By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fast-expanding JetBlue had another traffic surge in August, according to the New York City-based carrier’s latest data report.

JetBlue tallied 4.42 billion revenue passenger miles in August, a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2016, while available seat miles rose by 5.4 percent to 5.077 billion last month.

Load factor in August rose by 0.3 percentage points to 87.1 percent.

For the year, the carrier’s revenue passenger miles are up 4.6 percent to 32.4 billion, while available seat miles are up 4.8 percent to 38.04 billion in the first eight months of the year.

JetBlue has been the fastest-growing carrier in the Caribbean for several years, though it’s not yet clear how Hurricane Irma will impact the company’s network in the Caribbean, particularly in the Virgin Islands.

“Our thoughts go to all those affected by Irma, including our crewmembers and customers throughout the Caribbean and in Florida who have been impacted,” Robin Hayes, president and CEO, JetBlue sait in a statement. “Our focus remains on deploying assistance to our crewmembers and resuming operations safely. We will update the market on the operational and financial impact of Irma in the coming weeks.”