News
WestJet announces August load factor of 84.5 per cent

Sept. 3, 2009, Calgary – WestJet today announced August traffic results with a load factor of 84.5 per cent. Revenue passenger miles (RPM) decreased 4.7 per cent year over year and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASM), declined 0.4 per cent over the same period.

"In what continues to be a tough environment for airlines, we are pleased with our strong August load factor," said WestJet President and CEO Sean Durfy. "Day to day, we are tackling the challenges of the weakened demand environment. Just as importantly, we remain focused on our big-picture initiatives and building the foundation for continued success. We are confident that improving our aircraft delivery schedule, enhancing our international service – to the benefit of both WestJet and WestJet Vacations – and our other strategic initiatives are paving the way for our long-term profitable growth."

"WestJet's approach to guest service has become an enviable strength for our airline," added Sean Durfy. "During this deep recession, we thank our WestJetters for their follow-through in reducing costs and their commitment to strengthening our culture and, in turn, our brand."

                          August 2009 traffic results
   
    ————————————————————————-
                          August 2009          August 2008           Change
    ————————————————————————-
    Load factor              84.5%                88.4%            (3.9 pts.)
    ————————————————————————-
    ASMs (billions)          1.571                1.577                (0.4%)
    ————————————————————————-
    RPMs (billions)          1.328                1.394                (4.7%)
    ————————————————————————-
   
    ————————————————————————-
                       Year-to-date 2009    Year-to-date 2008        Change
    ————————————————————————-
    Load factor              78.9%                81.6%            (2.7 pts.)
    ————————————————————————-
    ASMs (billions)         11.795               11.434                 3.2%
    ————————————————————————-
    RPMs (billions)          9.301                9.333                (0.3%)
    ————————————————————————-
"While we are encouraged by the talk of an economic upturn, and are not seeing further declines in demand, we remain cautious about a recovery," continued Sean Durfy. "WestJet's third quarter revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is tracking to an anticipated decline of 16 to 18 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2008."