STOCKHOLM (AFX) - SAS AB said total passenger traffic for the group measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose 5.2 pct in September from a year earlier.
The total number of passengers transported by the group, which includes Scandinavian Airlines, Spanair, SAS Braathens and Wideroe, rose 2.4 pct to 3.6 mln in September from a year earlier.
Group load factor increased 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier to 73.9 pct.
For the Scandinavian Airlines businesses, RPK fell 0.2 pct from a year earlier, while passenger load factor fell 0.6 percentage points to 76.5 pct.
Yield -- which measures average revenue per passenger per kilometre travelled -- was up 10 pct in August year-on-year at Scandinavian Airlines, positively affected by yield management to offset high jet fuel prices and focus on dynamic traffic planning, SAS said.
In September, SAS said the yield is expected to be positive versus last year but the increase will probably be 'somewhat lower' than for August.
'The market growth is stable and yield environment has improved, but there are still uncertainties due to the competitive situation and the future development of jet fuel prices. The strategy is to offset the increase through hedging, yield management and cost reductions,' it added. stockholm@afxnews.com sjr/cml COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited