Air Canada Reports Record September Load Factor

MONTREAL, Oct. 3, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - For the month of September, Air Canada reported a record system load factor of 84.9 per cent, versus 82.8 per cent in September 2011, an increase of 2.1 percentage points.  System traffic increased 3.1 per cent on a system-wide capacity increase of 0.5 per cent. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity.

"For the month of September, Air Canada reported a record load factor of 84.9 per cent, surpassing our previous record for the month by 2.1 percentage points," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Air Canada generated greater traffic in all markets the airline serves, with system wide growth of 3.1 per cent on a capacity increase of 0.5 per cent through higher utilization of our existing fleet.  These strong results underscore the effectiveness of our disciplined capacity management and award-winning product.  I thank our employees whose focus on taking care of our customers has been instrumental in earning their loyalty."

  SEPTEMBER Q3 YEAR-TO-DATE
  2012 2011 Change 2012 2011 Change 2012 2011 Change
Traffic (RPMs mln) 4,984 4,834 +3.1% 16,258 16,127 +0.8% 43,072 42,158 +2.2%
Capacity (ASMs mln) 5,869 5,837 +0.5% 18,836 18,799 +0.2% 51,785 51,170 +1.2%
Load Factor 84.9% 82.8% +2.1 pts 86.3% 85.8% +0.5 pts 83.2% 82.4% +0.8 pts
                     
Canada RPMs 1,457 1,416 +2.9% 4,984 4,871 +2.3% 12,572 12,262 +2.5%
ASMs 1,777 1,759 +1.0% 5,891 5,841 +0.9% 15,267 15,078 +1.3%
LF 82.0% 80.5% +1.5 pts 84.6% 83.4% +1.2 pts 82.3% 81.3% +1.0 pts
                     
US
Transborder
RPMs 659 634 +3.9% 2,216 2,183 +1.5% 6,858 6,670 +2.8%
ASMs 858 838 +2.4% 2,771 2,735 +1.3% 8,713 8,469 +2.9%
LF 76.8% 75.7% +1.1 pts 80.0% 79.8% +0.2 pts 78.7% 78.8% -0.1 pts
                     
Atlantic RPMs 1,597 1,557 +2.6% 4,906 5,006 -2.0% 11,114 10,988 +1.1%
ASMs 1,763 1,775 -0.7% 5,523 5,618 -1.7% 13,262 13,260 0%
LF 90.6% 87.7% +2.9 pts 88.8% 89.1% -0.3 pts 83.8% 82.9% +0.9 pts
                     
Pacific RPMs 859 845 +1.7% 2,733 2,718 +0.6% 7,610 7,419 +2.6%
ASMs 974 984 -1.0% 3,003 3,019 -0.5% 8,605 8,476 +1.5%
LF 88.2% 85.9% +2.3 pts 91.0% 90.0% +1.0 pts 88.4% 87.5% +0.9 pts
                     
Other* RPMs 412 382 +7.9% 1,419 1,349 +5.2% 4,918 4,819 +2.1%
ASMs 497 481 +3.3% 1,648 1,586 +3.9% 5,938 5,887 +0.9%
LF 82.9% 79.4% +3.5 pts 86.1% 85.1% +1.0pts 82.8% 81.9% +0.9 pts

* Includes Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011 served more than 33 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 56 destinations in the United States and 63 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America.  Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,356 destinations in 193 countries. In 2012, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.

 

SOURCE: AIR CANADA

For further information:

Isabelle Arthur (Montréal)  514 422-5788
Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto)  416 263-5576
Angela Mah (Vancouver)  604 270-5741

Internet :  aircanada.com