Air Canada Reports Increases in Traffic, Capacity for 2011

Air Canada reported load factors of 81.6 percent in 2011, the second highest since 2010, when its load factors were 81.7 percent. Calin Rovinescu, president and chief executive officer, said that the airline saw traffic growth in all of the markets it serves.

Its traffic was up 4.5 percent, capacity was up 4.7 percent and load factors were down 0.1 percent. Air Canada faced labor problems during the year, going to the brink of a strike in the fall with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing the airline's approximately 6,800 flight attendants.