Premium Airline Traffic Rebounded In May - IATA

Demand for first and business class tickets rebounded strongly in May, rising nearly a fifth year-on-year, after stagnating in April because of European airspace closures, air industry association IATA said.
In the first five months of the year, premium travel has grown by 10.8 percent compared with the 2009 period as business confidence and world trade recover, IATA said on Thursday.
In May premium travel was 18.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a 10.2 percent rise in economy class travel and growth of only 1.1 percent in premium travel in April, the International Air Transport Association said in its monthly assessment of premium travel.
Consumer confidence is improving but at a slower rate than business confidence and leisure travel is lagging the recovery, IATA said.
Asia and North and Mid Pacific routes showed growth rates of 20 percent or more while routes linked to the Middle East now represent more than 10 percent of international premium travellers.
The North Atlantic market remains fairly sluggish, with premium traffic rising 7.8 percent in May.
Routes within Europe saw growth in premium traffic jumping to 23 percent in May, reflecting an increase in long-haul passengers connecting through major European hubs.
IATA said last month it expected the air industry to return to profit this year.

(Reuters)