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Airline achieves its second highest October load factor

CALGARY, Nov. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced October 2013 traffic results with a load factor of 79.2 cent. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 5.4 per cent year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 8.1 per cent over the same period. The airline flew a record 1.5 million guests in October, a year-over-year increase of 4.3 per cent or approximately 62,000 additional guests.

"We are very pleased with the continued strong traffic growth we saw in the month, as we achieved our second-highest October load factor following last year's record. At the same time, our on-time performance improved significantly compared to October last year, rising 12.0 points to 83.1 per cent," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "As we enter the busy winter season, my thanks go out to WestJetters for their continued dedication to ensuring our guests have a safe and remarkable travel experience."

WestJet will hold its quarterly analysts' conference call today, November 5, 2013, at 8 a.m. MDT (10 a.m. EDT). President and CEO Gregg Saretsky and Executive Vice-President of Finance and CFO Vito Culmone will discuss WestJet's third quarter 2013 results and answer questions from financial analysts and members of the media. The conference call will be available in Toronto by calling 416-915-3239, in Vancouver by calling 604-638-5340 and across Canada and the United States through the toll-free telephone number 1-800-319-4610. The call can also be heard live through an Internet webcast accessible via the Media and Investor Relations section of www.westjet.com.

About WestJet

WestJet is Canada's most preferred airline, offering scheduled service to 87 destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Powered by an award-winning culture of care, WestJet pioneered low-cost flying in Canada. Recognized nationally as a top employer, WestJet now has more than 9,600 WestJetters across Canada. Operating a fleet of more than 100 Boeing Next-Generation 737 and Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, WestJet strives to be one of the five most successful international airlines in the world. This year, WestJet launched its new regional airline, WestJet Encore.

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SOURCE WestJet