The airline industry prepares for a bumpy, turbulent ride.<br /><br />With fewer passengers and rising fuel costs, many airlines are reporting huge losses and revenue reductions.<br /><br />The latest to join the growing list is Qantas, Australia's biggest airline, suffering its first loss and experiencing the biggest drop in passenger numbers in six years. <br /><br />The plunge in demand is attributed to the global recession that started late last year and the spread of H1N1 has resulted in even fewer travellers. <br /><br />Struggling to reduce losses, Qantas has now embarked on a major cost-cutting programme, as is Singapore Airlines which is expected to post its first loss in years.<br /><br />But will the various cost-cutting measures rise passenger demand? What does it really take for the airline industry to rebound? And how long would a recovery take?<br /><br />Inside Story presenter Soheil Rahman is joined by Brian Pearce, a chief economist at the International Air Transport Association, Seth Kaplan, the owner and chief analyst of Airline Weekly, and David Bentley, partner at Big Pond Aviation.
