Continental Air's March Traffic Declines

Continental Airlines said Wednesday that companywide traffic fell 9.7 percent in March from a year earlier as the weak economy strained demand for travel.

Revenue passenger miles came to 7.48 billion at Continental's main unit and its regional affiliates in the month, down from 8.29 billion a year ago. Capacity, measured by available seat miles, fell 6.4 percent to 9.43 billion.

Domestic traffic was down 12.4 percent, while international traffic slipped 7.5 percent.

The percentage of seats filled with passengers came to 79.4 percent companywide in March, down from a load factor of 82.3 percent the year before. Cargo traffic, measured by revenue ton miles, fell 21.3 percent.

The airline sector is grappling with weaker demand as economies sag around the world and businesses trim costs. Carriers have responded by cutting capacity and adding fees for food and baggage in a bid to create new revenue streams.