CPRich

I didn't see this posted yet. Good, bad, indifferent? Discuss...


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - US Airways Group (UAIRQ.OB) said on Friday it posted net income of $2.34 million for the month ended July 31.

US Airways also said in a regulatory filing that its operating revenue for the month was $678.3 million.

BNAChairman

Typical summer short-term profitability. Same thing happened last summer. I fully expect the red ink to come back this fall and winter as loads make their seasonal pull back.

abeflyer

Sure the red ink will follow, but just to have an operating profit with the high cost of jet fuel while other legacy carriers are showing losses is a step in the right direction. ^

bigred93

The net income number here isn't particularly relevant unless you're one of the fools that think that the equity is still worth $0.30 something a share... did anyone pull down a cash flow number, particularly cash flow from operations? That would be more interesting... it had better be healthy considering the load factors in the summer.

ClueByFour

If you subtract their noncash onetime items (largely writing off abrogated aircraft leases), even UA made 76 million in operating profit. If US only eeked 2 million, it's not a good sign.

martin33

Cash Flow from Operations, for July: Minus $146 million

now that's a truly astounding rate of bleeding. means the posted "profits" must've been from fulfilling tickets previously sold.

unrestricted cash was down to $489 million at July 31st.

US is officially in a final desperate death spiral. To drain $5m a day in JULY on operations is beyond abysmal.

I'm sure they can't wait to wind up separate reporting once the merger closes.

bigbaldbairn

Who are they merging with? I'm based in Europe and was not aware they were merging....

martin33

with HP, America West. As of approximately October 2005, US creditors will give up their claims in exchange for 12 percent ownership of the merged carrier.

you've much merger-reading to catch up on-- start at americawest.com

gatorbri

$5 mil a day. Pennies... DL lost $5 billion in 2004 followed by $1.1 billion in 1Q 2005. Of course, 2nd quarter was really looking up as they only lost $380 million.

ibrandsguest

Delta is definitely in worse shape than US, especially with US's cash infusion from various parties in connection with the merger. But a company that is losing money eventually will run out of money and liquidate, unless investors are constantly found to keep it alive, and eventually there won't be enough investors willing to throw money down a black hole like the Alabama pension fund did.

bamalawdawg

Hopefully US throws some promos out there that make me want to fly more this fall. Maybe that will help things out

goheelswks

That is scary--really scary. Would like to blame it on the price of the jet juice, but frankly, if they can't make do in the summer while operating under court protection, I've finally become a bit scared--I've NEVER felt this way before.

Anyone with cheery news??

martin33

US is considerably smaller than DL. "pennies" to DL are not pennies at US.
DL will be forced to enter Ch11 if its cash drops below roughly $1bn. US has less than half that, and is in danger of breaching its most significant loan covenants.

The liquidation hammer would be falling now at US, if there were not a merger in place.

and if they don't stop the current levels of bloodletting, it won't take long to sink the merged carrier, either. Get busy, Mr Parker...

deelmakur

In the airline business, the real number is operating profit, or cash flow. Since they generate large paper losses from the depreciation of aircraft, to get the cash flow, you back those out, and under normal conditions, the company has actually done much better than it looks. In effect, these non cash writeoffs have created a big tax shelter. Now we have USAirways, reporting an unexpectedly good "net profit", which we then find is over a hundred million
dollars greater than actual operating performance. It means two things. Firstly, they have used some non cash credits to boost income, and secondly, they are bleeding to death, which is all the more curious, in light of their continuing hard line on fares that in many cases are higher than competitors. As I have said in other threads, when AWA finally gets a peek at the internal disaster they are inheriting, they will mess their pants.

deelmakur

Delta thoughts. They are a bigger disaster than USAirways. There is just more room to hide it. I spent the weekend in Asheville, NC. Both coming and going, I observed dreadfully delayed flights, and at least one cancellation, all involving flights to and from ATL. And that's just one small station.Their most creative response to competition seems to be a continuing transfer of services to Song, their low cost subsidiary.They must be shredding their yields something awful.