load factor

noun

: the percentage of available seats paid for and occupied in an aircraft

Examples of load factor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The load factor, which measures the number of seats sold onboard each flight, reached 81.8%. Marisa Garcia, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 At the same time load factor—a measure of flight occupancy—has increased to nearly 93% in the six months, pointing to strong travel demand. Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 Nov. 2023 Last April, passenger load factor — the ratio of passengers to seats available — was 84%, a jump from 74% in 2000, according to the Transportation Department. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023 AirAsia is among Asian carriers enjoying high load factors and most of its planes are back in the air. Jonathan Burgos, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 High demand, especially in premium cabins, led to a 13% increase in yields for the German carrier group’s passenger airlines compared with the previous year, with a load factor—a measure of seats sold—at 83%, the same as in 2019. Mauro Orru, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2023 After becoming president of the Chicago Edison company, Insull quickly increased load factor, adopted more efficient steam turbines, became a proponent of AC power, and quickly bought up other companies to turn competitor power stations into substations. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2023 The Canadian airline reported a 1Q record load factor of 84.8% and with strong passenger yields, up 8.8%. wsj.com, 12 May 2023 Meanwhile, Frontier, with a load factor around 85%, is promoting its GoWild! Pass, which enables unlimited summer travel. Ted Reed, Forbes, 4 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'load factor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of load factor was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near load factor

Cite this Entry

“Load factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/load%20factor. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

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