WestJet and Porter Report Successful March Passenger Traffic
Porter and WestJet reported higher passenger traffic for the month of March today as well as increases in available seat miles and revenue passenger miles. Both airlines saw continued travel demand in March; a good sign in a struggling economy where income becomes more indispensable.
Porter Airlines reported a record March load factor with 59.6 per cent of its available seats filled. This increase, in comparison to March 2011, is a successful 10.2 points higher. Other results for Porter show that the airline traffic reached a total of 117.2 million Available Seat Miles (ASMs), an increase of 20 per cent, and a capacity of 70.1 million Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs) which is up 44.8 percent from March 2011.
"March has become a stronger month for Porter with the development of seasonal leisure routes and a passenger base that travels year-round for business and pleasure," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. "The first quarter finished on a high note with significant capacity growth being well outpaced by passenger demand."
WestJet had similar if not better results. The airline reports an 86.2 per cent load factor for March. It’s RPMs rose nine per cent and its ASMs additionally saw growth with a seven per cent rise in comparison to the same month in 2011. Overall, WestJet was host to an additional approximate 104,000 guests in March compared to March of last year.
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"Earning Canada's preferred airline status while carrying record traffic would not have been possible without WestJetters - our caring and friendly owners who are committed to the airline's ongoing success," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "We are very pleased with the market strength we've seen in March and system-wide demand remains healthy. The market has absorbed our growth and increased fare levels have helped offset higher fuel costs."
Why did Porter and WestJet see such growth? There are many factors that come into play when businesses and individuals make travel plans. Potentially Canada’s more stable economy has promoted more airline usage for travel or maybe Air Canada’s constant complaints and threat strikes from its employees has deterred customers away from the larger and more popular airline. Either way, WestJet and Porter are seeing successful results for their bottom line.
