"Budget airlines" serving the United Kingdom increased airfares by 10 percent over the last year and now "account for one in eight business travel bookings,"

according to HRG. An HRG study of 250,000 business travel bookings between May 2006 and June 2007 found that easyJet now holds a 20 percent market share "on popular routes," despite being the priciest budget carrier. "The additional volume of bookings has given easyJet the confidence to increase its prices during the last year, with return flights [between the United Kingdom and] popular destinations such as Edinburgh and Amsterdam now costing more than £100 (US$202)." Such market penetration by "budget" carriers prompted "traditional" airlines to reduce economy-class fares by 5 percent despite growing passenger numbers, according to HRG.