Topic: How To Invest

Stock Pickers Digest Hotline – Friday, July 22, 2016

Article Excerpt

WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $22.86, symbol WJA on Toronto, carried a record 5.3 million passengers in the second quarter, ended June 30, 2016. That’s up 7.0% from 4.9 million a year earlier. In the month of June, the percentage of available seats that were occupied by paying passengers—the airline’s load factor—rose to 80.4% from 76.9%. Revenue passenger miles (the total number of paying passengers on each plane multiplied by the distance travelled in miles) rose 10.6% in the latest quarter. In June, WestJet faced some delays and cancellations with its new direct flights to London, England, from six major Canadian cities. Those difficulties were caused by mechanical problems with the 767 aircraft it purchased from Qantas Airways. In spite of the problems, the flights were well booked, and management believes the London routes will be profitable in their first year. Generally, demand for WestJet flights remains high, and the company continues to enter into partnerships with other airlines. Its regional air carrier, WestJet Encore,…