Clearly, results such as the ones we reported today are unsustainable. While there are many factors that impacted our results during 2002, including a sluggish economy, high fuel prices, lingering concerns over terrorism and the possibility of a war in the Middle East, the core issue for our company remains a cost structure that is out of step with the revenue environment facing domestic airlines. |
My first reaction is it could have been a lot worse than it was. |
Nonetheless, we look forward to completing the EC review process and then promptly obtaining final approvals from the U.S. and U.K. governments. |
Since then, we have vastly strengthened our overall domestic and international route network and have entered into alliances with a number of carriers, all of which will make us a much more vigorous competitor in the west. |
This is, without a doubt, the most difficult thing I have had to do in my two decades at American. |
With the economy weak and fuel prices still relatively high, we and the rest of the industry were experiencing a very difficult financial quarter even before the September 11 attacks. But the attacks and their aftermath further weakened traffic and had a staggering effect on our overall financial performance. |
Without a doubt, the weakening U.S. economy caused a reduction in business travel that affected our performance in the first quarter. |