BA trounced by low-cost airlines - again
January 6, 2006British Airways was trounced by low-cost airlines yet again in December, new passenger figures reveal.
The flag carrier pointed to faltering demand on UK and European routes, as the total number of passengers carried last month sank by 0.2 per cent year-on-year to 2.73 million.
Passengers on its UK and European routes slipped 3.1 per cent.
BA chief Willie Walsh has even admitted the airline will scrap some of its UK short-haul routes in response to the rise in low-cost competition.
But the airline's blushes were partially spared as it successfully offset weak short-haul figures with a solid increase in long-haul business and premium fare customers.
Most markedly, passengers carried on BA's Asia-Pacific shot up 16 per cent following the launch of new routes to Shanghai and Bangalore.
However, BA was forced to keep the bubbly on ice as it watched no-frills airline Ryanair report a bravura 29 per cent spike in the number of earned seats flown in December.
The low-cost airline, now the largest in Europe, handled 2.83 million passengers during the month.
© Adfero Ltd
