Still, It's Not What It Used To Be

It's getting better all the time. At least, that's what the numbers show regarding international passenger air traffic. But things still aren't what they used to be. The IATA reports the numbers are up, but that carriers in the US and Canada, as well as those in Asia, flew hundreds of thousands fewer passengers in August as compared to a year earlier.

Overall, August passenger numbers were down 0.3 percent from a year earlier. That beats the stuffing out of figures for May, which showed a whopping 21 percent drop in passenger traffic around the world.

"This is encouraging news for our beleaguered industry," IATA quoted its Director-General Giovanni Bisignani as saying at a meeting of Arab airlines in Muscat, Oman.

Blame the lingering effects of 9/11. Blame the Second Gulf War. Blame SARS, which has killed 800 people worldwide and, earlier this year, created a near panic in Asia. IATA says, overall, it expects the industry to lose about $10 million this year alone.

There was one improvement in passenger traffic. Of the three major regions (North America, Asia, Europe), Europe reported a 4.4 percent increase in traffic in August, compared to a year ago. But in North America, the numbers fell 6.5 percent in August compared to a year ago. Even in August, 2002, the industry was (and still is) reeling from the 9/11 attacks and the continued tightening of security at American airports.

FMI: www.iata.org