Monday, April 24, 2006
Boxscores: March Traffic Reports
| Air Wisconsin {United Airlines, US Airways} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| DN | DN RPM (miles) |
211.3M
|
264.1M
|
(20%)
|
536.9M
|
684.1M
|
(21.5%)
|
| DN | DN ASM (miles) |
285.2M
|
352.5M
|
(19.1%)
|
804.3M
|
968.2M
|
(16.9%)
|
| DN | DN Load Factor |
74.1%
|
74.9%
|
(0.8 points)
|
66.8%
|
70.7%
|
(3.9 points)
|
| DN | DN Passengers Enplaned |
558,107
|
651,010
|
(14.3%)
|
1.4M
|
1.7M
|
(17.7%)
|
Analysis: In March, Air Wisconsin flew just five planes for United as its long-relationship neared its end. Air Wisconsin flew its BAe 146s to Aspen on seasonal routes. The planes are scheduled to be returned to lessors in April. Air Wisconsin is flying its 70 CRJ 200s for US Airways. The carrier's fleet is smaller than a year ago and it is not being utilized as much as it was last March.
| Great Lakes Aviation [GLUX] {Frontier Airlines, United Airlines} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
10.7M
|
10.3M
|
3.8%
|
29.9M
|
28.1M
|
6.4%
|
| UP | UP ASM (miles) |
24.1M
|
24M
|
0.5%
|
70.7M
|
66.1M
|
6.7%
|
| UP | DN Load Factor |
44.3%
|
42.9%
|
1.4 points
|
42.4%
|
42.5%
|
(0.1 points)
|
| UP | UP Passengers Enplaned |
40,961
|
38,430
|
6.6%
|
113,957
|
104,663
|
8.9%
|
| UP | UP RASM |
29.28 cents
|
24.67 cents
|
18.7%
|
27.77 cents
|
24.06 cents
|
15.4%
|
Analysis: Traffic was up in March for Great Lakes compared to last March primarily because the carrier is now flying more routes. Great Lakes provides service to 40 airports in 10 states with 198 daily flights. A year ago, it had 174 flights to 36 cities.
| Mesa Air Group [MESA] {America West Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
609.6M
|
536.6M
|
13.5%
|
1.5B
|
1.4B
|
12.5%
|
| UP | UP ASM (miles) |
783.5M
|
740.7M
|
5.7%
|
2.1B
|
1.9B
|
9.9%
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
77.8%
|
72.4%
|
5.4 points
|
73.1%
|
71.4%
|
1.7 points
|
| UP | UP Passengers Enplaned |
1.3M
|
1.1M
|
13.3%
|
3.4M
|
3M
|
12.3%
|
Analysis: While traffic up for Mesa in March compared to 12 months ago, Mesa is actually flying less. In March it flew 180 airplanes on 1,050 daily flights to 172 cities. A year ago -- when it was not flying for Delta and before it pulled most of its fleet from US Airways -- Mesa operated 179 aircraft on 1,100 flights.
| Mesaba Aviation (Unit of MAIR Holding [MAIR] {Northwest Airlines} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| DN | DN RPM (miles) |
137.8M
|
181.6M
|
(24.1%)
|
371.1M
|
475.4M
|
(21.9%)
|
| DN | DN ASM (miles) |
196.2M
|
265.1M
|
(26.1%
|
558.8
|
756.6M
|
(26.1%)%
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
70.2%
|
68.5%
|
1.7 points
|
66.4%
|
62.8%
|
3.6 points
|
| DN | DN Passengers Enplaned |
387,555
|
510,308
|
(24.1%)
|
1.01M
|
1.3M
|
(18.9%)
|
Analysis: As it continues to operate in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Mesaba is flying fewer planes than a year ago. Northwest has pulled most of the Avro RJ 85 from the Mesaba fleet. The bulk of the Mesaba routes are now flown on the 50 Saab 340 it leases.
| Midwest Connect (Unit of Midwest Air Group [MEH] {Midwest Airlines} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
21.8M
|
20.2M
|
7.4%
|
58.2M
|
54.4M
|
7.1%
|
| DN | DN ASM (miles) |
32.1M
|
33.3M
|
(3.9%)
|
93.6M
|
94M
|
(0.2%)
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
67.9%
|
60.8%
|
7.1 points
|
62%
|
57.8%
|
4.2 points
|
| UP | UP O&D Passengers |
72,233
|
70,468
|
2.5%
|
192,502
|
186,734
|
3.1%
|
| UP | UP Revenue Yield |
38.08 cents
|
35.46 cents
|
7.4%
|
38.09 cents
|
34.23 cents
|
11.3%
|
| UP | UP RASM |
26.47 cents
|
22.20 cents
|
19.3%
|
24.24 cents
|
20.36 cents
|
19%
|
Analysis: While March-over-March traffic grew at greater rate at Midwest Airlines vs. Midwest Connect, the regional unit posted greater growth in both RASM and revenue yield.
