August's North American Air Traffic At Lowest Level In 10 Years, Says OAG

August's North American Air Traffic At Lowest Level In 10 Years, Says OAG PR Newswire CHICAGO, Aug. 8, 2012 - Region loses nearly a million seats CHICAGO, Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Scheduled flight operations within North America will be at their lowest August level for 10 years, according to the latest statistics from flight schedule data market leader OAG, a UBM Aviation brand. The OAG FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) for August 2012 reveals that this month there will be 953,083 fewer air seats offered within North America compared with August 2011, with 21,401 fewer flights. For the year to date, decreases of two per cent in flights and one per cent in seat capacity have been experienced compared with the first eight months of 2011. "Against the backdrop of a slowing economy the North American region is experiencing general consolidation of its internal scheduled air services," said Rob Shaw, Director Analytics. "This is partly the natural consequence of the well-publicised airline mergers of recent years, but it also reflects the strategy of individual carriers in a tough trading environment: reducing capacity to maintain fares at a profitable level." Only three of North America's top 10 hubs (San Francisco at 7%, Charlotte at 5% and Toronto at 4%) will show significant growth in seat capacity this month, while capacity at Chicago O'Hare will drop by three per cent.