Today WestJet announced March 2018 traffic results with a load factor of 85.6 percent, an increase of 1.5 percentage points year over year. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.0 percent year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 5.2 percent over the same period. WestJet flew a record 2.2 million guests in March, a year-over-year increase of 6.7 percent or approximately 136,000 additional guests.
"We are pleased to see such strong year-over-year traffic growth as 6.1 million guests chose to fly with us in the first quarter," said WestJet President and CEO Ed Sims. "This new record for the quarter is all the more remarkable given the degree of disruption during the challenging winter season. My sincere thanks go out to the 13,000 WestJetters for their unwavering dedication over that time."
March 2018 traffic results
March 2018
|
March 2017
|
Change
| |
Load factor
|
85.6%
|
84.1%
|
1.5 pts
|
ASMs (billions)
|
2.815
|
2.676
|
5.2%
|
RPMs (billions)
|
2.409
|
2.252
|
7.0%
|
First Quarter 2018
|
First Quarter 2017
|
Change
| |
Load factor
|
84.8%
|
83.0%
|
1.8 pts
|
ASMs (billions)
|
8.029
|
7.699
|
4.3%
|
RPMs (billions)
|
6.810
|
6.393
|
6.5%
|
In March, WestJet officially launched inaugural service to Mexico City from Calgary and Vancouver, further solidifying our position as the Canadian airline with the most flights to Mexico. WestJet also became the first Canadian airline operating nonstop from Calgary to Denver.
Swoop, Canada's first true ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), announced the addition of a fourth Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and an increased weekly frequency schedule out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. Swoop announced its initial schedule on February 1, with service starting from Abbotsford, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton and Winnipeg. The addition of a fourth aircraft will increase weekly frequency almost two-fold for Hamilton-Edmonton and Hamilton-Abbotsford, while service from Hamilton to Halifax and Winnipeg will now be offered daily.
