US Airways Traffic Up 5% in January

US Airways Group (NYSE:LCC) said Tuesday its consolidated traffic last month rose 5% from a year earlier, driven by greater demand for domestic travel.

The carrier had previously expressed a rosy outlook for travel demand throughout the airline industry. US Airways has increased its total number of available seats in recent months, reversing course from last year’s move to reduce capacity.

Last month, consolidated capacity edged up 1.8%. Load factor, or the percentage of seats filled, was up to 80.7% from 78.2%, setting a January record for US Airways.

The company said domestic enplanements increased 2.5%. Its Latin segment saw a 3.4% jump, while the Atlantic segment posted a 2.5% decline.

Passenger revenue per available seat mile, which is considered an important gauge of performance for carriers, rose 3% over January 2012.

Shares of US Airways were up 26 cents, or 1.86%, to $14.25 a share in early morning trading Tuesday. The stock is up 46.4% over the last 12 months.