Oil Spike Prompts Airline Profit Fears

By Jens Flottau, Madhu Unnikrishnan
Istanbul, Washington

Airlines seemed well positioned just a few months ago to absorb higher fuel costs, which were forecast to rise through 2011 along with rising crude oil prices. Of course, that was barring any shocks to the system. Now all bets are off, with oil supplies in Libya and some other oil-producing countries at varying degrees of risk and crude oil prices at their highest level in two years ...

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