AMR Corp.  said American Airlines’ August traffic rose 3.1 percent, a bigger increase than the preceding month, on continued international strength.

Most U.S. airlines have been reporting notable increases in traffic as travelers return to flying. Airlines had been cutting capacity in recent years, first in response to record-high fuel prices and then to cope with a plunge in demand during the recession.
American’s August growth compared with a 2.7 percent increase in July. Last month’s figure was helped by 7.1 percent growth in international travel, while domestic traffic ticked up 0.6 percent. Capacity increased 3.2 percent.

Load factor, a measure of plane fullness, was flat at 84.6 percent.

Earlier Friday, Delta Air Lines Inc., the world’s largest airline, reported that U.S. traffic slid 0.5 percent at its namesake operation last month from a year earlier after declines in July.

Among airlines posting traffic increases last month were US Airways Group Inc.  and Continental Airlines Inc.  Continental and United Airlines parent UAL Corp. expect their merger to close Oct. 1.

AMR shares were at $6.22, down 0.5 percent, in after-hours trading.