Editorial comment.

AuthorPrickett, Ruth
PositionAir travel is discussed - Editorial

The unusual sight of tanks rolling into London's Heathrow airport last month was, apparently, intended to reassure the public that the government was determined to prevent terrorists from launching missiles at aeroplanes. However this affected travellers, one group it will have done little to comfort is the airlines.

Aeroplanes have become a major target of terrorist attacks over the past few years--in the same week that soldiers were patrolling Heathrow, a passenger arriving at Gatwick airport from South America was caught with a live grenade in his luggage--and it's hard to see how even the tightest security could guarantee people's safety. At the same time, the threat of war in Iraq is causing concerns about spiralling fuel costs and is likely to discourage international travellers from making non-essential trips. Add these factors to an uncertain economy that's prompting businesses to clamp down on travel expenses--and the possibility of expensive legal claims concerning eases of deep-vein thrombosis among passengers--and it's not surprising that many airlines' accounts are diving into the red.

The budget air operators, however, have been quick to see the silver lining behind these ominous clouds. They are still flying high and the sector has seen considerable consolidation over the past few months (page 16). They have been quick to seize the opportunities for cheap short-haul flights and have successfully attracted both leisure and business travellers to their no-frills services. Whether they will continue doing so well if the economy picks up remains to be seen.

Larger airlines are having to resort to...

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