Delta Air Lines posted a first-quarter loss on Wednesday as high fuel costs and a weakening economy trouble the industry.
Delta, which emerged from bankruptcy about a year ago, said its quarterly net loss was USD$6.4 billion, compared with a loss of USD$130 million in the same period a year earlier, when the company's shares were unlisted.
Delta said last week it plans to buy Northwest Airlines for more than USD$3 billion in a bid to create the world's biggest airline by traffic.
Excluding special items, Delta said it lost USD$274 million, driven by a USD$585 million rise in the cost of fuel.
Special items include a USD$6.1 billion non-cash goodwill impairment charge from the decline in Delta's market capitalization, which it blamed on sustained record-high fuel prices.
After racking up USD$35 billion in losses and finally emerging from a five-year slump in 2006, US airlines are hoping mergers could lead to higher fares as combined carriers reduce flights and use their increased market power to raise prices.
Delta pilots will get a 3.5 percent equity stake in the merged airline and have expressed support for the proposal, but the leadership of Northwest pilots has said it would use "all resources available to aggressively oppose" the deal after the two unions could not agree on how to work under one seniority umbrella.
