Many European firms are putting in place green travel policies to reduce business air travel to cut their carbon impact. The current economic downturn has also made cutting executive air miles a priority for many firms.

Airlines are reporting falling growth in both premium and overall travel in the first half of 2008. British Airways announced in August that its quarterly profits had fallen by 80%. Tumbles in the airline industry may be evidence of a growing trend for companies to abandon the plane in favour of other forms of transport, or even virtual meetings.

Figures from the International Air Travel Association (IATA) show that growth in passenger numbers has begun to slow through the economic downturn. In June the airline industry body reported that premium travel fell by an average of 10% over March and April compared with a year earlier. Growth in total international revenue per passenger for the first five months of the year slowed to 5.5%, compared to 6.5% growth the year before.

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