Things in the Sky

Like most other airlines, British Airways recently released its December traffic statistics. Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs) were down 3.4%, and the greatest decrease in traffic was found in the Asia Pacific region, with an 11.2% drop. Capacity cuts preformed by the airline helped keep load factor at 76.7%, only a 0.2% decrease.

The most notable statistic, in my opinion, is the fact that premium traffic fell 12.1%, while non-premium traffic only dropped 1.7%. This seems to be a problem for most international carriers. First and business class bookings are a great source of revenue. The drop can be good for consumers, however, as I would not be surprised to see some deals on premium travel. For example, British Airways put out a press release announcing $1,000 roundtrip fares to Amsterdam from New York on its OpenSkies subsidiary. Yes, the fare is for the lower PREM+ cabin and is not valid for the busier summer season, but as Online Travel Review puts it, the fare is “an amazing deal.”