow. At the airport, there was a red carpet rolled out to the foot of the aircraft and scads of spectators taking photos and videos; some airport workers stood on the rooftops to have a last look at the fastest and most beautiful passenger jet ever built. At the head of the red carpet, disembarking passengers were greeted by the dignified Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, BA's chairman. The red carpet led into a big tented area where one found abundant finger food and, of course, more Champagne. I wandered about for a bit, then headed out of the tent - there was, to my surprise, no customs or immigration inspection - and over to my car for the slow glide into London and the posh comforts of the London Ritz Hotel.
It all seems like a long time ago now. I read that assorted entrepreneurs are planning to build a new generation of supersonic passenger jets - though these will probably be private jets and fly at speeds of Mach 1. If and when that happens, it will be a back to the future moment.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Casanova Restaurant, Carmel, California
CARMEL-By-THE-SEA, CALIFORNIA - Looking for a romantic restaurant for your sweetie and yourself on Valentine's Day? You could do worse than Casanova, which bills itself as the most romantic restaurant in Carmel.
Casanova, tucked away in a renovated and expanded cottage in this picturesque former artists' colony on California's Pacific coast, is more than a (borrowed) famous name and more than a place for a tryst, though. It is a first-rate eating house, specializing in country Italian and French fare, enlivened by a typically happy crowd of diners, served by polished, correct professional waiters - never a given in American restaurants - and boasting a first-class wine list. The wine cellar, hand-dug to a depth of 14 feet below the restaurant and holding 30,000 bottles of wine, can be toured gratis if you ask your server, as my wife and I have done. I love the appealingly musty smell of the cellar.
Casanova is owned and operated by the Georgis family, who come originally from Belgium, which explains the European feel. The family opened the restaurant in the mid-1970s and it has never fallen from favor among locals and visitors. When my wife and I were last there, the place was busy but quiet enough in the smaller nooks and crannies to hold a quiet conversation. The enclosed patio is bigger and louder.
Prices run moderate to high. Reservations are a must. The menu changes often, but we have never found anything that didn't work on our four visits. If you go, don't miss the rack of lamb and the slow-braised rabbit. Be sure to try the delicious, Belgian-style mussels and frites.
If you're traveling in northern California, Casanova (www.casanovarestaurant.com) is worth making a detour for, romantic holiday or no. It's located in downtown Carmel on Fifth Street, between Mission and San Carlos streets, near the Shell station. Tel. 831.625.0501. E-mail info@casanovarestaurant.com.
Casanova, tucked away in a renovated and expanded cottage in this picturesque former artists' colony on California's Pacific coast, is more than a (borrowed) famous name and more than a place for a tryst, though. It is a first-rate eating house, specializing in country Italian and French fare, enlivened by a typically happy crowd of diners, served by polished, correct professional waiters - never a given in American restaurants - and boasting a first-class wine list. The wine cellar, hand-dug to a depth of 14 feet below the restaurant and holding 30,000 bottles of wine, can be toured gratis if you ask your server, as my wife and I have done. I love the appealingly musty smell of the cellar.
Casanova is owned and operated by the Georgis family, who come originally from Belgium, which explains the European feel. The family opened the restaurant in the mid-1970s and it has never fallen from favor among locals and visitors. When my wife and I were last there, the place was busy but quiet enough in the smaller nooks and crannies to hold a quiet conversation. The enclosed patio is bigger and louder.
Prices run moderate to high. Reservations are a must. The menu changes often, but we have never found anything that didn't work on our four visits. If you go, don't miss the rack of lamb and the slow-braised rabbit. Be sure to try the delicious, Belgian-style mussels and frites.
If you're traveling in northern California, Casanova (www.casanovarestaurant.com) is worth making a detour for, romantic holiday or no. It's located in downtown Carmel on Fifth Street, between Mission and San Carlos streets, near the Shell station. Tel. 831.625.0501. E-mail info@casanovarestaurant.com.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum
Those niggling extra fees that cash-strapped airlines have added-on in the last couple of years? They will account for a whopping $58 billion USD in ancillary revenue in 2010, according to a new report from Sydney's Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Upshot for travelers: Expect more fees, at higher levels, for more services. Money-losing airlines need the revenue they bring in, especially so since consumers seduced by low-fare carriers resist fare increases. Call it "bespoke'' service, call it customization, call it what you like, it's the trend of the moment and it is only going to intensify. You want to check a bag? Get some extra legroom? Have lunch en route? You're going to keep paying more for it.
This trend started with low-cost carriers in the United States on domestic routes, though now nearly all U.S. carriers have followed suit. LCCs in Europe and Asia are embracing fees, too, and a few big legacy carriers such as British Airlines - which is facing a scary bottom line and strike threats from staff - are adopting similar policies.
