Webjet defies downturn

Published: 06 Jan 2009

Webjet Limited, an ASX listed company, has shared that the preliminary figures for the half year to 31 December 2008 indicate a total transaction value of approximately $180 million.

The company has managed a growth of 14 percent in comparison with approximately $158 million for the same period last year.

During the same period despite a generally reported downturn in Australian air travel volumes, total transaction numbers increased by approximately 19 percent on the same period last year which reflects the substantial reduction in air fare ticket prices as airlines move to reduce fuel surcharges and provide the market with aggressively priced bargains, according to the agency.

Webjet Managing Director, David Clarke, said: "Despite the general gloom we expect that profit for the period will show a similar level of increase on last year and early holiday period January bookings have continued strongly driven in part by our early commencement of our media marketing campaign for 2009 on the National 7 network."

The company added although these early figures are extremely encouraging and suggest an increase in market share for Webjet it is too early at this juncture to form clear views on booking trends for 2009.

As per the information available, the company launched its year-end promotional campaign late last month rather than in the third week of January, as in previous years. The company splits its $7 million advertising budget - about two percent of turnover - evenly between online promotions and traditional advertising.

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