Southwest Airlines's fourth-quarter earnings rose 13% to $131 million as business travelers return after the recession, the company reported Thursday. But will fuel prices cause airline turbulence?
Considering how often airline industry executives complain about how hard it is to run a profitable carrier, one might expect their efforts could go unrewarded -- at least monetarily. Not so at the new United Continental Holdings, where big post-merger raises are coming for top management.
Steven Slater's daring departure from a JetBlue airplane last month made him the darling of disgruntled airline employees everywhere. But the former flight attendant is showing less braggadocio these days, having agreed to a mental evaluation as he attempts to avoid jail time.
American Airlines was hit with a record $24.2 million fine by the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday for failing two years ago to comply with mandatory safety rules.
UAL Corp., the parent of United Airlines, reported sharply higher earnings in the second quarter of $273 million, or $1.29 a share. Quarterly revenue rose 28.4% to $5.16 billion from $4 billion.
