Air Canada and WestJet report rise in August passenger traffic

Airline Industry Information, Sept 8, 2004

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Air Canada and WestJet Airlines, Canada's two biggest carriers, have both reported an increase in passenger traffic for August 2004.

WestJet reported a rise of 22% over August 2003 but also experienced a drop in load factor of just over three percentage points to 79.8% from 82.9% in August last year.

Air Canada said that it had enjoyed a successful August 2004 with revenue passenger miles rising by 9.8% and a load factor of 83.2%, up from 80.6% in August 2003. The news comes as the airline prepares to leave bankruptcy protection at the end of September 2004, reports The Associated Press.

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