News Releases
Every month in 2007 a record; best first and second quarters in airline's
history
CALGARY, July 5 /CNW/ - WestJet (TSX:WJA) today announced its sixth
consecutive month of record load factors for 2007, resulting in a record
second quarter and a record first half for the year. June's 79.9 per cent load
factor was up 2.8 points compared to 77.1 per cent in June 2006. These results
were accompanied by capacity increases of 17 per cent to 1.2 billion ASMs
(available seat miles) and increased RPMs (revenue passenger miles) of 21 per
cent to 940 million.
Sean Durfy, WestJet President commented, "Our guest satisfaction is
higher than ever fuelling our record load factors and significant growth. One
of our most powerful marketing tools is guest referrals; almost 90 per cent of
guests that fly WestJet recommend us to others and fly with us again.
"Our operational performance remains strong with on-time performance of
86.8 per cent in June. This supports our continuing commitment to high
operational standards while attaining record load factors. WestJet's unique
corporate culture and strong employee engagement allows us to obtain these
operational results while delivering our great guest experience. I thank each
of our over 6,500 WestJetters who exemplify our values daily."
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June 2007 Traffic Results
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Per cent
June 2007 June 2006 change
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Load Factor 79.9% 77.1% 2.8 pts.
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Available Seat Miles
(ASM) 1,176.2 million 1,005.2 million 17%
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Revenue Passenger Miles
(RPM) 940.3 million 774.5 million 21%
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Year-to-date Year-to-date Per cent
2007 2006 change
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Load Factor 81.0% 78.4% 2.6 pts.
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Available Seat Miles
(ASM) 6,937.5 million 5,899.3 million 18%
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Revenue Passenger Miles
(RPM) 5,619.5 million 4,626.3 million 21%
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>>
"Along with our 17 per cent growth in ASMs, WestJet's RASM (revenue per
available seat mile) for June was slightly above that of June 2006," continued
Sean Durfy. "The on-going demand for our service positions us well for the
remainder of 2007. We are confident our recently announced winter schedule and
new service to Montego Bay (Jamaica), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) and
Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) will be popular for Canadians."
This disclosure may contain forward-looking statements and are subject
to, and may be affected by, numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which
are beyond WestJet's control. WestJet's results may differ materially from
those expressed in or implied by such statements. Factors that could cause or
contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to: changes in
government policy, exchange rates, interest rates, disruption of supplies,
volatility of fuel prices, terrorism, general economic conditions, the
competitive environment and other factors described in WestJet's public
reports and filings. Forward-looking statements are subject to change and
WestJet does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking
information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.