Air Jamaica announced today that the number of tickets sold via the company’s Web site, www.airjamaica.com during the first quarter of 2005 increased by 50% over the same period in 2004. More than 7,100 tickets were sold in total, including a one-month record high of 2,839 tickets sold in February.
Will Rodgers, Air Jamaica’s Senior Vice President of Industry Affairs, commented on the increase, saying, “The surge in Web sales is very encouraging, especially in light of our restructuring program and need to cut costs. The relative contribution to overall sales is far less than our travel agents, who account for more than 50% of our business. Still, we’re on the right path toward establishing a good balance for sustained viability.”
According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), 45 million people made online travel purchases in 2004 generating US$50 billion in bookings. By 2009, online travel bookings are expected to reach US$90 million.
