Frontier Airlines reported a 10.6 percent increase in passenger traffic in February, although its planes weren't as full as they were during the same month in 2006.

The Denver-based carrier said its load factor — a measure of occupancy on its planes — fell to 70.8 percent in February, down from 72.8 percent in the year-ago period.

Capacity rose 13.8 percent, outpacing the rise in overall passenger traffic.

Frontier said it still expects a loss for the March quarter, excluding unrealized fuel derivative gains and losses.

"This quarter’s loss would have been of similar magnitude to the loss reported in last year’s March quarter if not for an additional estimated .11 cent loss per share caused by two major snowstorms that hit our Denver hub in late December and early January," Jeff Potter, Frontier's chief executive officer, said in a release.



Frontier is facing revenue pressure amid tough competition in Denver, where fares on some routes are down significantly.

The carrier's passenger revenue per available seat mile fell 20 cents in February to 7.33 cents.