U.S. Airline Margins Approach 1999 Levels
Top nine U.S. airlines earn $6.8 billion during first three quarters
Falling fuel prices helped U.S. airlines register their strongest profit margins in some 15 years. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by alistairmcmillan)
Falling fuel prices helped U.S. airlines register their strongest profit margins in some 15 years. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by alistairmcmillan)

U.S. airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A) reported on Thursday that the country’s nine largest carriers turned a net profit of $6.8 billion during the first three quarters of the year, for an increase of $2.3 billion over the same period a year earlier. Operating revenues rose 5.5 percent, which helped offset the 3.1-percent increase in operating expenses driven by rising airport rents and landing fees, labor and aircraft ownership. The resulting profit margin of 5.7 percent means airlines appear headed to their most lucrative year since 1999, according to A4A vice president and chief economist John Heimlich.