WestJet, Air Canada report traffic boosts

Globe and Mail: Brent Jang

WestJet Airlines Ltd. and Air Canada enjoyed a solid November, attracting more customers during the traditionally slow month and forecasting a robust finish to 2007.

Calgary-based WestJet reported yesterday that its November traffic jumped 18.3 per cent to 923.5 million revenue passenger miles (RPMs). A passenger flying one mile creates an RPM.

WestJet chief executive officer Sean Durfy said the carrier pulled off the feat, even as its seat capacity grew, resulting in an impressive 75.6-per-cent load factor – the proportion of available seats filled by paying customers.

Given that it was the slow travel season before the December holiday rush, Mr. Durfy said he’s pleased that WestJet improved its load factor from 73.4 per cent in November, 2006.

November traffic rose 2.7 per cent to 3.4 billion RPMs at Air Canada and its sister operation, Jazz Air Income Fund. However, the carriers didn’t keep pace with new seat capacity, with their combined load factor dipping slightly to 75.7 per cent from 76.6 per cent a year earlier.

Still, Air Canada CEO Montie Brewer described the showing as solid. He said Montreal-based Air Canada and Halifax-based Jazz did a good job filling seats during the “non-peak” travel period.

While business is brisk in Canada’s aviation industry, environmentalists are pressuring airlines to do more to lessen their carbon footprint. Air Canada responded in May by launching a program that allows consumers to voluntarily buy carbon offsets through a not-for-profit group called Zerofootprint, whose projects include planting trees to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

“For the month of December, we will match every dollar you put towards offsetting carbon emissions from your flight,” Air Canada said in an e-mail to customers yesterday.

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