Major airlines initiate business class fare corrections for 2014

A leading travel analyst has said that major airlines, including U.S. carriers, are now engaging into fare corrections for their respective business class flights for travel into 2014. The travel analyst named ‘Passport Premiere’ said that it has detected widespread international business class fare sales in response to weaker than expected demand.

Media reports quoted the travel analyst as saying that presently American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have initiated business class fare corrections of up to 65 percent for travel next year. According to the analyst, the airlines are resorting to fare corrections after realizing the fact that the value of their premium class inventory has been overestimated and that the fares need to be drastically slashed in order to avoid empty planes.

The travel analyst in its study said that Delta Air Lines had to slash its business class fares between Los Angeles and Sydney effective from October 1 this year, which was later on matched by United Airlines and Virgin Australia for travel through early June next year. The analyst said that offering up to 50 percent discounts on business class tickets to Australia in October, which is the peak business travel season, is surely unprecedented.