International Airfare Lower -- For Now

January 20, 2009 -- As a result of the slowing economy, major international air carriers have been cutting airfares to many global destinations. However, these fares may only be available for a short time.

Following substantial losses in 2008 due to fuel costs, airlines have set aggressive profit goals for 2009.  The economic slowdown hit just as airlines were poised to increase fares and continue reducing the number of available seats by cutting flights.  Current airfare reductions are seen as a short-term opportunity while carriers revise their revenue plans.  It is anticipated that in the near future, additional flight cuts will once again put upward pressure on ticket prices.

Recent international airfare reductions have included:

• Chicago (ORD) to Delhi(DEL)  $479*
• Miami (MIA) to Paris  (CDG) $256*
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Bangkok (BKK) $381*

Humanitarian travel planners are urged to review their short and mid-term travel requirements in respect to these temporary fare reductions.  Our humanitarian travel counselors can run cost analyses to determine potential savings in comparison to our normal humanitarian airfare programs.