UPDATE 1-March business travel down most since 2003 -IATA | Reuters
NEW YORK, May 28 (Reuters) - The number of international airline passengers traveling first class and business class in March declined the most since 2003, according to a trade group for international airlines.
IATA said in a report that global first class and business class traffic in March fell 3.9 percent from the same month last year, the biggest monthly decline since 2003.
Within North America, such "premium" traffic for IATA airlines was down 8.5 percent in March from a year earlier and down 5.2 percent for the year through March from the same period last year.
Within Europe, first class and business class traffic for IATA airlines was down 17.1 percent in March and down 10.7 percent for the year through March.
Year-to-date first class and business class traffic was up 18.5 percent between Africa and the Middle East, up 7.9 percent between Europe and the Middle East, and up 16.8 percent between the Middle East and the Far East.
The decline in March business travel was exaggerated by this year's early Easter, but even after adjusting for this, global first and business class traffic in March fell by between 1 percent and 2 percent, the IATA said.