LOW-COST air travel continued unabated last month, with budget airlines easyJet and Go both enjoying a surge in passenger numbers, figures out today show.

Luton-based easyJet, which also flies out of Liverpool, carried 839,472 people in March, up from February's 721,642 passengers and a 39% jump on the previous year.

Stansted-based Go flew 428,999 people in March, a 81.5% surge on the previous year and 70,373 more than in February.

Both airlines also reported an improvement in the crucial load factor, which represents passengers as a proportion of the seats available.

EasyJet's was 85.9%, up from 82.6% a year ago, while Go's was 83.4%. In March 2001, Go's load factor was 74.3%.

Today's figures come less than two months after easyJet and Go's larger rival British Airways said it was overhauling its short-haul strategy in the face of low-cost competitors.

Unveiling its Future Size and Shape review in February, BA said it would not launch a budget service, although it did concede that it needed to shake-up its offering.

But Go chief executive Barbara Cassani said today: "These figures show that British Airways' actions are too little, too late. The low-cost genie is well and truly out of the bottle."

Go used to be owned by BA but was sold to management and venture capitalist 3i last June.

BA said last week that its recovery was on track despite having reported a dip in passenger traffic during March.