Airlines slashing fares as pandemic continues but passengers unlikely to bite, say industry watchers

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SINGAPORE: From generous discounts to flexible schedules, airlines are doing all they can to nudge pandemic-weary travellers towards the skies again.

Last week Dubai-based Emirates launched a global sale on its economy and business class seats for flights booked between Jan 19 and Feb 2 for travel until Jun 15 to destinations such as Los Angeles, Moscow and Istanbul.The carrier is also offering"generous rebooking terms" that would allow customers to change their travel dates or extend their ticket validity for up to two years.

This has led to a loss of about US$370 billion in the gross passenger operating revenues of airlines, the United Nations aviation agency said.READ: Airlines restructuring and rapid testing before flights - what the new normal for aviation could look like "Airlines are targeting this group of passengers by offering them attractive fares to incentivise them to travel," said Dr Chiam, adding such promotions provide an opportunity for airlines to rebuild market share in such uncertain times for the industry."It will certainly attract a small group of people who may feel it is safer to travel once they are vaccinated," he said.

Still, the arrival of vaccines has so far not encouraged more flying as borders remain mostly shut, said Mr Shukor."It is unlikely that world tourism will see a resurgence this year as travel restrictions are still very much in place around the world and it is unlikely to see these restrictions being lifted in the next six months," said Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Dr Chiam.

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