2
Free stories left to read

Airline Weekly subscribers get unlimited access to daily news and weekly issues.

IATA: Demand Starts to Return

Madhu Unnikrishnan

September 1st, 2020 at 12:53 PM EDT


But it’s not time to break out the champagne. IATA reported that air travel demand in July rose by seven percentage points from June but still is historically bad. How bad? July demand was down 80% from 2019, but that’s better than June, when traffic was down 87%.

As expected, international demand fell hardest and remains depressed. In Europe, international demand was down 87% year-over year; Asia, 97%; the Middle East, 93%; North America, 95%; Latin America, 95%; and Africa, 95%.

There were some signs of life in Europe’s Schengen Area, as Europeans took their summer holidays, but international demand almost everywhere else remains down as business travel has all but evaporated. A patchwork of travel restrictions doesn’t help by making international tourism hard to negotiate. IATA has called on governments to lift quarantines and implement a series of measures to screen passengers in order to boost demand, but quarantines remain in place in many countries around the world.

Domestic air travel demand is better off. In fact, there were two very bright spots in the world: Russia and China. China’s domestic demand was down only 28% in July, compared with 2019. Russia’s domestic demand was down only 17%. By comparison, U.S. domestic demand was off by 73% from 2019.

Separately, United, American, and Delta announced they would stop charging change fees for domestic tickets. Today, Alaska said it, too, will “permanently” drop change fees.

Madhu Unnikrishnan

September 1st, 2020 at 12:53 PM EDT

Photo credit:  China Eastern

Up Next

Asia-Pacific

U.S. Airlines Expect Further Easing of China Flight Limits this Winter

U.S. and Chinese airlines are eager to resume nonstop flights between the two countries following a diplomatic accord in August doubling the number allowed. They have proposed 63 weekly flights…

September 25th, 2023 at 3:30 PM EDT

Europe

KLM CEO Rebukes Dutch Proposal to Tax Transit Passengers at Schiphol

KLM CEO Marjan Rintel offered a firm rebuke of a proposal in the Netherlands' legislature to tax transfer passengers at the airline's hub, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

September 22nd, 2023 at 11:52 AM EDT

Latin America

What Are Mexican Airlines to Do?

Mexico's airlines face two countervailing trends: the reopening of the U.S. to new growth countered by new restrictions at the country's busiest airport, Mexico City International. Edward Russell and Jay…

September 22nd, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT

Europe

TUI Bullish on European Leisure Travel this Winter

TUI is bullish winter travel demand with bookings exhibiting “positive momentum," the European travel conglomerate said Thursday. The outlook comes after summer bookings came in well ahead of last summer's…

September 21st, 2023 at 10:53 AM EDT

North America

U.S. Government Shutdown Could Worsen Air Traffic Controller Shortage

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had bleak words for House members Wednesday on the impact of a potential federal government shutdown to the country's air transportation system.

September 20th, 2023 at 4:06 PM EDT

Special Offer: Choose From Quarterly or Annual Subscription Plans

2 of 3 free stories left to read

Subscribe