DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) said its planes hit record capacity use again in June despite a continued slump in demand.

The data marks the third straight month and the seventh time since August that the company has posted record monthly load factor. It also shows the improvements airlines are making to match capacity with demand.

Load factor, or the percentage of available seats filled, rose to 86.8% in June for US Airways, up 1.8 percentage points from a year earlier.

Capacity for the month fell 6.1% from a year earlier. Airlines have been cutting back supply, mainly by bigger amounts than US Airways' figure, amid a drop in both business and leisure travel as consumers reduce spending.

Total revenue per available seat mile declined 18% in June from a year earlier as fares fell along with fuel costs.

Meanwhile, AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines also reported June data Monday, saying it had a load factor of 85.1%, down 0.3 points, as capacity fell 7.8% and traffic decreased 8.1%.

US Airways' shares were recently down 3.3% at $2.38 in premarket trading, while AMR's were unchanged from Thursday's close at $4.22. U.S. stock markets were closed Friday for a holiday.

-By Kerry Grace Benn, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2353; kerry.benn@dowjones.com