"Air fares around the world, particularly in the U.S., have fallen sharply since the onset of the recession, making baggage fees and other ancilliary revenue items an increasing lifeline to the airline sector,'' said CAPA executive director Peter Harbison in a statement.
Other ancilliary revenue streams are flowing toward the airlines from items such as in-flight advertising, access to airport lounges and what CAPA terms "related travel products,'' including insurance, care hire and accommodation.
"A sizeable figure, $58 billion USD, however, represents just 12 percent of airline revenue, suggesting we are just at the start of the movement to monetise services and products passengers used to receive as part of the ticket price,'' Harbison said.
For airlines, it's probably necessary. For travelers, it's read it and weep - and reach for your wallet.
Upshot for travelers: Expect more fees, at higher levels, for more services. Money-losing airlines need the revenue they bring in, especially so since consumers seduced by low-fare carriers resist fare increases. Call it "bespoke'' service, call it customization, call it what you like, it's the trend of the moment and it is only going to intensify. You want to check a bag? Get some extra legroom? Have lunch en route? You're going to keep paying more for it.
This trend started with low-cost carriers in the United States on domestic routes, though now nearly all U.S. carriers have followed suit. LCCs in Europe and Asia are embracing fees, too, and a few big legacy carriers such as British Airlines - which is facing a scary bottom line and strike threats from staff - are adopting similar policies.
"Air fares around the world, particularly in the U.S., have fallen sharply since the onset of the recession, making baggage fees and other ancilliary revenue items an increasing lifeline to the airline sector,'' said CAPA executive director Peter Harbison in a statement.
Other ancilliary revenue streams are flowing toward the airlines from items such as in-flight advertising, access to airport lounges and what CAPA terms "related travel products,'' including insurance, care hire and accommodation.
"A sizeable figure, $58 billion USD, however, represents just 12 percent of airline revenue, suggesting we are just at the start of the movement to monetise services and products passengers used to receive as part of the ticket price,'' Harbison said.
For airlines, it's probably necessary. For travelers, it's read it and weep - and reach for your wallet.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Obama's Transport Report Card: a so-So C+
The National Business Travel Association - which tracks developments in transport in the United States and advocates for industry stakeholders - just issued a report card for U.S. President Barack Obama. Obama's grade: a less than inspiring C+, just about average.
To put matters into perspective: Obama has held office for just a year, and he has a lot on his plate: global warming, war and peace, the national and global economy and more. Moreover, the NBTA is just one group. But it is a well-informed and attentive group, and the organization's assessment of what Obama's doing and not doing is worth taking seriously.
The administration's highest grade - an A - comes on infrastructure, due mostly to the $8 billion Obama has pledged for much-needed, long-delayed high-speed rail projects. It's great to see the U.S. take a leaf from Japan, China and Europe's book and pay attention to rail again, but airports, highways, bridges, tunnels and other essential pieces of travel infrastructure need serious tending to, as well.
At the other end of the grading system, the administration gets an F for not actively supporting long-term funding for an updated, next-generation air traffic control system at the always-stressed Federal Aviation Administration. It gets an incomplete for White House efforts on energy and climate change.
Other grades fall in-between the very top and the very bottom. There's a B+ for airline performance and aviation congestion - but some perspective is needed there, too. On-time flights and congestion have improved marginally in the U.S. due to the simple fact that fewer people are flying into the headwinds of the Great Recession. The real test will come when travelers return to the sky and the road as the recession finally winds down.
Michael W. McCormick, the NBTA's executive director and chief operating officer, sums things up this way:
"The refusal of our government to prioritize the modernization of our aviation system is a significant failure. Our economy relies heavily on the efficiency of air travel. In fact, business travel alone contributes $260 billion to the U.S. economy. We've found that investment in business travel could lead to the creation of millions of new jobs.''
One could add the fact that these aren't solely American issues. The U.S. has the largest air traffic system in the world. What happens in the U.S. has major consequences for travel everywhere. Let's hope Obama earns a steadily rising grade in the years to come.
To put matters into perspective: Obama has held office for just a year, and he has a lot on his plate: global warming, war and peace, the national and global economy and more. Moreover, the NBTA is just one group. But it is a well-informed and attentive group, and the organization's assessment of what Obama's doing and not doing is worth taking seriously.
The administration's highest grade - an A - comes on infrastructure, due mostly to the $8 billion Obama has pledged for much-needed, long-delayed high-speed rail projects. It's great to see the U.S. take a leaf from Japan, China and Europe's book and pay attention to rail again, but airports, highways, bridges, tunnels and other essential pieces of travel infrastructure need serious tending to, as well.
