Airlines remain positive

SINGAPORE - Asian airlines say they expect a quick recovery from last week's US terrorist attacks.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways says it has not recorded a significant drop in passenger traffic to the US. Taiwan's China Airlines also says business is holding up.

"Most passengers postponed but did not cancel their scheduled flights after the US attacks," said China Airlines spokesman Paul Wang.

"We expect our passenger flights to remain nearly fully booked until mid-October, when the travel season slows."

Taiwanese carrier EVA Airways said all its US services were normal and almost fully booked.

Air New Zealand said that the attacks could affect its profitability, but a spokeswoman said domestic traffic looked fine and international bookings were comparable with those of this time last year.

Malaysian Airline System is still not flying to New York but has good demand for Los Angeles flights.

"If you ask me, reservations for the next two weeks look normal," an airline employee said, cautioning that some could be catching up on travel missed over the past week.

Those carriers' comments follow an equally bullish statement this week from Singapore Airlines, which said its bookings did not appear to be suffering from the attacks.

- REUTERS

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