More air travellers choosing premium fares, says IATA

GENEVA - Premium air passenger numbers rose 6.1% in January, a strong result compared with full-year 2013 growth of (4.2%, says IATA. “Growth in premium travel has been supported by positive developments in the business environment,” IATA says.

“Improvements in advanced economies have helped global business confidence reach three-year highs.”
Travel on key markets like the North Atlantic continued to accelerate, rising 5% in January, but the largest contributor to the strong growth in January was premium travel within the Far East (up 7.2%);
“Growth in Asian trade activity over recent months has helped support international business and premium travel,” IATA says. “The outlook for premium travel is broadly positive, but improvements in key drivers have slowed slightly.” www.iata.org (ATI).