Air France data reveals up to 119% increase in demand for luxury destinations, reports Shauna McCrudden
With the summer travel season upon us, Air France has revealed its most popular destinations for Irish passengers taking off to foreign climates.
While luxury travel is certainly having its moment, there is one city that passengers can’t get enough of. Known as one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world, Paris is ‘A la mode’ with Irish travellers, coming out tops in popularity this year.
But their excitement to explore doesn’t stop there. Air France data shows that Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, and Delhi are amongst the long-haul destinations favoured showing the Irish still have a keen sense of adventure!
With demand for luxury destinations skyrocketing by up to 119% since pre-Covid levels, Ireland is also making up for lost time from the pandemic, choosing far-flung premium locations, the most popular being Dubai, followed by Mauritius, San Jose, Saint Martin and Thailand.
A dream holiday for many, passenger demand has seen an incredible 121% increase in flights from Ireland to Dubai compared to pre-pandemic travel.
The world is back open for business
The world is finally opening back up and it seems the Irish business sector is embracing this with both hands as data from Air France shows that business travel is back on the agenda.
Since the start of 2022, the airline has seen a 99% increase in business travel, peaking on the 29th of March this year. With the growth of flexible working policies or businesses keen to get face-to-face time again with colleagues across the globe, passengers can once again make the world their office.
It’s the destination AND the journey that count
Travel is no longer simply a means to get from A to B. With international travel having been denied to us for so long, data from Air France shows that passengers are booking more premium flight experiences. And with Premium Economy on board the Air France Boeing 787 offering more space than Economy Class it’s no wonder the airline has seen a 74% increase in demand for this cabin.
Peaking on 13th April 2022 ahead of the Easter holidays, it shows that both business and leisure travellers alike want to travel comfortably. To enhance travel experiences even further, earlier this year Air France unveiled the new business class cabin and is now in the design phase of the new La Première cabin to be unveiled during the 2023/2024 winter season.
Reflecting on the way passengers are due to set off this summer, Fahmi Mahjoub, General Manager United Kingdom & Ireland at Air France-KLM said, “We couldn’t be more excited to see passengers returning to air travel – for both business and leisure. It’s encouraging to see just how much people want to explore both close and far-flung destinations around the world, and in more comfort than ever before thanks to our services on Air France.
“People’s interest in travelling in comfort did not go unnoticed, and because of that, Air France is committed to offering a service that caters to that.”
Shauna McCrudden
Latest posts by Shauna McCrudden (see all)
- Emirates will be landing in Ireland this February with exciting career opportunities - February 1, 2023
- Visit the Holiday World Show 2023 in Dublin this weekend! - January 26, 2023
- Brittany Ferries hails strong start to 2023 - January 24, 2023
- Finalists Announced for Irish Travel Industry Awards - January 16, 2023
- Cork Airport is on track for very strong recovery in 2023 - January 10, 2023
