Analytics & Optimization Analytics, Optimization and the Asia Travel Boom
Over the last few weeks, the world has been transfixed by the baffling mystery of the Malaysia Airlines jet. One particular article on news.com.au on March 21 caught my atttention, Missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 ‘won’t stop Asia travel boom’. The article took an interesting look at the airline industry itself and the transformation occurring in Asia. The backdrop is compelling even if far removed from the headlines, so I thought I would share with you some of the most interesting points from the article. Air travel in Asia is surging as the middle class gets bigger, discount airlines proliferate and business ties with the rest of the world deepen. According to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, the biggest demographic shift for Asia in the past 20 years has been the sheer number of people who have been lifted out of poverty into that middle income segment of $10-$100 of disposable income a day. The International Air Transport Association has forecast airline passengers to grow by 31 percent worldwide between 2012...