USA - One of the biggest US passenger carriers, Delta Air Lines, has forecasted second quarter gains as rising demand buoys fares.
Delta claims passenger revenue for each seat flown a mile will climb to about 20 per cent. Analysts say that after cutting fares and capacity when business fliers dwindled in the recession, Delta and other big carriers are now flying fuller planes and charging more for tickets.
"The industry seems to be turning a corner, and we are seeing a dramatic recovery in business travel," president of US Airways Group, Scott Kirby, told investors at a recent New York conference.
The Bloomberg US Airlines Index of 12 carriers rose 2.8 per cent, pushing it toward a sixth straight gain, the longest advance since March this year.
