Glossary

Definition of key operating and financial indicators

Our key operating and financial indicators are airline industry metrics that are useful in assessing the performance of an airline.


A measure of total guest capacity, calculated by multiplying the number of seats available for guest use in an aircraft by stage length.

The average distance of a non-stop flight leg between take-off and landing as defined by International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines.

Operating expenses divided by available seat miles.

One flight counted by the aircraft leaving the ground and landing.

A ratio that indicates the profitability of a company’s operations. This ratio does not take into account the company’s tax structure. This ratio is calculated with total revenue to EBT.

Segment of a flight involving a stopover, change of aircraft or change of airline from one landing site to another.

Last twelve months.

A measure of total capacity utilization, calculated by dividing revenue passenger miles by total available seat miles.

A ratio that indicates the profitability of current operations. This ratio does not take into account the company’s capital and tax structure. This ratio is calculated with earnings from operations to total revenue.

A measure of guest traffic, calculated by multiplying the number of segment guests by stage length.

Total revenues divided by available seat miles.

Any person who has been booked to occupy a seat on a flight leg and is not a member of the crew assigned to the flight.

A calculation used to assess a company’s efficiency at allocating capital under its control to profitable investments. Our calculation time period includes last twelve months.

Operating hours per day per operating aircraft.

A measure of unit revenue, calculated as the gross revenue generated per revenue passenger mile.