For the month of December, Air Canada has reported a system load factor of 81.2% on a consolidated basis with Jazz (from which Air Canada purchases regional capacity), versus 81.7% in December 2008, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points. System traffic increased 3.4% on a capacity increase of 4.0% system wide.
"For the month of December and full year 2009, Air Canada recorded load factors of 81.2 and 80.7%, respectively, on a consolidated basis with Jazz," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. "These strong results underscore the effectiveness of our on-going disciplined approach to managing capacity in a difficult economic environment. I am proud of our employees who remained focused on taking care of our customers while maintaining a safe and secure operation during winter storms and the recent implementation of new security measures. It is especially rewarding that their dedication and professionalism have been recognized by our customers who ranked Air Canada as the best North American airline in recent readership surveys conducted by two international business traveller magazines."
In 2009 readership surveys, Global Traveler magazine readers voted Air Canada as the Best Airline in North America and Canada, and Business Traveler magazine readers voted Air Canada as the top airline in North America for Best Flight Attendants, Best In-Flight Services, Best Business Class Service and as Best North American Airline for International Travel.
