American Airlines losses narrow in Q4
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FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., today reported a net loss of $344 million, or $1.03 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2009.
The fourth quarter 2009 results include the negative impact of $177 million in non-cash special items, which consists primarily of impairment charges of approximately $96 million to write down certain route and slot authorities mainly in Latin America; $42 million to write down certain Embraer RJ-135 aircraft to their estimated fair values; and $20 million associated with the retirement of the Airbus A300 fleet. Also included is the positive impact of a non-cash tax item of approximately $248 million primarily related to hedging gains within Other Comprehensive Income during 2009. Excluding these special items and the non-cash tax item, the Company lost $415 million, or $1.25 per share, in the quarter.
The results for the fourth quarter of 2009 compare to a loss of $347 million, or $1.24 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2008.
The fourth quarter 2008 results included a $23 million charge for aircraft groundings, facility write-offs and severance related to capacity reductions, and a $103 million non-cash pension settlement charge driven by a large number of early pilot retirements. Excluding those special items, the Company lost $221 million, or $0.79 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2008.
For all of 2009, AMR recorded a net loss of $1.5 billion, or $4.99 per share, compared to a loss of $2.1 billion, or $8.16 per share, for 2008. Excluding special items and the non-cash tax item, the Company lost $1.4 billion, or $4.63 per share, for all of 2009, compared to a loss of $1.2 billion, or $4.76 per share, in 2008.
“In 2009, our company once again proved its resiliency and ability to battle through challenges while continuing to work toward a successful future,” said AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey. “The fuel crisis of 2008 was replaced by the worst recession in decades, which hurt travel demand severely, and tight capital markets. Yet, we took steps to address those challenges by bolstering our liquidity and financial flexibility and remaining disciplined with capacity. At the same time, we strengthened our global network, reinvested in our fleet and products, and made strides to improve our dependability and our customers’ experience.
“I want to thank our employees for their efforts during such challenging times. We are hopeful that better times lay ahead, and we are intensely focused on returning to profitability and executing on our FlightPlan 2020 to position us for long-term success.”
Arpey added that American expects to receive U.S. regulatory approval, in the near future, of its antitrust immunity application with fellow oneworld
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