This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ Global Airline Traffic Rebounds From SARS August 4, 2003 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 8:37 a.m. ET HONG KONG (AP) -- Airline traffic worldwide picked up sharply in June but remains depressed following the SARS crisis, and a full recovery will take time, a leading industry official said Monday. ``The worst is over, but the road to recovery will be long,'' said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association. Bisignani predicted traffic this year will show a drop of 2 percent compared with 2002. He stuck by IATA's latest prediction that airlines will lose $6.5 billion for the year, with $4 billion of the total due to SARS. Traffic also was affected by the Iraq war. International air traffic was down 11.8 percent in June compared with the same month a year earlier, but that showed a marked improvement from the 21 percent traffic plunge in May, according to the Geneva-based IATA. Asia-Pacific airlines, which were hit hardest by SARS, saw a 35.8 percent dive in traffic during June, compared with a plunge of 55 percent in May. Severe acute respiratory syndrome sickened more than 8,400 people and killed more than 800, most of them in Asia. It has been declared under control, and airlines are rebuilding schedules. ``The industry turned the corner in June,'' Bisignani said. ``Although we are still well below where we were at the same time last year, travelers are returning.'' Bisignani said pent-up demand is helping, as is the summer vacation season in the northern hemisphere. Many airlines also have offered a variety of discounts to lure back the travelers. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Airlines-SARS.html?ex=1061006267&ei=1&en=d3a2fc3b711a8427 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company