US Airways Group Inc has cut capacity by two percent for the year's second half, the airline said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

 

More US airlines have been moving to cut domestic capacity recently, as they battle weakening results.

 

By holding the supply of seats in check, the industry allows itself greater pricing power.

 

US Airways cited industry conditions for its decision to trim capacity.

 

The airline also said on Thursday that it filled a higher percentage of seats in June than in any month in the company's history - reporting a "load factor" of 85.3 percent last month, up from 83.7 percent in the same month last year.

 

For the month of June, the airline reported that its capacity was down 1.4 percent and revenue passenger miles were up 0.4 percent from June 2006.

 

"Looking forward, we see an encouraging revenue environment moving into the third quarter due, in part, to stronger year-over-year bookings and improving yield trends," US Airways President Scott Kirby said.

 

In June, about 62 percent of America West and US Airways flights arrived within 14 minutes of the scheduled arrival time, and 2.8 percent of its flights were canceled.

 

US Airways shares gained 96 cents, or 2.9 percent, to US$33.82 on Thursday.

 

(Shanghai Daily July 10, 2007)