Aloha Airlines reports $12.9 million loss HONOLULU (AP) =97 Aloha Airlines has reported a loss of $12.9 million in the= =20 first quarter of this year, an 82% increase over the $7.1 million loss the= =20 airline had in the first quarter of 2002. The airline said its revenues=20 were up 9.7% during the quarter but expenses were up 14.9%. Two months ago,= =20 Aloha reported a $29.8 million fourth-quarter loss and a $43 million loss=20 for all of 2002. The airline predicted then that losses would continue in=20 the first quarter of this year, but that its financial picture should=20 improve in the second quarter and look even better for the summer.=20 Spokeswoman Stephanie Ackerman said the airline is seeing that improvement.= =20 "The interisland market continues to underperform, but the West Coast is=20 strong and we are on track and anticipating a profitable summer," she said.= =20 Glenn R. Zander, Aloha president and chief executive officer, said in=20 mid-April that the effects on tourism of the war in Iraq and the SARS=20 epidemic would continue to hurt Aloha in the early part of this year.=20 Ackerman said the airline underestimated the magnitude of the loss in the=20 Japanese market from the SARS epidemic. Hawaiian Holdings Inc., the parent= =20 of Hawaiian Airlines, a month ago reported a net loss of $15.5 million in=20 the first quarter of 2003, down from a loss of $18.6 million in the=20 year-earlier quarter. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************