WestJet reports March load factor of 83.2 per cent

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WestJet reports March load factor of 83.2 per cent
 
Airline increases traffic by 7.4 per cent, flies a record 1.9 million guests for the month of March

CALGARY, April 6, 2016 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced March 2016 traffic results with a load factor of 83.2 per cent. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.4 per cent year-over-year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 5.0 per cent over the same period. The airline flew a record 5.3 million guests in the first quarter, a year-over-year increase of 8.4 per cent or approximately 411,000 additional guests.

"We continue to be pleased with our strong traffic growth as a record number of guests chose to fly with us in the first quarter. Our airline partnership strategy continues to contribute to our traffic and in March we added Emirates as our fifteenth code-share partner," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "My thanks go out to all WestJetters for their commitment to delivering a remarkable experience to our guests."

March 2016 traffic results

                               Mar 2016             Mar 2015      Change
 Load factor               83.2%               81.3%             1.9 pts
 
ASMs (billions)          2.491                2.373              5.0%
 
RPMs (billions)          2.072                1.930              7.4%
 

                                  Q1 2016           Q1 2015       Change
 
Load factor                  82.1%               81.6%          0.5 pts
 
ASMs (billions)            7.294                 6.819            7.0%
 
RPMs (billions)            5.988                 5.566            7.6%
 
WestJet continues to expect its first quarter RASM to be in line with its previous guidance.

In March, WestJet announced new seasonal non-stop service to Halifax from Vancouver and Winnipeg beginning June 29, 2016. These routes make WestJet the only airline in Canada offering non-stop flights to Halifax from Vancouver and Winnipeg. Also in March, WestJet Encore launched its first transborder route with inaugural service between Toronto and Boston.

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