UPDATE 2-British Airways hit by slump in U.S. traffic

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By John Bowker

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - British Airways (BAY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday a slump in economy-class travel from the United States helped cut passenger traffic by a worse-than-expected 7 percent in April, sending its shares lower.

The airline said weak market conditions from a month ago had persisted, with long-haul economy traffic particularly weak. Its load factor -- a measure of how full its planes were -- fell 5.1 points to 71.6 percent.

"Weakness in non-premium long-haul traffic has continued -- if anything it's a bit weaker," head of investor relations George Stinnes told reporters.

"It's a reflection of consumer spending -- people feel a bit of a pinch ... in general, non-premium traffic from the U.S. is at the weaker end."

BA said the chaotic opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5, which caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights, also had an impact as travellers remained wary of the stuttering operation.

"(The figures) look a bit weaker than expected, although I wonder whether a lot of it is down to Terminal 5 and the noise surrounding its disastrous start," Collins Stewart analyst Andrew Fitchie told Reuters.

BA shares were down 3.5 percent at 240.25 pence by 1500 GMT, valuing the company at 2.8 billion pounds ($5.50 billion).