United, AirTran add to storm tally

United Airlines and AirTran Airways yesterday revealed the amount of revenue lost as a result of last month's record-breaking snowstorms in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US.

UA said the storms cost it $40 million in foregone revenue as consolidated February RASM rose 17%-19% year-over-year as system capacity dropped 5.3%. It would have been down just 1.8% without cancellations resulting from the winter weather. UA flew 7.82 billion RPMs during the month, up 2.1%, while ASMs were down to 9.93 billion. Load factor rose 5.7 points to 78.7%.

Atlanta-based AirTran said it already has cancelled more than 1,400 flights in 2010 with a revenue hit of $5-$6 million. It did not reach that number in 2009 until November. It now expects to report a 6% year-over-year increase in first-quarter capacity rather than the 7%-8% it had expected (ATWOnline, March 8). First-quarter yield is up 3.5%-4.5% year-over-year, more than the 2.5%-3.5% formerly forecast, while unit cost excluding fuel is up 4%-5% rather than 2.5%-3% "due to operational disruptions," it said.

Continental Airlines ($25 million), Southwest Airlines ($15 million) and US Airways ($30 million) also have estimated the weather's revenue impact (ATWOnline, Feb. 12).