At the other end of the grading system, the administration gets an F for not actively supporting long-term funding for an updated, next-generation air traffic control system at the always-stressed Federal Aviation Administration. It gets an incomplete for White House efforts on energy and climate change.
Other grades fall in-between the very top and the very bottom. There's a B+ for airline performance and aviation congestion - but some perspective is needed there, too. On-time flights and congestion have improved marginally in the U.S. due to the simple fact that fewer people are flying into the headwinds of the Great Recession. The real test will come when travelers return to the sky and the road as the recession finally winds down.
Michael W. McCormick, the NBTA's executive director and chief operating officer, sums things up this way:
"The refusal of our government to prioritize the modernization of our aviation system is a significant failure. Our economy relies heavily on the efficiency of air travel. In fact, business travel alone contributes $260 billion to the U.S. economy. We've found that investment in business travel could lead to the creation of millions of new jobs.''
One could add the fact that these aren't solely American issues. The U.S. has the largest air traffic system in the world. What happens in the U.S. has major consequences for travel everywhere. Let's hope Obama earns a steadily rising grade in the years to come.
Friday, January 29, 2010
More Travel Turbulence Ahead?
The United States economy grew by a healthy 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the first estimate by the U.S. Commerce Department. Well, we'll see. The Commerce Department twice lowered healthy-sounding reports of growth for the previous quarter, after more data came in. Will the same thing happen again?
Me, I am not yet convinced that we are seeing those much-touted green shoots of recovery. Virtually no one I talk to - not the operator of our local laundry, not the contractor who is doing work on our house, not the owner of a private school, not most people I know or companies I follow in the travel business - thinks we are emerging quickly from the worldwide economic free-fall that started in earnest in 2008.
The latest scary metric comes from the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association,whose member airlines carry 93 percent of the world's air travelers. The year 2009 saw the greatest decline in civil aviation since 1946, according to IATA statistics released this week. Students of history will recall that 1946 was the first year after the end of World War II.
Oh, the petrodollar-fueled Middle East aviation sector still grew (up 11.2 percent) in 2009, as did Latin American traffic (up 7.1 percent). But the much-larger markets of Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America fell - down 5.6 percent, 5.0 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively. Worldwide, passenger demand was down 3.5 percent, though there was some growth in December over the extremely weak month of December 2008.
"In terms of demand, 2009 goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen,'' says Giovanni Bisignani, the former Al Italia chief who heads IATA as its director general and CEO. "We have permanently lost 2.5 years of growth in passenger markets and 3.5 years of growth in the freight business.''
"Yields have started to improve with tighter supply-demand conditions in recent months, but they remained 5-10 percent down on 2008 levels,'' Bisignani said. "Airlines will lose an expected $5.6 billion USD in 2010.''
So, is the glass half-empty or half-full? I'd like to think it's half-full, but with the exception of unique travel companes such as Southwest Airlines - which, incredibly, declared its 134th consecutive quarterly dividend this past quarter - the major stakeholders in the travel biz such as airlines, hotels, tour operators and cruise lines continue to grapple with turbulent times. Fasten your seatbelts - there's a long way to go.
Me, I am not yet convinced that we are seeing those much-touted green shoots of recovery. Virtually no one I talk to - not the operator of our local laundry, not the contractor who is doing work on our house, not the owner of a private school, not most people I know or companies I follow in the travel business - thinks we are emerging quickly from the worldwide economic free-fall that started in earnest in 2008.
The latest scary metric comes from the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association,whose member airlines carry 93 percent of the world's air travelers. The year 2009 saw the greatest decline in civil aviation since 1946, according to IATA statistics released this week. Students of history will recall that 1946 was the first year after the end of World War II.
Oh, the petrodollar-fueled Middle East aviation sector still grew (up 11.2 percent) in 2009, as did Latin American traffic (up 7.1 percent). But the much-larger markets of Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America fell - down 5.6 percent, 5.0 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively. Worldwide, passenger demand was down 3.5 percent, though there was some growth in December over the extremely weak month of December 2008.
"In terms of demand, 2009 goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen,'' says Giovanni Bisignani, the former Al Italia chief who heads IATA as its director general and CEO. "We have permanently lost 2.5 years of growth in passenger markets and 3.5 years of growth in the freight business.''
"Yields have started to improve with tighter supply-demand conditions in recent months, but they remained 5-10 percent down on 2008 levels,'' Bisignani said. "Airlines will lose an expected $5.6 billion USD in 2010.''
So, is the glass half-empty or half-full? I'd like to think it's half-full, but with the exception of unique travel companes such as Southwest Airlines - which, incredibly, declared its 134th consecutive quarterly dividend this past quarter - the major stakeholders in the travel biz such as airlines, hotels, tour operators and cruise lines continue to grapple with turbulent times. Fasten your seatbelts - there's a long way to go.
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