WestJet's passenger revenue grew 6.2 percent year over year to 1.2 billion Canadian dollars during the first quarter. Traffic and capacity each increased 5.3 percent, both driven by increases on crossborder and international routes. Yield rose 0.3 percent. Domestic capacity decreased 2.7 percent, due both to flight cancellations amid bad weather in Eastern Canada and to the grounding of the carrier's Boeing Max fleet as of March 13. The share of Max aircraft among WestJet's full fleet is among the largest for North American carriers; the 13 aircraft represent more than 7 percent of its total fleet. WestJet noted that it is using the time the aircraft are grounded to get them reconfigured with two-by-two Premium cabin seating configurations earlier than scheduled. WestJet reported net earnings of 45.6 million Canadian dollars in the quarter, up from 34.2 million Canadian dollars in the first quarter of 2018.
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