First class travel set to get busier in 2010

Business travel in 2010 will match or surpass last year's levels and more executives will be opting for first-class seats, a survey shows.

A Travel Leaders poll of 227 travel experts showed nearly 40 per cent thought booking levels should be similar to 2009, while 28 per cent expected them to be better. Only 12 predicted bookings would decrease.

More than a third said they had 11 per cent or more bookings in first or business class, and 53 per cent indicated between one and 10 per cent of their clients were travelling "up front".