It was a largely-positive day for travel industry shares yesterday as London’s equity markets pushed ahead. The FTSE 100 index gained 0.5 per cent in value, adding 21.7 points to close at 4314.7, while the broader-based FTSE 250 gained 0.4 per cent, equating to an increase of 19.7 points to 5709.5.
There were marked differences in airline shares’ performances; British Airways added 4.5p to close at 189.75p and easyJet pushed ahead with a 6.25p gain to 244p, while Ryanair, which expressed “total dismay” at a ruling forcing it to close its Stansted to Strasbourg route lost 12p to close at 447.5p.
First Choice Holidays had another positive session, adding 1.5p to close at 127.5p, and MyTravel lost a quarter of a penny to close at 20.75p. Once again the two main online retailers enjoyed very different fortunes; ebookers lost 11.5p for a 578.5p finish, while lastminute.com put on 15p to end the day at 286.5p.
