Airline Industry
American Airlines reports traffic growth
AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, said traffic grew in January, its first growth in more than a year, while US Airways Group Inc. reported another decline, though a key measure of revenue improved.
Many carriers are still struggling to report traffic levels above prior-year levels as the economy continues to sap demand for air travel. Some, notably discounters, have reported more passengers in recent months.
At American, traffic rose 0.4%. Load factor, a measure of plane fullness, rose to 76.2% from 73.8% as capacity dropped 2.7%. American, the No. 2 U.S. airline by revenue, last month reported a narrower fourth-quarter loss and said it will modestly expand its international flights this year despite rising fuel prices.
Meanwhile, AMR regional carrier American Eagle reported 9.1% traffic growth for January. It has posted increases since September. Load factor was up to 63.6% in January from 61.2% a year earlier even though capacity increased 5.1%.
Meanwhile, US Airways' mainline traffic fell 1.4%, but passenger revenue per available seat mile increased about 2% for all of US Airways, including so-called express flights.
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