Excluding Southwest Airlines Co., industry analysts expect the 10
largest U.S. carriers to post losses of about $4.8 billion this year.
The huge loss represents a sharp turnaround from the International Air Transport Association's March prediction that carriers collectively would report net income of $4.5 billion this year. The trade group says high energy prices have created an "extraordinary crisis" that could drastically change the airline industry. Airline Biz blog
COMING UP
It isn't
all bad news for financial services companies, says The Motley Fool. Sure, the debt markets are rattled, the mortgage industry has run out of steam, and banking giants are flirting with disaster, but money-transfer powerhouse Western Union will hear nothing of it. Read more in tomorrow's Business section.