AA Cargo slips in third quarter

For the third quarter in a row, American Airlines Cargo saw a drop in cargo business, reporting US$180 million in airfreight revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 30, which is 16.3 percent less than the $215 million in the same quarter of 2014. For the nine-month period, January through September, the division saw an 11.6 percent reduction in cargo revenue, year-over-year, to $569 million.

Cargo ton miles (CTMs), however, were up slightly by 0.4 percent, y-o-y, with the carrier transporting 569 million CTMs in the quarter, compared to 566 million in the previous Q3. Overall, the airline’s operating revenue for the quarter was down 3.9 percent from $11.1 billion in 2014 to $10.7 billion this year.

Mirroring revenue, third-quarter cargo yield was lower per ton mile, dropping to $31.63 for the quarter versus $37.98 last year – a 16.7 percent decline.