MARCH TRAFFIC FIGURES SUBDUED FOR US AIRLINES

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have both reported low traffic gains for the month of March in addition to flying emptier aircraft as they beef up capacity. Delta said traffic rose 0.5% in March. With capacity up 6.2%, Delta’s load factor fell to 79.7% from 84.2%. Traffic in March for American Airlines rose just 0.8%, while a capacity increase of 2.6% meant its load factor also fell to 80.2% from 81.7%. On a more positive note, AirTran Holdings reported upward traffic growth, as did Southwest.