EasyJet narrows its winter losses as it attracts more business travellers

The airline business is a seasonal one and European airlines tend to lose money in the winter. EasyJet is no exception in this respect, but it has again narrowed its winter loss in 1HFY2014. With targeted capacity growth, it increased its revenue per seat faster than cost per seat.

Revenue per seat was also helped by a growing number of passengers flying for business purposes. On a rolling 12 month basis, easyJet said that it carried 12 million business travellers in the year to Mar-2014, around 20% of total passenger numbers. Since it started to target business passengers in 2010, the number has grown by 44%, demonstrating what can be achieved without having a business class cabin.

Competitor capacity growth is accelerating this summer and easyJet will see its own growth accelerated by the inclusion of Gatwick slots acquired from Flybe. This may lead to some downward pressure on yields, although the strength of its network and product features such as allocated seating may mitigate this. Certainly, narrower winter losses place it well for another year of healthy growth in profit.