Air Canada Reports Record February Load Factor with Record Traffic Results

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Mar 04, 2015, 17:01 ET

Traffic increased 11.3 per cent on capacity increase of 8.4 per cent

MONTREAL, March 4, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - For the month of February, Air Canada reported a record system load factor of 81.1 per cent, versus 79 per cent in February 2014, on a system-wide capacity increase of 8.4 per cent. On this additional capacity, system wide traffic for February increased a record 11.3 per cent for the month. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity and Air Canada rouge^TM.

"I am extremely pleased to report both a record load factor of 81.1 per cent for the month of February, and more importantly a record traffic increase of 11.3 per cent for the month," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Air Canada generated greater traffic in all markets resulting in an unprecedented volume of passengers transported for the month. Our traffic increase was led by significant growth in the Atlantic, U.S. transborder and Latin American and Caribbean markets. These strong traffic results during the more challenging first two months of the year underscore the effectiveness of our international growth plan, the strategic deployment of Air Canada rouge to compete more effectively in leisure markets, and our team's success in execution. I would like to thank our employees for their hard work taking care of our customers while transporting them safely to their destinations."

		February			Year to Date
		2015	2014	Change	2015	2014	Change
Traffic (RPMs mln)		4,557	4,093	+11.3%	9,467	8,622	+9.8%
Capacity (ASMs mln)		5,620	5,184	+8.4%	11,752	10,847	+8.3%
Load Factor		81.1%	79.0%	+2.1 pts	80.6%	79.5%	+1.1 pts

Canada	RPMs	1,181	1,158	+2.0%	2,443	2,367	+3.2%
	ASMs	1,422	1,429	-0.5%	3,006	2,995	+0.4%
	LF	83.0%	81.0%	+2.0 pts	81.3%	79.0%	+2.3 pts

US Transborder	RPMs	998	849	+17.6%	1,976	1,702	+16.1%
	ASMs	1,196	1,023	+16.9%	2,437	2,108	+15.6%
	LF	83.5%	83.0%	+0.5 pts	81.1%	80.7%	+0.4 pts

Atlantic	RPMs	816	680	+20.0%	1,815	1,537	+18.1%
	ASMs	1,153	1,034	+11.5%	2,439	2,180	+11.9%
	LF	70.8%	65.8%	+5.0 pts	74.4%	70.5%	+3.9 pts

Pacific	RPMs	937	861	+8.8%	1,928	1,870	+3.1%
	ASMs	1,128	1,051	+7.3%	2,354	2,214	+6.3%
	LF	83.1%	81.9%	+1.2 pts	81.9%	84.5%	-2.6 pts

Latin America & Caribbean	RPMs	625	545	+14.7%	1,305	1,146	+13.9%
	ASMs	721	647	+11.4%	1,516	1,350	+12.3%
	LF	86.6%	84.2%	+2.4 pts	86.1%	84.9%	+1.2 pts

The calculation of passenger load factor is based on whole figures and not on rounded million.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 185 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2014 served more than 38 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 61 Canadian cities, 50 destinations in the United States and 78 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 1,321 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2014, Air Canada was ranked for a fifth consecutive year "Best Airline in North America" in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by Skytrax. For more information on Air Canada visit aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.