general

Lower fuel costs and increased competition from low-cost airlines have pushed the price of domestic airline tickets to the lowest level since 2010, according to federal data. The average domestic airline ticket sold in the first 3 months of the year was US$361, down 7.8% from Q1 of 2015, according to the latest data from the US DoT. The price is the lowest Q1 average domestic price since 2010, when it was $359, adjusted for inflation. Lower fuel prices have helped keep airfares down since the end of 2014 while demand for travel has remained steady. The price of a gallon of jet fuel in North America is $1.25, 22% cheaper than a year earlier, according to IATA. Airlines may also be seeing a slight drop in demand from business travellers, which forces carriers to introduce limited-time bargain fares to fill the empty seats. <br/>

Brazilian interim president Michel Temer vetoed a provision of a bill allowing foreign investors to own up to 100% of Brazilian airlines, according to a note published in Brazil's official govt newspaper. The veto only affects one part of a package of aviation industry regulations aimed at boosting the struggling industry in the face of Brazil's deepest recession in decades. With the veto, the country's 20% limit on foreign ownership of airlines remains in place. Brazilian senators agreed to pass the legislation June 29 only after Temer promised to veto the section of the bill dropping foreign ownership limits. The senators said they wanted to study the impact of more foreign ownership on smaller regional airlines before considering removing the limit. <br/>