UK summer flight bookings edging towards 2019 levels

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Demand for flights in Britain is
edging back towards pre-pandemic levels for the key summer
holiday period, according to market data that suggests consumers
are keen to get away despite the looming cost of living crunch.

Data from travel trends firm ForwardKeys said bookings for
the summer were 16% behind comparable levels in January 2019,
while demand was ahead of pre-pandemic levels for a four-day
public holiday in June.

Many consumers are still booking flights at the last minute,
benefiting from cheaper offers and allowing them to check
whether COVID restrictions have changed.

A spokesman for ForwardKeys said the summer demand was
encouraging, with January a key booking month for the industry.

Airlines, hotels and beach resorts have been through a
tumultuous two years, slashing costs, cutting staff numbers and
scrapping routes, all while taking on huge amounts of debt.

In Britain and elsewhere, they now face one of the bleakest
economic outlooks in decades as consumers contend with soaring
energy costs, general inflation and higher taxes that come into
force in April.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Nick Macfie)