By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-799919.mp3
Dallas, TX – American Airlines passenger traffic dropped last month. And in this recession, so did business of other top carriers in Texas and nationwide. KERA's Bill Zeeble has more.
American Airlines says domestic traffic fell 19 percent in November compared to a year ago, and international traffic dropped 5.5 percent. Wednesday's numbers were released after Dallas-based Southwest Airlines had already reported traffic declines of 8 percent, while Houston's Continental airlines dropped more than 10 percent.
Each of these top carriers had already cut both flights and routes in expectation of declining business, but it still wasn't enough. Even though fuel prices have fallen significantly since record highs this summer, airlines are still struggling to turn a profit.