Alaska Air reported August operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Aaska reported a 7.6% increase in traffic on a 5.4% increase in capacity compared to August 2010. This resulted in a 1.8-point increase in load factor to an August record 88.3%.
Horizon reported an 18.5% decline in traffic on a 19.5% decline in capacity compared to August 2010. This resulted in a 1.0-point increase in load factor to an August record 82.9%. The significant decline in capacity and traffic for Horizon from the prior year is due primarily to the completion of Horizon’s transition out of the CRJ-700 fleet and a corresponding reduction in the size of Horizon’s operating fleet from 53 aircraft at August 31, 2010, to 49 aircraft at August 31, 2011. This transition was completed in June of 2011.
