Airline flies a record 1.7 million guests for the month of
March
CALGARY,
April 6, 2015 /CNW/ - WestJet today
announced March 2015 traffic results
with a load factor of 81.3 per cent. Revenue passenger miles
(RPMs), or traffic, increased 1.5 per cent year-over-year, and
capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 4.8 per
cent over the same period. The airline flew a record 4.9 million
guests in the first quarter, a year-over-year increase of 2.2 per
cent or approximately 108,000 additional guests, and achieved an
on-time performance rate of 84.8 per cent in the month of March, a
year-over-year improvement of 8.7 percentage points.
"We continue to be pleased with our traffic
growth as a record number of guests chose to fly with us, including
on our fast growing regional airline WestJet Encore," said WestJet
President and CEO Gregg Saretsky.
"As expected, we have seen industry supply increases in certain
southern markets running ahead of demand resulting in depressed
load factors. Despite this, the overall demand environment remains
strong and first quarter RASM is expected to be in line with prior
guidance. I want to thank all WestJetters for their dedication to
providing our growing number of guests with a safe and remarkable
travel experience."
March 2015 traffic
results
|
March 2015 |
March 2014 |
Change |
Load factor |
81.3% |
84.0% |
(2.7 pts) |
ASMs (billions) |
2.373 |
2.265 |
4.8% |
RPMs (billions) |
1.930 |
1.902 |
1.5% |
|
First quarter 2015 |
First quarter 2014 |
Change |
Load factor |
81.6% |
83.1% |
(1.5 pts) |
ASMs (billions) |
6.819 |
6.515 |
4.7% |
RPMs (billions) |
5.566 |
5.416 |
2.8% |
In March, WestJet announced that flights between
Alberta and Hawaii beginning in December are available for
booking on its newly-acquired Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft. These
aircraft are configured with 24 seats in Plus, offering wider seats
and more leg room with more recline in a 2-2-2 configuration,
meaning each set of two seats is separated by an aisle. There are
238 seats in the main cabin, and all seats have access to power for
personal electronic devices such as tablets or phones. The 767s
will be redeployed in summer 2016 to new and exciting international
destinations that will be announced later in 2015.
Caution regarding forward-looking
information
Certain information set forth in this news release, including,
without limitation, information regarding our expectation that
first quarter RASM is expected to be in line with prior guidance
and the timing of our future announcement with respect to the 767s
is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities. By its nature, forward-looking information is
subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are
beyond the Corporation's control, including those risk factors
described in WestJet's public reports and filings which are
available under WestJet's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers
are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on
forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially
from the forward-looking information. WestJet does not undertake to
update, correct or revise any forward-looking information as a
result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except
as may be required by applicable law.
About WestJet
We are proud to be Canada's
most-preferred airline, powered by an award-winning culture of care
and recognized as one of the country's top employers. We offer
scheduled service to more than 90 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our regional airline, WestJet
Encore, and with partnerships with airlines representing every
major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 120
destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet's
extensive network, flight schedule and remarkable guest experience,
WestJet Vacations delivers affordable, flexible travel experiences
with a variety of accommodation options for every guest. Members of
our WestJet Rewards program earn WestJet dollars on flights,
vacation packages and more. Our members use WestJet dollars towards
the purchase of WestJet flights and vacation packages on any day,
at any time, to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods -
even on seat sales. For more information about everything WestJet,
please visit westjet.com.
Recent recognition includes:
2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon
Hewitt)
2014 Interbrand Canada's Best Canadian Brands (Rank #20)
2014 Brands of the Year (Strategy magazine)
2014 Canada's Most Preferred Airline (Ipsos)
2014 Value Airline of the Year (Air Transport World magazine)
2014/2013/2012 Canada's Most
Attractive Employer (Randstad)
2014/2013 WestJet RBC MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (Money Sense magazine and
RewardsCanada.ca)
2013 Highest equity score: airline, vacation package supplier
brands (Harris/Decima EquiTrend Study)
Connect with WestJet on Facebook at
facebook.com/westjet
Follow WestJet on Twitter at twitter.com/westjet
Subscribe to WestJet on YouTube at youtube.com/westjet
Read the WestJet blog at blog.westjet.com
SOURCE WestJet