Last year airlines felt the lingering effects of the economic downturn and its widespread impacts. The smell of kerosene hung in the air as fuel prices stayed sky high, with demand spiralling downwards and there was an inevitable squeeze on yield as airlines sought to attract capacity on their aircraft. But against this bleak backdrop – and despite further airlines filing for bankruptcy, 2009 has been a year of strategy, with carriers consolidating to survive, new trends emerging and route opportunities created. Routesonline recaps some of the major events last year that impacted air services.
