17 Aug 2010

First class airline ticket sales rise

1:02 pm on 17 August 2010

The number of passengers buying premium airline tickets increased in June, as the economic recovery kept first-class and business-class seats filled.

Airline industry body IATA says demand for premium tickets is up nearly 17% compared with a year ago, the BBC reports.

This contrasts with a 9.5% rise for economy seats, as recession and austerity measures in some countries dampened demand for leisure travel.

IATA expects airlines to return to profit this year, with profits of $US2.5 billion against earlier forecasts of a $2.8 billion loss.