American Reports Record June Traffic

American Airlines reported record passenger traffic for June, with international routes particularly strong.

June's RPM (revenue passenger miles) traffic edged up 0.8 percent from last year to a new record of 21.0 billion. The increase was mainly due to an 8.6 percent lift in traffic on international routes, which more than cancelled out the 3.3 percent fall in domestic RPM traffic.

American increased overall ASM (available seat mile) capacity by 1.1 percent in June, with international boosted by 5.9 percent, again compensating for domestic capacity dwindling by 2.2 percent. Load factor was down 0.2 percentage points at 84.7 percent.

For the first six months of the year, RPM traffic was up 0.4 percent on an ASM capacity increase of just 0.2 percent. Load factor edged up 0.1 of a percentage point to 81.2 percent.

The number of passengers carried fell in both periods, with June down 1.4 percent at 17.86 million, and the first six months down 0.7 percent to 98.18 million, against the previous year periods.

American now expects its second quarter 2017 total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) to be up by approximately 5 to 6 percent year-over-year. That compares to previous guidance of 3.5 to 5.5 percent. The improvement is due primarily to higher passenger yields, with particular strength in the Domestic, Central/South American, and Caribbean regions, the airline said.