load factor

load factor Word Origin 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.

Origin of load factor First recorded in 1890–95 British Dictionary definitions for load factor load factor 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