Emirates airline faces 'double whammy' on fuel, dollar: President

The president of Emirates airline said the rare combination of higher fuel prices and a stronger dollar, which usually move in opposite directions, represented a "double whammy" for the group and this would have to be managed. "We have very strong summer bookings at higher prices," Tim Clark said, adding that the airline was monitoring trends for any sign that higher ticket prices were leading to a drop in demand. IATA has warned that rising fares as airlines seek to make up for higher costs could temper growth in air passenger demand. Asked if he saw any sign that this point had been reached, Clark said no because the airline had managed to raise prices for the summer without hurting bookings. "The velocity of growth (in bookings) exceeds what we had seen last year," he said. <br/>