business

Rooms, flights and cars all booked for Carnaval

Airlines are planning to add flights to meet demand for trips to the interior this week.

The economic impact of Carnaval is expected to be at least $40 million this year.

LA PRENSA

Crowded:The Albrook airport is expected to be jammed with travelers this weekend.977612

If you want to go to the interior for Carnaval, you had better consider driving rather than flying.

Domestic airlines are reporting that available seats are few and far between. They are considering adding flights to accommodate the demand.

"We will have to double or triple the frequency of flights to meet the demand," said Raúl Morales, commercial manager of Air Panamá.

Rolando Pereira, manger of Aeroperlas, reported that the airline already added a number of flights when seats started selling out months ago.

Flying to the interior for Carnaval is becoming a more popular option than making the long drive.

Last February, air traffic increased 15 percent from 2006. This year another big increase is expected, with the Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil expecting a 30 percent increase.

Officials at the Aeropuerto Internacional de Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" reported that traffic has started to pick up, and they are getting ready for a busy weekend.

They have added more security and additional personnel to handle inspections because of the expected increase of passengers.

Carnaval is also proving to be a boon for other businesses.

Hertz Car Rentals officials said they are sold out, and are now handling reservations for Easter, the next big holiday on the calendar.

Dollar Rent-A-Car officials said they have a few vehicles remaining, but those are expected to be snapped up before the weekend.A Dollar employee said that foreigners tend to rent larger vehicles, such as SUVs or vans, while Panamanians tend to rent smaller vehicles.

Avis officials said that they still had vehicles available, and noted they their company has a larger fleet that can handle the increase in demand around holidays.

Company official José Saltarín said that sedans tend to be the most popular vehicles this year.

If you haven't purchased your plane ticket or rented a car, it might not be a bad idea to stay home for Carnaval.

That's because hotel rooms are all booked, industry officials said.

Only one hotel of those contacted by La Prensa had space available, and officials at that establishment said the remaining rooms would probably be filled by this morning.

An estimated 17,000 tourists visited Panama during the 2007 Carnaval, which generated millions of dollars for the economy. Officials said this year they hoped the figures are much higher.