Airlines experience poor quarter

Airlines experience poor quarter

U.S. airline carriers continued to struggle with high fuel prices and maintenance, though AirTran Holdings Inc. increased second-quarter profits by cutting costs in other areas. US Airways Group Inc. said its second-quarter earnings fell 14 percent, in part because of fuel costs. Among other U.S. carriers posting results Thursday, Midwest Air Group Inc. said its second-quarter earnings fell 45 percent, to $4.9 million. Alaska Air Group Inc. said its income slid 17 percent to $46.1 million in the second quarter. Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. posted a net loss of $3.5 million in its fiscal first quarter, compared with net income of $4 million a year ago. AirTran Holdings Inc., which is trying to buy Midwest, said profits jumped 30 percent to $41.5 million as it saw non-fuel unit costs drop for the fourth straight quarter.