Big airlines spend a bundle on fuel

Published 6:02 pm Monday, December 15, 2008

Fuel spending accounted for 36.1 percent of operating expenses at the big U.S. airlines over the summer, up from 13.6 percent five years ago, according to a government report issued Monday. Fuel prices peaked in July but have declined sharply since then. The new report from the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics covers the third quarter, which ran from July through September.

Associated Press