US Airways Group, Inc. Reports Record 82.8% May Load Factor

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Jun. 3, 2009-- US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE:LCC) today reported May and year-to-date 2009 traffic results. Mainline revenue passenger miles (RPMs) for the month were 5.1 billion, down 5.2 percent versus May 2008. Capacity was 6.2 billion available seat miles (ASMs), down 5.8 percent versus May 2008. Passenger load factor for the month of May was a record 82.8 percent, up 0.5 points versus May 2008.

US Airways President Scott Kirby said, "Our May consolidated (mainline and Express) passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) was down approximately 18 to 20 percent versus the same period last year while total revenue per available seat mile decreased between 14 and 16 percent on a year-over-year basis. We estimate that the H1N1 impact was approximately $20 million in lost revenue in May.”

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For the month of May, US Airways’ preliminary on-time performance as reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) was 79.2 percent with a completion factor of 99.1 percent.

US Airways is also providing a brief update on notable company accomplishments during the month of May:

* Completed a public offering of stock and convertible notes. The net proceeds from those offerings, including the exercise of overallotment options, after underwriting discounts and transactions fees, was $234 million.
* Inaugurated new service to Birmingham, U.K., and Oslo, Norway from the airline’s international gateway, Philadelphia International Airport.
* Announced the launch of daily nonstop flights between its hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C. and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beginning December 2, 2009, pending final approval from the Brazilian government. Rio de Janeiro is US Airways’ first service to South America and the airline’s fifth new international route this year.

US Airways was America’s number one on-time airline in 2008 among the “Big Six” hub-and-spoke airlines according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Source: US Airways