American Airlines Posts Strong Profit Despite 737 Max Jet Issue

Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) –  American Airlines says profit is rising because strong demand is leaving fewer empty seats on planes. American said Thursday that fourth-quarter profit rose 27% to $414 million. Adjusted earnings were $1.15 per share, a penny better than Wall Street expected.  But American is still weighed down by the grounding of Boeing 737 Max jets. American says the Max grounding caused it cancel about 10,000 flights in the fourth quarter, according to a FactSet survey of 18 analysts.