=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2003/01/10/f= inancial1004EST0071.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, January 10, 2003 (AP) Lufthansa reports decline in passengers for 2002 (01-10) 07:04 PST BERLIN (AP) -- Lufthansa, Germany's largest airline, on Friday reported a nearly 4 percent decline in passengers in 2002, citing a weak world economy and a fear of terrorism. In a sign that things could be picking up, however, the airline reported= a nearly 15 percent rise in December passengers compared to a year earlier, following a nearly 9 percent rise in November. The end-of-the-year increases helped offset the first nine months of the year, in which the airline saw a 7.7 percent drop in passengers. Overall in 2002, some 44 million people flew with Lufthansa, a drop of 3= 8 percent over the previous year. On the other hand, it saw a 2.4 percent rise in the percent of seats occupied, to 73.9 percent. That was nearly back to its 2000 level of 74.4 percent. Lufthansa has responded to the slowdown by cutting passenger capacity. Lufthansa cargo also suffered a drop in business, transporting 1.9 perce= nt less freight and mail, which the company blamed on "the weak economic climate in December." =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP