The US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported that US airlines’ systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service load factor – a measure of the use of airline capacity – fell to 82.6% in November, seasonally adjusted, after remaining virtually unchanged for four consecutive months. Seasonal adjustment allows the comparing of monthly load factors to all other months.
The November load factor of 82.6% was the lowest since the July 2012 load factor of 82.5%. US airlines’ load factor reached a seasonally-adjusted all-time high of 84.4% in January 2014 and gradually declined throughout the year. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares the system use, measured in Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs) as a proportion of system capacity, measured in Available Seat-Miles (ASMs). The seasonally-adjusted load factor fell from October to November as a result of a decline in RPMs and an increase in ASMs.