Northwest posts $46 million third-quarter loss=20 =09 =09 Thursday October 17, 8:19 AM EDT=20 MINNEAPOLIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWAC <http://money.excite.com/jsp/qt/full.jsp?time=3D0&symbol_search_text=3DNW= AC> ), the No. 4 U.S. air carrier, on Thursday posted a quarterly loss of $46 million as demand for air travel remained weak a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Eagan, Minnesota-based carrier said its net loss amounted to 55 cents a share in the third quarter, compared with a profit of $19 million, or 20 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts' estimates ranged from a loss of 55 cents a share to a loss of $1.26 a share, with an average expected loss of 82 cents, according to market research firm Thomson First Call. Airline stocks have plummeted in the year following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as carriers struggle to entice passengers and raise revenues amid low demand for air travel. Northwest shares fell 45 percent in the third quarter, while the American Stock Exchange airline index (XAL) fell by about 54 percent.=20 =A92002 Reuters Limited.=20