British Airways: 30 More Airlines Could ‘Go Bust’ By Christmas

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  09.15.08 | 1:56 PM ET

As thousands of stranded U.K. travelers struggle to find their way home following XL Leisure Group’s sudden collapse last week, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh predicted more of the same through the fall. “We are in the worst trading environment the industry has ever seen,” Walsh told the Independent. “We have already seen 30 or so airlines go bust this year and it would be fair to expect a similar number of casualties worldwide over the next three to four months.”

Writer David Prosser has plenty more details on the bad news facing the European branch of the air industry, but also notes that more than a few people have turned airline woes into potential profits: “Some bookmakers are now taking bets on which airline or tour operator will be the next to go bankrupt,” he writes.

Related on World Hum:
* UK Tour Operator’s Collapse Strands Thousands

Tags: Air Travel, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


2 Comments for British Airways: 30 More Airlines Could ‘Go Bust’ By Christmas

Ling 09.16.08 | 2:48 AM ET

That makes an airline going bust once every 3 or 4 days. Should be interesting to read the news…

Eva 09.16.08 | 11:52 AM ET

Wow, Ling - I hadn’t done the math on that.

Maybe we should start our own World Hum airline collapse pool? My money’s on Alitalia - boring choice, but I’ve always been one for the safe bets.

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