Airline earlybirds the “litmus" test

Airline earlybirds the “litmus" test
By admin


The airline earlybird campaign will be the “litmus test” for the industry over the next three months in a market that remains unpredictable and erratic, according to Travellers Choice.

The retailer’s chief executive Christian Hunter said deals launched this week to stimulate business will go some way to assessing what sort of year the industry will have.

But predicting the outcome and forecasting with any accuracy in such a volatile environment is “really difficult to call”, he said.

“Maintaining a positive exchange rate, while not helping the domestic operators, will be good for us,” he told Travel Today. “We’re also now coming into earlybird season and there will be a lot of activity in the coming weeks and months with deals to stimulate business. That will be a real litmus test as to how responsive the market will be. It will be a good indicator as to what we can expect in the year ahead.”

While hard to forecast, he suggested the market was unlikely to see material change with Travellers Choice adopting the “mindset that it’s the status quo for a period of time”.

Speaking after Travellers Choice posted a 38% decline in pre-tax profits to $727,000 (Travel Today, yesterday), Hunter said the network was striving for growth in 2012/13.

“If you ask me would I be disappointed if we return that again? Probably not,” Hunter said. “But if the market moves then we should be able to better that.”

He insisted the result should also been seen in the context of the previous year, a record result for Travellers Choice.

“It was not as bad a result as it may indicate,” Hunter said. “We had a record year last year and were in line or even slightly ahead of 2009/10.”

In such a competitive environment, it was vital that head office and agents were smart with their marketing. Agents most valuable asset is their database, he said.

Latest News

  • Products

Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun

If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]

  • Tour Operators
  • Tourism

TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips

The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]

  • Aviation

Qantas ‘working urgently’ to fix app data leak

Qantas is looking into customer reports that passengers have this morning been able to access other passengers’ personal information on the airlines app. X user Lachlan posted that he was able log into different accounts every time he opened the app. My @Qantas app logs me in to a different person each time I open […]

  • Hotels

Revamped Wailoaloa Beach hotel opens as Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa

Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa is open and ready for bookings after the first phase of a multi-million-dollar transformation. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ premium collection, the transformation has seen the completion of 106 guestrooms showcasing contemporary interiors reflective of the premium Crowne Plaza brand and is a first for the […]

  • Luxury
  • News

Kamalaya Koh Samui clinches clutch of wellness awards

Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa has so far clinched five prestigious awards in 2024, including being inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the World Spa & Wellness Awards in London. Founders of the Koh Samui sanctuary and spa John and Karina Stewart expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the awards. “We are profoundly honoured […]