HARRY R. WEBER
AP Airlines Writer
ATLANTA – Higher fuel prices stung the parent of AirTran Airways, causing the usually profitable discount carrier to post a $12 million first-quarter loss.
The loss for the January-March period equaled 9 cents a share. A year earlier, AirTran had a profit of $28.7 million, or 21 cents a share.
Excluding one-time items, the loss was 12 cents a share.