United Airlines Traffic Down 11.5% Year Over Year

CHICAGO -- Traffic on United Airlines fell 11.5% in December from a year earlier, with the worst weakness on flights in the Pacific region, according to preliminary figures released Monday.

However, flights were slightly more full than a year earlier because United slashed capacity on scheduled flights by 12.7% in response to high fuel prices early in the year.

Traffic fell across all regions, with United boarding 4.66 million passengers in December compared with 5.13 million a year earlier.

United, a unit of Chicago-based UAL (UAUA Quote), said domestic traffic measured in miles flown by paying customers fell 18.8% in the Pacific, 9.5% in North America and Latin America and 7.6% across the Atlantic. ...