American Airlines reports smaller loss as pickup in travel offsets Omicron blip

[April 21, 2022]   (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc reported a smaller adjusted first-quarter loss on Thursday, as a strong pickup in travel in March helped offset a blip in January caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, sending its shares up 8.5% before the bell.

An American Airlines Airbus A321-200 plane takes off from Los Angeles International airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S. March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

The airline and its subsidiaries had to call off more than 3,000 flights in January, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware, as the industry struggled with mass cancellations due to adverse weather and an outbreak of the highly infectious Omicron variant.

The first-quarter was impacted by high fuel costs due to the Ukraine war and persistent pilot and ground staff shortages.

Airlines, however, have cut capacity and a surge in air travel demand has also allowed them to pass on high fuel costs to consumers.

Last week, Delta Air Lines Inc said robust consumer demand led to a "solid" profit in March, prompting the Atlanta-based airline to forecast a "meaningful" profit this year.

On Thursday, American Airlines reported an adjusted loss of $1.51 billion, or $2.32 per share, for the quarter ended March 31, compared with a loss of $2.74 billion, or $4.32 per share, a year earlier.

Operating revenue rose to about $8.9 billion from about $4 billion a year earlier.

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)

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