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- <text id=90TT2652>
- <title>
- Oct. 08, 1990: Business Notes:Airlines
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1990
- Oct. 08, 1990 Do We Care About Our Kids?
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- BUSINESS, Page 66
- Business Notes
- AIRLINES
- Flying Along at Treetop Level
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> The airline industry is struggling to maintain altitude
- under the twin burdens of a slumping economy and rising fuel
- prices. Prognosis: some of the weak carriers may fail. Eastern,
- already in bankruptcy, is losing $1.5 million a day, about 50%
- more than a few months ago. A prime reason for the accelerating
- losses, says Eastern trustee Martin Shugrue, is the rise of
- jet-fuel prices. The airline pays 96 cents per gal., up from 56
- cents before Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Last week Shugrue urged
- President Bush to form a task force to find ways to bring oil
- prices under control. Another money-losing carrier, Pan Am, is
- laying off workers and switching to smaller jets, while trying
- to sell its shuttle to Phoenix-based America West.
- </p>
- <p> Even a top carrier is lumbering. After gobbling up PSA and
- Piedmont in 1987 to form the sixth largest U.S. carrier, USAir
- is losing market share to competitors. Projecting losses of $350
- million for the year, USAir last week suspended its stock
- dividend and postponed for one year the purchase of 16 new
- Boeing aircraft.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
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