=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/2003/01/23/f= inancial0955EST0066.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, January 23, 2003 (AP) America West loses $32.5 million in fourth quarter (01-23) 06:55 PST PHOENIX (AP) -- The parent company of America West Airlines Thursday reported a loss of $32.5 million for the fourth quarter, its ninth straight quarterly loss. The America West Holdings Corp. loss, which amounted to 96 cents a share, compared with a loss of $60.9 million, or $1.81 per share, a year ago. Revenue grew 30 percent to $522.3 million at the nation's eighth-largest airline, up from $399.9 million a year earlier. Excluding unusual items, the Phoenix-based company lost $1.05 per share. On that basis, analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call expected a loss of $1.36 per share. "America West's financial results, although much improved, reflect the unprecedented and continued economic difficulties facing the airline industry," said W. Douglas Parker, chairman and chief executive officer, in a written release. "It is clear that the economic rebound we had hoped to see by this time has not yet materialized." For the full year, America West reported a loss of $430.2 million, compared with a loss of $147.9 million in 2001. Revenue declined slightly to $1.93 billion, down from $1.94 billion a year ago. America West's stock rose 5 cents to $2.07 in Thursday morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Like much of the airline industry, America West has struggled to rebound from the economic fallout of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but it did secure a $429 million loan guarantee from the federal government. The company reported cash and short-term investments of $360 million at the end of 2002. On the Net: www.americawest.com =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP