# Load factor

Load factor measures how much available seat capacity is occupied, helping airlines understand demand and utilisation.

Load factor is an airline metric that compares occupied seats with available
seat capacity. It shows how full a flight, route, or network is. The metric is
useful for understanding demand and utilisation, but it does not explain
profitability on its own.

## What load factor measures

Load factor describes how much of the available seat capacity is occupied. It
can be read at flight, route, market, or network level, depending on the
question being asked.

The metric is useful because aircraft capacity is perishable. Once a flight
departs, unsold seats cannot be sold for that departure. Load factor helps teams
understand how well capacity is being used.

## Why it is not the whole answer

A fuller aircraft is not automatically a better commercial result. Fare mix,
yield, ancillary revenue, operating cost, and disruption all affect the final
outcome.

This is why load factor should be read with revenue and margin metrics. It
shows utilisation, not complete commercial health.

## Why it matters for ancillaries

Load factor can influence the remaining choice available to travellers. As a
flight fills, seat options, cabin conditions, and the urgency of some decisions
can change.

For merchandising, the useful question is not only how full the aircraft is. It
is what the remaining capacity means for the traveller's next decision.

That decision may involve seat choice, cabin position, or whether waiting will
reduce the options left. Load factor gives useful context, not a standalone
answer.

It also helps separate scarcity from value. A nearly full flight may make some
options rarer, but the traveller still needs a clear reason to pay for them.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is load factor?

It is the share of available seat capacity that is occupied on a flight, route, or network.

### Is a higher load factor always better?

Not automatically. It needs to be read with yield, fare mix, ancillary revenue, and operating cost.

### Why does load factor matter for retailing?

It helps explain demand pressure, remaining choice, and how much capacity is left to merchandise.