| Pinnacle Airlines [PNCL] {Northwest Airlines} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
356.4M
|
328.5M
|
8.5%
|
971.8M
|
817.6M
|
18.9%
|
| DN | UP ASM (miles) |
465.3M
|
468.7M
|
(0.7%)
|
1.3B
|
1.2B
|
4.1%
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
76.6%
|
70.1%
|
6.5 points
|
72.4%
|
63.5%
|
8.9 points
|
| UP | UP Passengers Enplaned |
745,635
|
657,498
|
13.4%
|
2M
|
1.6M
|
20.8%
|
| DN | UP Block Hours |
35,455
|
35,677
|
(0.6%)
|
102,597
|
100,143
|
2.5%
|
Analysis: Pinnacle continues to operate a fleet that is smaller that its July 2005 peak due the Northwest bankruptcy. However, it was still flying more CRJ 200s in March 2006 than it did in March 2005. Last month Pinnacle set a record by flying 6,020 flights without a cancellation and 94.6 percent of these flights left on time.
| Republic Airways [RJET] (Chautauqua Airlines, Shuttle America, Republic Airlines) {American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways} |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
540.4M
|
371.9M
|
45.3%
|
1.3B
|
961.6M
|
42.9%
|
| UP | UP ASM (miles) |
711.6M
|
512.3M
|
38.9%
|
1.9B
|
1.4B
|
36.5%
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
75.9%
|
72.6%
|
3.3 points
|
69.9%
|
66.8%
|
3.1 points
|
| UP | UP Passengers Enplaned |
1M
|
776.9M
|
32.1%
|
2.5M
|
2M
|
25.4%
|
| UP | UP Block Hours |
43,977
|
38,772
|
13.4%
|
121,632
|
109,349
|
11.2%
|
Analysis: As Republic Airways continues to grow, it reached a new milestone in March as it transported more than 1 million passengers in a single month.The three carriers collective fly 151 regional jets, including 56 Embraer 170s. Last week, Continental awarded Chautauqua a contract to fly up to 69 50-seat RJs as a Continental Express carrier. Chautauqua will begin serving its fifth network carrier next January.
| SkyWest [SKYW] (SkyWest Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines) {Delta Air Lines, United Airlines} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| UP | UP RPM (miles) |
1.3B
|
627.4M
|
119.5%
|
3.6B
|
1.6B
|
123.4%
|
| UP | UP ASM (miles) |
1.6B
|
824.6M
|
105.3%
|
4.7B
|
2.2B
|
110.8
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
81.4%
|
76.1%
|
5.3 points
|
77.6%
|
73.2%
|
4.4 points
|
| UP | UP Passengers Enplaned |
2.7M
|
1.4M
|
97.2%
|
7.4M
|
3.7M
|
99.1%
|
| UP | UP Block Hours |
109,402
|
59,970
|
82.4%
|
305,199
|
165,205
|
84.7%
|
Analysis: SkyWest continues to combine the traffic reports for SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. The triple-digit growth in the March-over-March traffic measurements reflects the combined operations of both carriers versus just the SkyWest operations last March.
| US Airways Group [LCC] (PSA, Piedmont, MidAtlantic Airways) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March Trend | Year-To-Date Trend | March 2006 | March 2005 | Percent Change | Year-To-Date 2006 | Year-To-Date 2005 | Percent Change |
| DN | UP RPM (miles) |
278.1M
|
319M
|
(12.8%)
|
734.7M
|
733.2M
|
0.2%
|
| DN | DN ASM (miles) |
383.1M
|
480.6M
|
(20.3%)
|
1.1B
|
1.2B
|
(7.8%)
|
| UP | UP Load Factor |
72.6%
|
66.4%
|
6.2 points
|
64%
|
58.9%
|
5.1 points
|
Analysis: US Airways Express units flew fewer miles in March compared to March 2005. A year ago, MidAtlantic was a growing part of the regional operations. In the wake of the reorganization as part of its second bankruptcy, US Airways has sold the Embraer 170s flown by MidAtlantic to Republic Airways. Republic has been assuming more of the Embraer flying as its pilots are trained.
( ) Indicates corporate affiliation and operating units. { } indicates code-share partnerships.
Sources: Company reports

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