LUTON (dpa-AFX) - Low-cost airline easyJet Plc (EZJ.L) on Monday said total number of passengers for the month of January edged down from last year, while its load factor - a capacity utilization measure - increased. Total passengers, representing the number of earned seats flown, were 3.73 million, down 0.4 percent from 3.74 million a year ago. The company noted that earned seats include seats that are flown whether or not the passenger turns up because easyJet is a no-refund airline. Load factor improved 3 percentage points to 81.9 percent from 78.9 percent last year. In December, easyJet's load factor declined 0.2 percentage points to 85.6 percent and total passengers rose 13.1 percent to 4.14 million. On a rolling 12 months basis ended January, load factor increased 0.6 percentage points to 87.7 percent from 87.1 percent in the prior year. Total passenger number climbed 10.2 percent to 55.46 million from 50.32 million a year ago. On January 26, easyJet had reported a 16.7 percent rise in first-quarter revenues to 763 million pounds driven by increased passenger numbers and the absence of winter-related disruptions. Chief Executive Carolyn McCall then said that the 'good performance in the quarter has meant we are cautiously confident in our outlook for the business.' Passengers carried increased 8.1 percent in the quarter and seats flown or capacity grew 6.9 percent with the growth focused on markets with the potential to generate higher yields such as South East England, France and Switzerland. The results also reflected higher fees and charges following firm pricing action taken to offset increased regulatory and administrative costs. The company had also said it expects to recover most of its first-half fuel bill such that first-half losses would be comparable to that of the prior year's. For the first half, easyJet expects capacity to be flat, adjusting for disruption, with growth of around 4 percent for the full year. Taking the absence of snow disruption, the company expects to grow seats flown by around 3 percent for the first half and by around 5 percent for the full year. easyJet shares closed Friday's regular trading at 476.10 pence, up 17.70 pence or 3.86 percent in London.
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