WestJet reports February load factor of 83.2 per cent

Airline increases traffic by 7.7 per cent and flies a record 1.7 million guests

CALGARY, March 3, 2016 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced February 2016 traffic results with a load factor of 83.2 per cent. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.7 per cent year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 9.2 per cent over the same period. The airline flew a record 1.7 million guests in February, a year-over-year increase of 7.7 per cent or approximately 122,000 additional guests.

"We are pleased with our continued strong traffic growth in February and our booked load factor for March is up year over year." said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "We flew a record number of guests for the month of February while celebrating WestJet's 20th birthday. I want to thank our more than 11,000 WestJetters for continuing to deliver the remarkable guest experience WestJet has become known for over the last two decades."

February 2016 traffic results

	February 2016	February 2015	Change
Load factor	83.2%	84.3%	(1.1 pts)
ASMs (billions)	2.308	2.114	9.2%
RPMs (billions)	1.919	1.782	7.7%
	Year-to-date 2016	Year-to-date 2015	Change
Load factor	81.5%	81.8%	(0.3 pts)
ASMs (billions)	4.803	4.446	8.0%
RPMs (billions)	3.917	3.636	7.7%

In February, WestJet announced non-stop seasonal routes between Brandon, Manitoba and Toronto, and between Vancouver and both Hamilton and London, Ontario, providing WestJet guests with greater convenience and more connectivity. These limited-addition flights will be offered only during the peak summer travel season.

In February, WestJet also launched a 20^th Birthday Sale featuring savings on flights and vacation packages to select destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. The sale runs until March 7, 2016, for travel from April 1, 2016 until June 28, 2016.

About WestJet

We are proud to be Canada's highest-rated airline for customer service, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country's top employers. We offer scheduled service to 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our regional airline, WestJet Encore, and with partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 150 destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet's extensive network, flight schedule and remarkable guest experience, WestJet Vacations delivers affordable, flexible travel experiences with a variety of accommodation options for every guest. Members of our WestJet Rewards program earn WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more. Our members use WestJet dollars towards the purchase of WestJet flights and vacations packages on any day, at any time, to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods  ̶  even on seat sales. For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com. 

Recent recognition includes:

2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt)
2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (MoneySense magazine)2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in the Canada's Choice ranking (RewardsCanada.ca)
2014 Interbrand Canada's Best Canadian Brands (Rank #20)
2014 Brands of the Year (Strategy magazine)
2014 Canada's Most Preferred Airline (Ipsos)
2014 Value Airline of the Year (Air Transport World magazine)
2014/2013/2012 Canada's Most Attractive Employer (Randstad)
2014/2013/2012/2011 Highest equity score: airline, vacation package supplier brands (Harris/Decima EquiTrend Study)

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SOURCE WestJet

WestJet Media Relations, 1-888-WJ-4-NEWS (1-888-954-6397), Email: [email protected], Website: www.westjet.com; WestJet Investor Relations, 1-877-493-7853, Email: [email protected]