The air travel industry is at fault for creating the belief that air travel is cheap and will pay the price for it, said the joint head of the world's biggest carrier, according to reports by the Independent.
Mr. Peter Hartman, the Chief Executive of the Dutch firm KLM, one-half of Air France-KLM, said that airline companies had been mistaken in permitting customers seduced by the coming of low cost airlines like Ryanair and easyJet to believe that the budget air travel would continue without an end.
Mr. Hartman revealed to the Independent that while his company was protected against some of the effects of the continuously rising costs of fuel, he expected bloodshed in a different place in the sector as carriers struggle to take up a 90 per cent hike in kerosene prices over the course of past one year.
"I won't say that the good times are over. But what we did wrong was to give the consumer the impression that flying is cheap. I have just come back from the United States and drivers there are complaining because they are having to pay $4 [£2.04] for a gallon of fuel. Consumers are now realising that fuel is not for free", he said.
He added, "In the coming months there will be a shake out in many corners of the industry, including some low-cost airlines. We don't know what the reaction of the consumer is going to be in the current climate. But one response could well be faster consolidation within the industry".
