Ajamieson.... Agree it is a bit of a boring story, July load factor of 163 is pretty rubbish though for LHRIAD. If they are not getting better loads than this in July they are finding the going tough:D

F70 agree with you. As SLF, I have found the UA load factors on the earlier LHRJFK or LHRIAD flights alarmingly low. Flights later in the day are usually oversold.

<<July load factor of 163 is pretty rubbish though for LHRIAD>>

Really?! And what do you think the "load factor" was?

The LH BA 763 config (3 class) is ~178 I think. If UA has a similalr config, then a pretty good load factor I'd say... And for yield, far more importantly to know where those 163 were sitting (or rather paid to sit).

Maybe that is why UA had a 763 on the early LHR-IAD - good commercial planning offering some of their PAX an early flight option, with larger ac (777) on the busier later flights.

NoD

and the load factor is.....
 

NOD is right,

United's 767-300 long-haul config is 10-38-158(206), making utilisation of 79%!

79% is rubbish for a long haul sector in July, if these flights are not packed in July God help them on a cold November Wednesday. Most of their pax are transit at IAD not point to point and as such the sector yield is weak (check the prices that they have out there with Consolidators) - you need to pack em in to make it work. Should be standing room only July - August.

Fokker70

Ebookers fares LHR-IAD 17/7(7 days):

BMI - £392
UA=£451
BA - £468
Virgin - £521

So UA not the cheapest then.

At the end of May, bmi were publishing ".....recent load factors of 70% on transatlantic flights"

For European Airlines(AEA), the North Atlantic Load Factor for May 2002 was 79.1%. This figure was about 4% higher than estimates, due to a reduction in traffic of about 16%, and a reduction in capacity of about 20% compared with 12 months previously.

NOD

LHR-IAD is on B763 for both morning deps and B777 for the afternoon.

Said this before guys!!!

Yield yield yield....forget the forking load factor!!!!!

Newswatcher

I have been out of the country for a few days.
Just a couple of points
bmi do not fly the route ex LHR non stop, therefore the cheapest on the route is UA! Never one to say told you so...they also have a big connect business at IAD which they are selling at very low yield also.

May load factor and July have little in common, my comment related to July load factor not May not average etc.

Point taken re yield vs load factor, I say fill it up before getting clever. As long as higher yield is not being displaced (and good revenue management can sort that one) then fill em to the gills.