SkyWest Inc., which operates SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, said Monday that its traffic rose 5.4 percent in December.
The company said it flew 1.42 billion revenue passenger miles last month, up from 1.35 billion in December 2008.
A revenue passenger mile is an industry metric measuring one paying passenger flown one mile.
Available seat miles, or capacity, increased 6.5 percent in December to 1.84 billion, from 1.72 billion a year earlier.
Occupancy fell 0.8 percentage points to 77.4 percent, from 78.2 percent in the same period in 2008.
For all of 2009, consolidated revenue passenger miles totaled 17.45 billion, compared with 17.10 billion in 2008. Available seat miles edged up to 22.14 billion from 22.02 billion in 2008. Load factor rose to 78.8 percent in 2009, from 77.7 percent in 2008.
SkyWest Airlines operates as United Express and Delta Connection carriers under contracts with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The SkyWest Airlines arrangement with Midwest Airlines expired on Dec. 31. SkyWest Airlines also operates flights for AirTran Airways under a marketing agreement.
ASA operates as a Delta Connection carrier under a contractual agreement with Delta.
