It's really not that impressive. AMR proves that it can be done outside of CH11 too. Tilton needs ch11 to get his 15%.
http://cdn.news.aol.com/a/aUpdated: 01:17 PM EDT
AMR Corp 3Q Loss Narrows On Cost Cuts, High Travel Volume
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FORT WORTH, Texas -(Dow Jones)- AMR Corp. (AMR), the parent of American Airlines, reported a narrower third-quarter loss despite higher fuel costs and travel disruptions from the hurricanes, as the company recorded higher volume and focused on cutting non-fuel expenses.
The company expects to post a "significant loss" in the fourth quarter at the current level of fuel prices.
The third-quarter loss narrowed to $153 million, or 93 cents a share, from $ 214 million, or $1.33 a share, a year earlier, AMR said in a press release Wednesday.
The latest loss included a charge for contract termination and a credit for the reversal of an insurance reserve. Without these items, AMR posted a loss of $95 million, or 58 cents a share, which is worse than a / First Call average estimate of a loss of 55 cents a share.
AMR, which recorded a quarterly profit for the second quarter, said it was unable to sustain profitability despite robust customer volumes because of its inability to pass on fuel-price increases to consumers. AMR said this underscores the need to accelerate its cost-cutting initiatives across the board.
AMR share recently traded 2.7% lower at $11.68.
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10-19-051204ET
AMR's total operating revenue grew 15% in the third quarter to $5.49 billion from $4.76 billion a year earlier. Results were slightly ahead of Wall Street's estimate of $5.46 billion.
The company attributed the revenue increase to "record high load factors and significantly improved yields." The mainline load factor, or percentage of total seats filled, was 81.2%, an increase of 3.3 points from a year ago. Yield, which represents average fares, was up 8%.
Despite higher revenue, AMR said there is still a disconnect between the price of fuel and the price of air travel. To cover the increase in fuel costs over the past two years, AMR said it would have had to raise fares nearly $75 per roundtrip ticket. But the company's actual average fare increased by only $15 during this time period.
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
10-19-051215ET
AMR ended its third quarter with $3.9 billion in cash and short-term investments, including a restricted balance of $499 million.
The airline, which earlier this week said it will extend a fuel-price-driven reduction in its schedule through January, had previously predicted that hurricanes and fuel prices would have a significant impact on its third-quarter results.
In a separate release, American Airlines said it has made a $22 million contribution to its defined-benefits pension plans, bringing total contributions in 2005 to $310 million. This will be the company's last contribution to the plans for this year.
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10-19-051228ET
AMR Corp. - Fort Worth, Texas 3rd Quar Sept. 30: 2005 2004 Revenue $5,485,000,000 $4,762,000,000 Net income a (153,000,000) b (214,000,000) Avg shrs (diluted) 164,000,000 161,000,000 Shr earns Net income a (.93) b (1.33) Figures in parentheses are losses.
a. Excluding special items, the loss would've been $95 million, or 58 cents a share.
b. Excluding special items, the loss would've been $232 million, or $1.44 a share.
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
10-19-051247ET