load factor

American  

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.

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load factor British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of load factor

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The airline’s chief commercial officer, Mark Galardo, tells analysts that the load factor — or the share of available seats filled by paying passengers — is on track in 3Q to exceed prior year levels.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Fares increased 4% on average while load factor, a measure of how full its planes are, stood flat at 92% for the quarter, Ryanair said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

That was the first time in six quarters that load factor didn’t miss expectations, according to FactSet data.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

Bigger airplanes with fewer flights create a higher load factor, which leads to more delays impacting more passengers.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2023

Many schemes are employed for improving the load factor, or, in other words, to encourage a long use of central station product.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898 by Various