load factor

noun

1. the amount or weight of cargo, number of passengers, etc., that an aircraft, vehicle, or vessel can carry.
2. the percentage of available seats, space, or maximum carrying weight paid for and used by passengers, shippers, etc.:

   An airline can't profit on a 40 percent load factor.

3. Electricity. the ratio of the average load over a designated period of time to the peak load occurring in that period.

load factor

noun

1. the ratio of the average electric load to the peak load over a period of time
2. aeronautics
   1. the ratio of a given external load to the weight of an aircraft
   2. the actual payload carried by an aircraft as a percentage of its maximum payload

Word History and Origins

Origin of load factor¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The load factors of flights going from India to Europe and Africa exceeded 75% last year, driven by connecting passengers, according to Kwan.

From Seattle Times

Delta's load factor in the March quarter dropped by 4 percentage points from a quarter ago.

From Reuters

At 81.6%, India was also the top domestic market in terms of passenger load factor - the percentage of seats filled by airlines - compared to countries such as the US, China, Japan, Australia and Brazil.

From BBC

Lufthansa said on Thursday that the continued high premium demand from leisure travellers was especially remarkable, with load factors in Business and First Class exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

From Reuters

For Britain's October school holiday and the Christmas week, easyJet said ticket sales exceeded pre-pandemic levels and load factors - a measure of seats filled - for winter bookings and pricing were robust.

From Reuters