American Dropped 14,000 February Flights Due to Storms

American Airlines and US Airways canceled more than 14,000 flights last month -- more than double the rate from a year earlier -- as winter storms disrupted air travel.

American Airlines Group Inc. said Monday that the cancelations hurt first-quarter profit, but it didn't give a figure. The company said it expects to give more details in early April.

Despite the storms, the company said, a key figure of revenue for every seat flown one mile rose between 2 percent and 4 percent in the first quarter. That statistic rises when an airline fills more seats or raises average fares.

American and US Airways canceled about 28,000 flights in the first two months of the year, up 164 percent from the same period in 2013 as storms hit hubs in Chicago, Dallas and elsewhere.

Despite the cancelations, traffic rose 0.5 percent, as passengers flew 15.08 billion miles last month, up from 15.01 billion in February 2013.

American and US Airways boosted capacity by 0.8 percent, so the average flight was a bit less crowded; 78.4 percent full, down from 78.7 percent a year earlier. All of the capacity increase was on international flying.

Shares of Fort Worth-based American rose 69 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $39.71 in morning trading. They began Monday up 55 percent so far in 2014.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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