News and Trends: If you play they will come. While attending the 2010 FIFA World Cup is a desire of many soccer fans worldwide, a lot of those futbol fanatics feel that they cannot attend due to the difficulties encountered when traveling into South Africa on a commercial airliner. In a recently conducted study of soccer fans, it was reported that more than 40 percent of those participating in the study felt as if they had been "priced out" of attending the World Cup due to costs spiraling out control.

A second issue raised from the study was the difficulty of traveling to the exotic country, as the trek from most parts is a long-haul flight under best circumstances. Add nine separate venues at which the games take place and it amounts to a travel itinerary that could put a damper on the spirits of even the savviest of world travelers.

However, the situation seen as problematic by both FiFA and the majority of soccer fans could be a boon for the private aviation sector to pounce on and thrive. That is how Air Partner, a provider of various aviation services, is viewing the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is a huge opportunity.

"The World Cup is a phenomenal event unlike any other. With all the complications already reported, we are taking measures to ensure that we get fans to where they need to be, " said Mr. Phil Mathews, president of Air Partner, North America.

Last summer Air Partner appointed a World Cup representative in South Africa and secured a preferred-supplier agreement with a locally based B737 operator for the duration of the 2010 WC, which runs from June 11 to July 12.

This is good to know for those of us who don't know Durban, Polokwane, Nelspruit, or Johannesburg except for what our GPS tell us. Are you ready for some futbol?

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James Rothaar

James has written content for Justluxe.com and other leading online luxury lifestyle magazines. Rothaar previously served as the senior-tenured staff writer for JustLuxe, having worked with the digital magazine since 2005. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and works as an independent marketing consultant and freelance writer and copywriter. He is the co-owner of Wild Owl Digital, a boutique mar...(Read More)