Air Canada reports February traffic; Load factor of 79.6 per cent matches February 2007 record
MONTREAL, March 4 /CNW Telbec/ - For the month of February, Air Canada
today reported a load factor of 79.6 per cent on a consolidated basis with
Jazz, matching a February 2007 record, versus 79.2 per cent in February 2008,
an increase of 0.4 percentage points. System traffic decreased 10.5 per cent
on a capacity reduction of 11.0 per cent system wide.
Air Canada mainline reported a load factor of 80.7 per cent in February
2009 compared to 79.5 per cent in February 2008; an increase of 1.2 percentage
points. The mainline carrier flew 9.8 per cent fewer revenue passenger miles
(RPMs) in February 2009 than in February 2008 on a capacity decrease of 11.1
per cent.
Jazz, from which Air Canada purchases regional capacity, reported a load
factor of 69.6 per cent, a decrease of 6.8 percentage points from 76.4 per
cent in February 2008. Capacity decreased by 9.7 per cent from February 2008
and the carrier flew 17.7 per cent fewer RPMs than in the previous February.
"For the month of February, Air Canada reported a load factor of 79.6 per
cent on a consolidated basis with Jazz," said Montie Brewer, President and
Chief Executive Officer. "Our strong load factor, matching the previous record
set in February 2007, shows that we are managing capacity well in this
difficult economic environment. I am particularly proud of our employees who
exceeded both Customer Satisfaction and On-Time Performance objectives for the
month, achieving on-time arrivals performance of 72 per cent for the month of
February, a 13 percentage point improvement over the same month a year ago.
"Capacity adjustments are on track and we continue to follow the market
closely, fine tuning capacity as required. With our refurbished, fuel
efficient fleet, award-winning onboard product and innovative revenue model, I
am confident that Air Canada is well positioned to manage through the
challenges facing the industry," concluded Mr. Brewer.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Air Canada's public communications may include written or oral
forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws.
Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions and are
subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts or forward-looking
predictions or statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things,
changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual
results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking
statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, industry,
market, credit and economic conditions, the ability to reduce operating costs
and secure financing, pension issues, energy prices, currency exchange and
interest rates, employee and labour relations, competition, war, terrorist
acts, epidemic diseases, insurance issues and costs, changes in demand due to
the seasonal nature of the business, supply issues, changes in laws,
regulatory developments or proceedings, pending and future litigation and
actions by third parties as well as the factors identified throughout Air
Canada's public disclosure file available at www.sedar.com. The
forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the Air
Canada's expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to
change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required
under applicable securities regulations.
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AIR CANADA MAINLINE
(Includes Jetz & Tier 3)
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FEBRUARY YEAR-TO-DATE
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2009 2008 Change 2009 2008 Change
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Traffic
(RPMs millions) 3,130 3,469 -9.8% 6,567 7,195 -8.7%
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Capacity
(ASMs millions) 3,879 4,364 -11.1% 8,209 9,098 -9.8%
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Load Factor 80.7% 79.5% +1.2 pts 80.0% 79.1% +0.9 pts
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RPMs 888 923 -3.8% 1,821 1,884 -3.3%
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Canada ASMs 1,069 1,118 -4.4% 2,259 2,327 -2.9%
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Load
Factor 83.1% 82.6% +0.5 pts 80.6% 81.0% -0.4 pts
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RPMs 570 675 -15.6% 1,158 1,380 -16.1%
U.S. ----------------------------------------------------------------
Trans- ASMs 691 838 -17.5% 1,446 1,780 -18.8%
border ----------------------------------------------------------------
Load
Factor 82.5% 80.5% +2.0 pts 80.1% 77.5% +2.6 pts
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RPMs 628 720 -12.8% 1,359 1,531 -11.2%
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Atlantic ASMs 870 991 -12.2% 1,834 2,050 -10.5%
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Load
Factor 72.2% 72.7% -0.5 pts 74.1% 74.7% -0.6 pts
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RPMs 463 584 -20.7% 1,001 1,230 -18.6%
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Pacific ASMs 535 734 -27.1% 1,142 1,510 -24.4%
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Load
Factor 86.5% 79.6% +6.9 pts 87.7% 81.5% +6.2 pts
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RPMs 581 567 +2.5% 1,228 1,170 +5.0%
Latin ----------------------------------------------------------------
America ASMs 714 683 +4.5% 1,528 1,431 +6.8%
& Other ----------------------------------------------------------------
Load
Factor 81.4% 83.0% -1.6 pts 80.4% 81.8% -1.4 pts
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AIR CANADA'S REGIONAL CAPACITY PROVIDER
(JAZZ)
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FEBRUARY YEAR-TO-DATE
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2009 2008 Change 2009 2008 Change
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Traffic
(RPMs millions) 279 339 -17.7% 555 673 -17.5%
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Capacity
(ASMs millions) 401 444 -9.7% 825 925 -10.8%
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Load Factor 69.6% 76.4% -6.8 pts 67.3% 72.8% -5.5 pts
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RPMs 196 261 -24.9% 389 515 -24.5%
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Canada ASMs 256 328 -22.0% 531 678 -21.7%
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Load
Factor 76.6% 79.6% -3.0 pts 73.3% 76.0% -2.7 pts
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RPMs 83 78 +6.4% 166 158 +5.1%
U.S. ----------------------------------------------------------------
Trans- ASMs 145 116 +25.0% 294 247 +19.0%
border ----------------------------------------------------------------
Load
Factor 57.2% 67.2% -10.0 pts 56.5% 64.0% -7.5 pts
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CONSOLIDATED
(AIR CANADA MAINLINE AND JAZZ)
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FEBRUARY YEAR-TO-DATE
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2009 2008 Change 2009 2008 Change
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Traffic
(RPMs millions) 3,409 3,808 -10.5% 7,122 7,868 -9.5%
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Capacity
(ASMs millions) 4,280 4,808 -11.0% 9,034 10,023 -9.9%
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Load Factor 79.6% 79.2% +0.4 pts 78.8% 78.5% +0.3 pts
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RPMs 1,084 1,184 -8.4% 2,210 2,399 -7.9%
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Canada ASMs 1,325 1,446 -8.4% 2,790 3,005 -7.2%
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Load
Factor 81.8% 81.9% -0.1 pts 79.2% 79.8% -0.6 pts
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RPMs 653 753 -13.3% 1,324 1,538 -13.9%
U.S. ----------------------------------------------------------------
Trans- ASMs 836 954 -12.4% 1,740 2,027 -14.2%
border ----------------------------------------------------------------
Load
Factor 78.1% 78.9% -0.8 pts 76.1% 75.9% +0.2 pts
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RPMs 1,672 1,871 -10.6% 3,588 3,931 -8.7%
Interna- ----------------------------------------------------------------
tional ASMs 2,119 2,408 -12.0% 4,504 4,991 -9.8%
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Load
Factor 78.9% 77.7% +1.2 pts 79.7% 78.8% +0.9 pts
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%SEDAR: 00001324EF