=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/2003/01/28/f= inancial1346EST0170.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, January 28, 2003 (AP) AirTran posts fourth-quarter profit on passenger rebound (01-28) 10:46 PST (AP) -- ORLANDO, Fla. (Dow Jones/AP) -- AirTran Holdings Inc. Tuesday said it swung to a fourth-quarter profit amid an upswing in passenger traffic. The parent of low-fare airline AirTran Airways earned $7.5 million, or 10 cents a share, on revenue of $200 million. In the same period the previous year, it lost $14.2 million, or 20 cents a share, on revenue of $135 million, as travel still suffered from the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Analysts expected fourth-quarter earnings of 4 cents a share from the Orlando-based company, according to Thomson First Call. Fourth-quarter traffic increased 45 percent, with paying passengers flown 1.47 billion miles. Seats filled rose to 66.2 percent, from 63.8 percent in the 2001 quarter. The airline also attributed its improved results to the addition of new, fuel-efficient Boeing 717 aircraft, as well as expense controls and high levels of productivity achieved by crew members. For the year, AirTran earned $10.7 million, or 15 cents a share, on revenue of $733.4 million, compared with a loss of $2.8 million, or 4 cents a share, on revenue of $665.2 million in 2001. New York Stock Exchange-listed AirTran shares traded midday Tuesday at $5.17, up 11 cents, or 2.2 percent. =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP