According to figures released by the International Air Transport Association, demand for air travel is beginning to slow down.

Passenger traffic in June was up 4.4% compared with the same period last month, but the annual rate of growth is close to 10%.

“Compared to May, both passenger and cargo markets contracted by about 1%, for passenger traffic, this is a speed bump in a gradual post-recesssion improvement,” said IATA’s director general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler.

European airlines registered 8.9% growth in June, compared with June 2010, with load factors of over 80%, the highest in the world. IATA attributed this to a weak euro supported by a strong inbound travel trend and the growth of business travel.

A Eurostar survey has found that Brits appear less likely to be concerned with their environmental footprint through flying in comparison to the French or Belgians.

The study used 3,000 adults in the UK, France and Belgium, it found that over 55% of Brits take up to three flight based holidays a year, compared to 38% of French people. 28% of Brits and French cited travel time as a major concern when planning their holidays compared to 24% of Belgians.

People travel further from a younger age now that travel is more accessible and cheaper, therefore having a larger carbon footprint much earlier. Less than 3% of over 65s in the UK went on their first overseas holiday before they were five years old, compared to almost half (48%) of 18-24 year olds. The statistics for Belgians are similar, with over half (57%) of 18-24 year olds taking their first holiday abroad before their fifth birthday, compared to only 36% of French 18-24 year olds.

Eurostar says that studies have shown that 27% of an average consumer’s annual CO2 emissions are generated from leisure and holiday activities, compared with only 18% caused by driving. It adds that flights account for over half (52%) of the total emissions of a customers holiday.

Head of Environment and Energy for Eurostar Peter Bragg said: “We know that many of our customers are concerned about environmental issues, yet this research shows that when planning their holidays, only a few consumers are willing to make changes to reduce their carbon footprint. There are confusing messages around the issue but as people are now travelling from a younger age, it is crucial that they understand there are sustainable travel options available.”

A study commissioned by the comparison website Kelkoo and conducted by RDC Aviation shows that economy fares are 35% cheaper than 25 years ago. The average price of an average economy flight ticket has fallen from £524 in 1985 to just £338 today. However, the study also found that business class fares have risen by 120% and first class tickets by 54%.

The study looked at fares between 1985 and 2010 for the 30 most popular long haul routes from the UK served throughout the entire period. To make it comparable all historic flight prices were converted into today’s prices taking into account annual inflation.

A business class flight to South Africa today is 394%  more expensive than in 1985, where a passenger would have paid £634 in today’s money, making this one of the most significant uplifts.

Kelkoo Travel MD Chris Nixon said: “Airline ticket prices have gone through a number of changes over the last 25 years of commercial air travel.

“This is due to factors such as increased competition between airlines and the introduction of internet booking sites in early 1990s.

“The comparative rise in the cost of business and first class travel could be seen to support airlines’ ability to reduce their economy ticket prices. It’s one of the reasons we don’t see many long haul budget carriers as revenue from first and business class seats is needed in order to offer passengers a good deal on economy tickets.

“However, with the airline industry at the mercy of soaring fuel costs and the economic implications of natural disasters such as the recent volcanic eruptions, air fares are always going to be subject to price fluctuations that are not always favourable to passengers’ pockets.”

Will you be going on holiday this summer? Or, like two in five Britons, will you be staying at home to save money?

2000 people responded to a poll by banking and finance giant ING Direct, 39% of which stated that they wouldn’t be taking a summer holiday this year. When the credit crunch started to bite in 2008 only 33% said they were going to stay at home suggesting that things have got progressively worse.

The research showed that nine out of ten people who said they weren’t going on holiday this summer would normally have taken a UK holiday anyway, showing that perhaps the staycation isn’t as popular as has previously been thought.

Another thing that the survey seems to have revealed is the way people approach their money now, with holidaymakers much more likely to save for their vacations instead of sticking it on a credit card to pay back with high interest later.

ING Direct spokesman Richard Doe said: “It’s clear that a tough economic climate is causing consumers to pull off a very difficult balancing act – cutting down on debt while dealing with rising prices.

“So it’s not surprising that the summer holiday is often being sacrificed. However, it is certainly a good thing that consumers are adopting a more sensible approach to holiday planning, saving in advance for their trips, rather than entirely relying on the plastic.”

Gatwick Airport is getting more compliments than complaints. Customer complaints have fallen 15% since the launch of a new staff training programme and compliments are up 94% from last year according to CEO Stewart Wingate

Half of the airport’s 1,500 front-line staff have achieved City & Guild Level 2 Award in ‘Delivering Excellent Customer Service’ with the rest due to complete their training in October.

The training is part of Tourism South East’s ‘Welcome Host Gold Programme’ funded by the South East Development Agency (SEEDA). It was launched to improve the levels of customer services across the South East.

“Our priority under new ownership is to deliver the best end-to-end passenger experience through the airport and make Gatwick London’s airport of choice,” said Wingate.

“Passengers will judge their experience of Gatwick not just on the quality of the airport facilities but also on the friendliness and helpfulness of our staff. That is why we are investing in the training and development of our people at the same time as we invest to improve the physical environment of the airport.”

Paris has been named the most unfriendly city in the world, shortly followed by London in second place according to a survey by YouGov on behalf of DK Eyewitness Travel Guides.

More than a quarter (26%) of those questioned said London had the least friendly inhabitants while 29% said Parisians were worse. New York was voted the friendliest city, followed by Dublin and Amsterdam.

The survey was carried out to uncover views on world cities for the re-launch of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, and were revealed shortly after Boris Johnson unveiled his new ‘super agency’ to promote London to the UK and the rest of the world.

At the time, he said: “London is an extraordinary place of opportunity and without doubt the best big city to visit, study and invest in,” however this survey of over 2,000 British adults shows that visitors might be put off by the less than warm welcome.

What do you think to this? Has London been unfriendly when you’ve visited, or have you a story to the contrary?

Flightontime.info put together a league table of on-time airlines in 2010 from UK airports. Top of the list was BMI Regional .

The results are based on arrival and departure times recorded by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The figures show the average delay in minutes followed by the percentage of arrivals and departures within 15 minutes. The top ten are as follows:

1. bmi Regional 7.1 89.7

2. Eastern Airways 8.3 89.2

3. City Jet / Scot Airways 8.8 85.6

4. VLM Airlines (in detail) 8.9 86.0 3

5. KLM (incl Cityhopper) 9.3 84.7

6. Scandinavian SAS 10.1 81.8

7. Loganair 10.2 86.4

8. Air Southwest 10.3 82.0

9. Air Berlin 11.7 79.1

10. bmi British Midland 11.7 79.2

British Airways came 20th in the table as only 74% of flights arrived and departed within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. Virgin Atlantic performed even worse at 33rd in the table, and Monarch Scheduled was 34th.

The Kuoni Holiday Report 2011 shows some amusing regional variations in behaviour of Brits abroad. The report looked at behaviour before, during and after a holiday, including eating and spending preferences, manners, etiquette, holiday romance and sexual habits.

It turns out that Liverpudlians have more sex on holiday, Londoners most dislike body odour, Sheffield holidaymakers buy the most new clothes for their holidays, child-free couples worry about litter and Brummies abstain from drinking alcohol.

Despite the regional variations, the research found most holidaymakers changed their behaviour when away from home and not neccesarily for the best as they eat less healthily, exercise less, drink more, spend more and dress more provocatively. It is a holiday from the everyday though, so it isn’t surprising!

An industry wide survey for the Business Travel & Meetings Show taking place in London next week has shown that a huge 74% of all business class travellers are annoyed by children on flights. The results are similar to those found by Skyscanner which conducted a similar survey earlier in 2010.

Suggestions have been made that there should be adult only flights, or quiet zones similar to those on trains to help manage the problem.

Business travel writer Dave Richardson said: ‘Introducing an adults-only cabin or service is a good idea and it would work well on high-frequency routes so that families could be accommodated on other services. On long-haul routes, I might look to more innovative airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Emirates or Etihad to consider taking this on board.’

Children on flights were not the only annoyance for some passengers, 18% said that they were annoyed to see those in economy class get a free upgrade when they have paid full price. A further 15% wanted more privacy from the economy class section.

What are your gripes on flights? Would you want adult only or adult zones on flights? How about parents who take children on flights, do you feel that this would be discriminatory? Please comment below!

A new survey by Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance shows that over 13 million people are likely to make a holiday booking before the end of February because of the adverse weather conditions.

The survey shows that half  want to travel in Europe, 6% will go to America and 29% will holiday elsewhere in Britain.

£11 billion is the anticipated spend on such bookings which means spending is up 49% on last year. Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance manager Scott Gorman said: “A lot of people will be fed up with the winter snow and travel delays or cancellations they have had to endure in 2010, particularly over Christmas. This may lead to a significant increase in people intending to book a holiday to give them something to look forward to in the New Year.”

So, if you’re one of the 13 million planning on booking a holiday soon, then search for holiday villas at the main Villaseek website, or Holiday Cottages if you want to stay in the UK.