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November 22, 2004 09:51 PM

Business Airfares, Down 11%, Might Be Lowest Ever


Excerpt: The $217 one-way fare, measured for the July-September period by travel giant American Express, is 11% below the full-year average for 2003, and 16% off the recent peak year of 2001, according to a report to be released this week by American Express unit eClipse Advisors.


Toppled by the rise of discount airlines, the average airfare paid by U.S. business travelers has fallen to what might be its lowest point ever.
The $217 one-way fare, measured for the July-September period by travel giant American Express, is 11% below the full-year average for 2003, and 16% off the recent peak year of 2001, according to a report to be released this week by American Express unit eClipse Advisors.

The figure is the lowest in five years of quarterly tracking, and eClipse's Michael Boult says it's likely the lowest ever on an inflation-adjusted basis. The company tracks fares actually paid by American Express' business-travel customers, who generally pay more than leisure travelers because they buy on shorter notice and seek more amenities. Boult says the data suggest pricing of business travel by airlines is undergoing a fundamental change. "The impact of low-cost carriers is really now taking hold," he says.

And the impact continues. American Airlines, the world's biggest carrier, last week slashed fares at its important Miami hub and adopted a simplified, everyday low-price structure for South Florida flights. In doing so, American mimics the pricing strategy of airlines such as Southwest and AirTran, discounters that have been increasingly successful at wooing business travelers from big traditional carriers.

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Read all 32 posts in the same category of Anything Else:

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Financial Resolutions - Dec 11, 2004
IBM Cash Balance Plan Ending - Dec 09, 2004
John Snow Staying On At Treasury - Dec 09, 2004
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Social Security Reform: A Guide - Dec 06, 2004
The Disparate Consensus on Health Care for All - Dec 06, 2004
Giving Children Funds As Gifts - Dec 05, 2004
Bank Machine Dispenses Fake Money - Dec 02, 2004
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The Pitfalls of VOIP - Nov 23, 2004
International Lottery Scams - Nov 22, 2004
Work-at-Home Schemes - Nov 22, 2004
Medical Billing Opportunities: Worth a Second Opinion - Nov 22, 2004
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