Two of the big three U.S.-based airlines posted strong cargo results for October, paced by United Airlines, which logged 227,445 cargo ton miles, an increase of 15.8 percent over the same month a year ago, while American Airlines reported cargo traffic up 4.9 percent to 213,371 CTMs.
But when it comes to air cargo, Delta Air Lines continues to miss the boat (so to speak), reporting October traffic down 0.9% to 214,679 CTMs.
Air Canada’s cargo revenue for the third quarter was $128 million, up 6.5 percent from 2013. It registered a 6.9 percent increase in traffic, buoyed by strong demand from North America to Europe. However, it registered a 0.5 percent yield decrease, which reflected yield declines in all markets with the exception of the Pacific market. Air Canada said the overall yield decline was due to the impact of increased industry capacity and aggressive competitive pricing activities. In the domestic market, the use of larger aircraft on transcontinental routes put pressure on yields in the third quarter of 2014.
Air Canada and Air China also announced this week plans for a revenue-sharing joint venture on routes between Canada and China. The deal calls for enhanced cooperation between the two carriers in sales, marketing and airport operations. It remains to be seen how this deal will affect cargo.
“Air Canada Cargo will be evaluating opportunities with Air China,” Lise-Marie Turpin, vice president, cargo, tells Air Cargo World.