Alright a temporary lull as it is christmas............we were doing 22 million+ in 2007/8
Pax figures have been going up for 2 months, so cant really attribute it all to 'christmas'
All this chat about new routes etc etc.........and a really upbeat outlook from the Airlines.
But are they looking at it all through rose-tinted specs????
Try pricing up flights to the States and you will find that last years 300 quid flight is now 550-600, and indeed the Charter carriers{TCX TOM etc} are even more pricey................680 quid to Orlando and then the cost of bags and seats next to each other and food.
But the thing is, people are still paying it. If these are the prices but airlines are still ADDING service, it shows people are still travelling. Look at 2011 new routes/increases, and there are plenty, and then look at dropped routes/frequencies, you will see the former seriously outbalances the latter. Surely they would not be adding if the outlook is as bad as you say.