Get a Load of Those Load Factors (Cont'd)

As noted here the other day when Continental said its load factor was 87.8 percent in July, up 3.1 percentage points from July 2008, airlines are packing more people into fewer planes, and their load factors are soaring to the point where on most routes, airplanes are taking off without a single empty seat.

United Airlines now says its load factor in July was 88.9 percent, up 2.6 percentage points from July 2008. Capacity was down 11.4 percent domestically.

Same picture at US Airways: Load factor 87.5 percent, up 2.3 points. Capacity down 11.2 percent.

[UPDATE: Same story at American Airlines: Load factor, 87.3 percent, up 1.4 points; domestic capacity down 10.4 percent.]

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