United Airlines' traffic and load factors soar in July

United Airlines really packed planes around the world in July. The carrier late Wednesday released a sizzling July ops report that reflected significant growth in a number of key categories. Traffic grew at a fast clip, with overall domestic traffic climbing 9.1% in July compared to a year ago. Mainline domestic traffic climbed 7.5% year over year, while regional domestic traffic soared 17.6% compared to a year ago. The huge increase in regional traffic reflects the large number of new second- and third-tier and even smaller markets United has begun serving over the past several months. On the international front, trans-Atlantic traffic remains exceptionally strong, growing 11% in July compared to a year ago. Trans-Pacific traffic grew a far more modest 0.3%. <br/>