=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2004/07/27/f= inancial1627EDT0264.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, July 27, 2004 (AP) AirTran earnings slide 71 percent (07-27) 13:27 PDT (AP) -- ORLANDO, Fla. (Dow Jones/AP) -- Earnings of AirTran Holdings Inc., the parent of discount carrier AirTran Airways, fell 71 percent in the latest quarter partly due to higher fuel costs. In the second quarter ended June 30, the Orlando-based holding company earned $16.8 million, or 18 cents a share, on revenue of $275 million. Analysts were on average expecting earnings of 16 cents a share, accordi= ng to Thomson First Call. In the same period last year, it earned $57.2 million, or 74 cents a share, on revenue of $233.9 million. Results for the 2003 second quarter included a government reimbursement = of $37.1 million. Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger flown one mile, increas= ed 21.4 percent, as capacity jumped 17.9 percent. Load factor, or the percentage of available seats filled, rose 2.2 percentage points to 75.4 percent. Revenue per available seat mile, considered the best basic measure of revenue for airlines, dropped 0.5 percent to 9.22 cents. Operating costs per available seat mile rose 1.9 percent to 8.46 cents. AirTran said its non-fuel operating costs per available seat mile declin= ed by 1.1 percent to 6.6 cents. "While we achieved a reduction in non-fuel unit costs for the quarter, t= he impact of high fuel prices offset these gains," said Stan Gadek, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer. New York Stock Exchange-listed AirTran shares closed Tuesday at $11.30, down 24 cents, or 2.1 percent. In the six months ended June 30, AirTran earned $20.9 million, or 23 cen= ts a share, on revenue of $516.4 million. In the same period last year, it earned $59.2 million, or 78 cents a share, on revenue of $441.9 million. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 AP