1st edition of the ECM – ForwardKeys air travellers’ traffic barometer

ECM – ForwardKeys air travellers' traffic barometer 1 ECM and ForwardKeys have decided to join forces in order to provide ECM members with a new report analysing the air traffic through ForwardKeys’ database. Entitled, the “ECM – ForwardKeys air travellers’ traffic barometer”, the report provides information on past traveller traffic and looks forward to the booking situation for the next quarter. In the first edition, the reader will find the end results for the whole year 2013 as well as the expected performances for the first quarter of 2014.

The ForwardKeys database is updated daily with air reservation information processed through the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) by more than 180 000 online and off-line travel agencies worldwide. GDS’ perimeter does not include bookings made on airline websites, which are used extensively by Low Cost Carriers (LCC) or charters. These remain a strong component of intra-European travel. That is why the “ECM – ForwardKeys air travellers’ traffic barometer” focusses primarily on long-haul travel.

Among the key findings of the first edition, one notes that international arrivals to Europe increased by 3.4% in 2013 and that this growth was driven by long-haul source markets as intra-European flows (responsible for 66% of international arrivals) grew by just 2%. Istanbul, Barcelona and London have been key performers. As for the first quarter of 2014, the current booking situation indicates a positive outlook with international bookings 4.2% above the 2013 levels.

The “ECM – ForwardKeys air travellers’ traffic barometer” will be published on a quarterly basis. It can be downloaded from the ECM Intranet and is for ECM members’ use only.

This project was made possible thanks to the input of ForwardKeys and of the following ECM Research & Statistics Group members: Thomas Deschamps, Doreen Gruber and Olivier Ponti.