BUSINESS NEWS


CAA consults on airlines’ handling of mobility aids


The CAA launched a consultation on airlines’ mishandling of mobility aids last week to gauge the extent of loss, delay and damage to aids. It noted anxiety at the prospect


of loss or damage affects mobility aid users’ willingness to travel and greater transparency would help users “make an informed choice” about travelling and “incentivise airlines and airports” to improve the handling of aids. The CAA proposes to require


airlines publish quality data on the extent of mobility aid carriage and incidence of loss, delay and damage.


When the CAA requested


information from 13 airlines on the transport of wheelchairs in August last year, five airlines provided information based on their own reporting systems, five based theirs on consumer claims for damage and three had no information on damaged wheelchairs. Of 283,000 wheelchairs carried in 2023, the data suggested 0.43%,


or more than 1,200, were damaged. i To respond to the CAA consultation, visit bit.ly/caaconsultation


Saga Group hails rise in carryings as it posts £3.7m half-year profit


The Saga Group reported a small return to profit in the first six months of the year with a strong trading performance and “strong forward bookings” for travel. Saga reported a


half-year pre-tax profit of £3.7 million in a turnaround from a £117 million loss the previous year, along with the refinancing of £515 million in debt, down from £617 million last year. Group revenue was up 9% year on year to £328 million. Saga reported further debt


reduction remains “a priority”, noting: “We anticipate a further


Saga’s Spirit of Adventure


improvement in profitability driven by higher passenger numbers in ocean and river cruise and holidays.” The group’s ocean cruise business recorded a 23% rise in pre-tax profit year on year to £41.6 million, and its river cruise arm a 34% rise to £3.9 million, while its tour operations achieved a pre-tax profit of


£3.2 million as carryings grew by 13% to 27,800. Chief executive Mike Hazell hailed


“a material increase” in the number of touring holiday and hotel customers, saying: “Our travel business performed particularly strongly.”


US sector ‘facing $1bn a week hit’ Ian Taylor


The US government faced a shutdown from midnight on Tuesday as Travel Weekly went to press, with the US Travel Association (USTA) warning this could cost the travel industry $1 billion a week. The USTA wrote to Congressional


leaders with the warning ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for setting a federal budget amid rising political tension in the US and apparent deadlock over the budget, with the Trump administration planning wholesale cuts to federal agencies. The deadline came as the World


Travel & Tourism Council forecast international visitor spending in the US would fall by $12.5 billion this year. The US government shut


down due to budgetary deadlock twice during the previous Trump administration, for 35 days from late December 2018 to January 2019 –


travelweekly.co.uk


the longest shutdown in US history – and for three days in January 2018. USTA president and chief


executive Geoff Freeman noted: “A shutdown is a wholly preventable blow to America’s travel economy.” The potential losses, calculated


by Tourism Economics, would stem chiefly from air travel disruption. The USTA warned in August that


the administration’s “foolish new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA” funding threaten international visitor numbers. Federal funds for Brand USA


are set to be slashed from up to $100 million a year to $20 million, while the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) fee for UK and other travellers not requiring visas will almost double from $21 to $40. Visitors requiring visas will face a new $250 Visa Integrity Fee. The squeeze on international travel comes as US domestic


tourism appears to be in a downturn. US theme parks and hotels report a drop in domestic demand, with visitor spending this summer down year on year. Regional theme parks owner and


operator Six Flags Entertainment reported a significant decline in attendance in the first six months of the year last week, blaming both “extreme weather” and the prevailing economic uncertainty. US credit card data released


in August showed spending at theme parks down 5% year on year, although larger parks such as Disney’s and Universal’s saw increased spending in May to July due to higher admission prices, and demand for Orlando grew after Universal opened Epic Universe in May. Hospitality analyst CoStar


reported the construction pipeline of US hotels down 12% year on year in June amid “unrelenting economic uncertainty”.


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US Capitol, Washington DC


PICTURES: Shutterstock/S.Borisov, Olena Yakobchuk


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