Global premium airline traffic in September dropped 13.9 percent versus a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association

, marking the 16th consecutive month of declining first- and business-class volumes and a steeper drop than in August. "The fall in premium travel numbers in September was driven by declines in the large markets of within-Europe and North Atlantic premium travel, where numbers were down 26.9 percent and 10.7 percent respectively compared with declines of 20.5 percent and 7.8 percent in August," according to IATA. "World trade and consumer confidence in the U.S. dipped in recent months. Analysis of these wider economic developments suggest they are temporary setbacks in an improving economic recovery." Meanwhile, IATA reported encouraging premium traffic trends in Asia and the Middle East.