CAPA Releases Australian Aviation and Airfare Analysis Report

The 37-page Australian Aviation and Airfare Analysis, produced by 4th Dimension, Flight Centre Travel Group's (FCTG) business travel consulting division and CAPA - Centre for Aviation, provides an in-depth review of the domestic aviation industry and includes the results of a specialised airfare benchmarking analysis.

Including an evaluation of both the current and prospective market trends in Australia, the report focuses on areas such as domestic airline capacity, scheduling and performance.

4th Dimension General Manager Virginia Fitzpatrick said she was excited to be involved with an initiative that introduced a new approach to tracking and reporting of domestic fares and airfare procurement.

“The information in this report should appeal to a cross section of travel industry stakeholders,” Virginia said. “From corporate procurement departments, travel management companies, airlines and travellers. The report will also interest those working in the retail travel industry as it clearly highlights how retail or 'holiday' airfares have been performing and when is the best time to purchase fares. The research will help to drive more intelligent procurement for the Australian corporate sector using profiled benchmarking and more in-depth air route and airline capacity data. Put simply, the combination of research and analytics highlights how travel buyers can secure the best deal on their air tickets.”

Virginia said the airfare benchmarking brought 'big data' to life for travel buyers by leveraging the huge volume of ticketing data available through the Flight Centre group.

The report also includes critical insights into forecast risks for the travel industry, aviation data trends as well as details into the current and future projections for not only the domestic travel industry but also the economy.

Executive Chairman of CAPA Peter Harbison said, “We're delighted to be part of this project. It fills a major market intelligence gap for the travel and aviation sectors in Australia. Our region generally receives only cursory coverage in many global market reports, so it’s exciting to be providing deep insights into Australia’s sizeable aviation and travel market.”

“The Australian market is at a very interesting stage, with two major groups now well entrenched. At a time when the world’s aviation system is undergoing massive change, understanding the underlying issues is vital to doing business in this sector,” Mr Harbison added.

Part two of the Australian Aviation and Airfare Analysis report will be available first quarter 2015. The full report will include a 2014 year-end analysis, specialist airfare benchmarking analysis as well as predictions for the travel market in 2015.

Report Highlights

- The market is likely to see continued consolidation from both the major airline groups in Australia , with initial indicators suggesting the end of the capacity war.

- Fleet plans for both major airline groups in Australia show minimal capacity growth during the next six months.

- Fares are expected to trend upwards during the remainder of 2014 and moving into 2015.

- Fuel costs are currently trending downward, however political instability in major oil producing regions emphasises the risk of an oil shock.

- In emerging markets the strongest prospects for economic growth are expected in Asia and Africa.

- According to CAPA research, projected capacity changes for the period up to Dec 2015, will see Qantas drop 459 seats and Virgin Australia increase by 699 seats.

- According to 4th Dimension benchmarking, domestic corporate airfares have dropped an average of 2.8% during the past 18 months, while domestic retail fares have dipped on average 3.2%.