Airlines

WestJet By The Numbers

March was a good month for WestJet. The carrier reported a load factor of 86.2%, while its revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 9% year over year and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 7% over the same period. In fact, the carrier flew nearly 104,000 more guests this March compared to March of last year. WestJet president and CEO, Gregg Saretsky observed that, "Earning Canada's preferred airline status while carrying record traffic would not have been possible without WestJetters - our caring and friendly owners who are committed to the airline's ongoing...

Porter Posts Gains

Porter Airlines has reported a record March load factor, filling 59.8% of available seats which represents a 10.2% gain over the previous year. March results show 117.2 million Available Seat Miles (ASMs) and 70.1 million Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs). ASMs increased 20% from 97.6 million and RPMs grew 44.8% compared to 48.4 million last year. Porter's president and CEO, Robert Deluce commented: "March has become a stronger month for Porter with the development of seasonal leisure routes and a passenger base that travels year-round for business and pleasure. The first quarter finished on a...

Dragonair adds Jeju, Chiang Mai to network

Hong Kong's Dragonair has added three more destinations to its regional network, with new services to Jeju in South Korea and Chiang Mai in Thailand together with the resumption of scheduled services to Taichung. The Jeju service will begin May 1 with three flights a week. Chiang Mai will be a seasonal scheduled service with four flights a week operating from July 1 to the end of September. Taichung, meanwhile, will be served by two flights a day starting May 14. All three routes will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. When Jeju and Chiang Mai come online, Dragonair will be the only airline...

Strong performance, fragile outlook: IATA

IATA reports that global traffic results for Feb. 2012 were on the rise, with passenger demand increasing by 8.6% compared to Feb. 2011. However, IATA also points out that several factors inflated February 2012 results and distorted comparisons with the year-ago period. Those factors included weaker traffic during the Arab Spring a year ago and the occurrence of Carnival in Brazil in February, a month earlier than in 2011. When comparing to January 2012 levels, the picture becomes much more moderate, with passenger demand growing by just 0.4%. Global passenger capacity expanded by 7.4%...

Porter set for summer service to Tremblant

Porter Airlines has confirmed it will offer a third year of summer service to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, with four weekly flights between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Mont Tremblant International Airport. Service begins on June 15, and concludes on Sept. 16. Already a popular winter route, Mont Tremblant is also a warm weather favourite for families and outdoor enthusiasts. Options include canoeing, camping, cycling, golfing and hiking. Flights will operate on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays....

Etihad inaugurates Nairobi service

Etihad Airways' inaugural passenger flight to Kenya has touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi. The new daily, two-class A320 service is the airline's first passenger service to East Africa and an important step in expanding its presence in Africa. The airline will also reach into West Africa with the introduction of flights to Nigeria in July. Etihad commenced operations to the Seychelles in November, and Libya in January, building on existing services to Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Sudan. The A320 aircraft has 16 Pearl Business class and 120 Coral Economy...

New and improved Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Aéroports de Paris and Air France have teamed up at Paris-Charles de Gaulle in an effort to improve services offered to passengers, attract more international traffic and "therefore strengthen Europe's leading connecting hub."To do this, they have come up with a collaborative program, Hub 2012, a complementary approach to passenger service. 2012, a year of transformation at the airport, will mark the opening of new services, including satellite 4, the new departure lounge at Terminal 2E. Representing an investment of 580 million euros for the designer and Aéroports de Paris,...