U.S. domestic airline industry generated losses in third quarter

The BTS reported for the third quarter 2005, that the domestic U.S. passenger airline industry operating margin, represented by 21 selected carriers, declined from a 0.4% profit margin in the second quarter of 2005 to a 2.0% loss margin in the third quarter. The seven largest regional airlines and the seven largest low-cost carriers each reported a domestic operating profit margin while the network carriers reported a smaller loss during the third quarter of 2005 than a year earlier. The group of regional carriers reported a domestic operating profit margin of 7.4% for the third quarter and the low-cost group generated a 2.1% profit margin, while a 2.2% loss margin was reported by the seven network carriers.