British Airways' Passenger Traffic Falls In August
03.09.10, 17:25 Uhr
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- British Airways PLC (BAY.LN) saw a decline in passenger traffic in August, which is typically one of the busiest months for travel as holidaymakers head abroad for their annual summer vacation.
Overall summer volumes were slightly lower than the peak levels seen last year, BA said Friday, but added it was seeing strong yield performance in both premium and non-premium sectors.
The carrier said traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs, the number of kilometers flown by paying passengers, last month fell 2.9% to 10.56 billion RPKs from a year earlier. Total passenger numbers edged down 0.1% on the year to 3.2 million.
Union Unite described the figures, in particular within premium classes, as "worrying."
A Unite spokesman said: "Willie Walsh has failed to recapture those passengers he lost last year, and has in fact lost even more. Passengers pay for service and stability and while Willie Walsh continues to wage war on his workforce he can offer customers neither."
Non-premium traffic dropped 3.1% year-on-year, while premium traffic fell 1.4%. Premium traffic figures were distorted by promotional offers last year that encouraged more travelers to book in the more expensive cabins.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, or the number of seats available multiplied by the distance flown in kilometers, dropped 2.6%.
Passenger load factor, which measures the proportion of seats an airline fills with paying passengers, fell 0.3 percentage points to 84.4%.
The carrier said traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs, the number of kilometers flown by paying passengers, last month fell 2.9% to 10.56 billion RPKs from a year earlier. Total passenger numbers edged down 0.1% on the year to 3.2 million.
Union Unite described the figures, in particular within premium classes, as "worrying."
A Unite spokesman said: "Willie Walsh has failed to recapture those passengers he lost last year, and has in fact lost even more. Passengers pay for service and stability and while Willie Walsh continues to wage war on his workforce he can offer customers neither."
Non-premium traffic dropped 3.1% year-on-year, while premium traffic fell 1.4%. Premium traffic figures were distorted by promotional offers last year that encouraged more travelers to book in the more expensive cabins.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, or the number of seats available multiplied by the distance flown in kilometers, dropped 2.6%.
Passenger load factor, which measures the proportion of seats an airline fills with paying passengers, fell 0.3 percentage points to 84.4%.
KEY EUROPEAN AIRLINE AUGUST TRAFFIC: AIRLINE RPKs Chg On Yr PASSENGER NOS Chg British Airways 10.56 Bln -2.9% 3.2M -0.1% Ryanair Due Sept 6 EasyJet Due Sept. 6 Lufthansa Due September Iberia Due September Aer Lingus Due September Air Berlin Due September Air France-KLM Due September
DJG/voi
