Airlines hope that as Gulf families take holidays in Europe and Asia this summer there will be a new wave of ticket bookings.   The first quarter travel season was very slow due to the global slowdown. Airlines have been offering bargain deals for months, and may not be able to raise prices.

Regional manager for Austrian Airlines said based on the preliminary data for the initial travel bookings for the summer season, it looks promising.  During the first few months of the year Austrian Airlines booked 20 per cent fewer tickets and prices were cut between 10 and 15 per cent. The International Air Transport Association said the double digit growth of 2005 dropped to just .4 percent in February 2009.