Holiday operators slash winter break prices

Airlines and travel operators are slashing winter holiday prices, trying to keep the industry alive over the coming months and providing holidaymakers a welcome relief, as the travel industry faces the largest decline in sales since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The soaring fuel costs of this past summer and the drop in passenger traffic contributed to the collapse of nearly 30 airlines this year, including Britain’s third-largest operator, XL. Industry insiders are warning that hundreds of UK travel operators are at risk of failure in the coming months.

Operators in the industry are becoming more concerned and looking for ways in which to increase demand. BMI has just announced that it is dropping fuel surcharges on all UK and Europe flights, in an attempt to make it more feasible for cash-strapped travellers to fly.

The airline specializes in short-haul flights to European destinations such as Brussels, Dublin and Venice, and is hopeful that cutting the so-called ‘hidden charges’ will help persuade UK holidaymakers to travel even in the current financial climate.

British Airways announced last week that it was reducing fares to over 70 of its destinations, by as much as 40 per cent on some routes.

Figures from the latest Ascent Market Intelligence Leisure Travel Monitor are showing that holiday sales in September in Britain were down by eight per cent from the same month last year, and that the cheaper package deals to Cyprus, Greece and Spain were among the most difficult to sell.

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