(Updates to add Delta's figures.)
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) said its passenger traffic rose
slightly in August as its plane flew with more passengers, while
the low-cost carrier followed the industry trend to cut
capacity.
Meanwhile, traffic at Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (DAL) Delta and
Northwest operations fell 2.2%, down 1.3% domestically and 3.5%
abroad. Overall, the world's largest carrier's load factor
increased to 86.6% from 85.7%.
Thursday, AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines and UAL Corp.'s
(UAUA) United Airlines both reported lower passenger traffic in
August, although low-cost carriers like Southwest have said their
business is improving.
Its traffic was up was up 1% and load factor, or the number of
filled seats per plane, jumped to 80.2% from 74.6% as capacity fell
6.1%.
Passenger revenue per available seat mile, a key airline
performance metric, was estimated to have dropped in the 5% to 6%
range amid falling fares industrywide.
On Monday, Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL), the first major
international carrier to report results, estimated August traffic
slid 3.9% on a 6% reduction in seat capacity, compared with last
year.
Southwest shares were up 1.3% to $8.52 in recent trading while
Delta gained 2.5% to $7.34.
-By Joan E. Solsman and John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires;
212-416-2291; joan.solsman@dowjones.com