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Sean Durfy, president and CEO of WestJet, leans on a globe outside the airline's offices.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

WestJet said Wednesday its May traffic was down in a "tough demand environment" as economic uncertainty ate away at consumer confidence.

The Calgary-based airline said its load factor for the month was 74.1 per cent, down 5.4 percentage points from May, 2008, as revenue passenger miles - a measure of performance in the airline industry - fell 5.8 per cent year-over-year and capacity increased 1.2 per cent.

"Seasonally adjusting our capacity makes May a challenging month for WestJet," president and CEO Sean Durfy said in a statement.

"Transitioning over 20 per cent of our capacity back to our domestic schedule in the May shoulder period, coupled with the tough demand environment, impacted our revenue per available seat mile performance."

The airline noted that last year's revenue per available seat mile numbers were boosted by a healthier Canadian economy and a fuel surcharge.

"A continued weakened economy and aggressive pricing are leading to reduced fare levels, making it a difficult quarter," Mr. Durfy added, with RASM down in the second quarter 16 to 18 per cent year over year.

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