WestJet reports August load factor of 84.6 per cent

WestJet today announced August 2015 traffic results with a load factor of 84.6 per cent. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 1.7 per cent year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 7.3 per cent over the same period. The airline flew a record 2.0 million guests in August, a year-over-year increase of 2.3 per cent or approximately 44,000 additional guests, and achieved an on-time performance rate of 84.0 per cent in the month, an improvement of 6.3 percentage points year over year.

“We are pleased with our continued traffic growth as we welcomed almost two million guests on board in August, setting a new single-month record even as the Labour Day long weekend shifted out of August this year. The movement of this busy travel period into September contributed to the year-over-year decline from the all-time high load factor reported in August last year,” said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. “My thanks go out to our more than 10,000 WestJetters for their continuing energy and passion through this busy summer period.”

In August, WestJet took delivery of the first of its four wide-body Boeing 767-300ERW aircraft. Featuring a new teal and blue maple leaf-themed logo that will eventually appear on all WestJet aircraft, the airline’s 767s will allow it to begin serving Europe and other regions of the world from Canada on a non-stop basis, including new service to London (Gatwick) beginning in May 2016. Inaugural wide-body flights between Calgary and Toronto will begin in September 2015, with service from Alberta to Hawaii and Toronto to Montego Bay beginning this winter.