Budget carriers add capacity, woo more business travellers

Paris

WITH Europe's economic slump threatening to further crimp company budgets, the battle for business travellers is growing ever more heated among the region's airlines.

This is particularly true on short-haul routes, where incumbents such as Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, British Airways and Alitalia - with their comfortable lounges, frequent-flier programmes and shuttle-like frequencies - were once the preferred, and in some cases, the only option for busy executives jetting between European capitals.