Air Canada flew 0.9 per cent less revenue
passenger miles (RPMs) in January 2002 than in January 2001, according to
preliminary traffic figures. Capacity declined by 9.0 per cent, resulting in a
load factor of 73.0 per cent, compared to 67.1 per cent in January 2001; an
improvement of 5.9 percentage points.
 
The system load factor of 73% was an all-time high for the month of January. “It is encouraging to note that January traffic on transborder routes to the US virtually recovered, down only 0.5% from 2001,” said Rob Peterson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “Demand on the Pacific routes, particularly Japan, and to a lesser extent on the transatlantic,
continues to show weakness. Yields are likely to remain under some pressure, as the recovery in traffic has been centered in the economy class and not in the premium fare categories,” he said.

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