CHICAGO — United Airlines said it may have to cut capacity in 2008 to use less fuel as oil prices rise, a possible retreat from the growth forecast it issued less than three weeks ago.
United, the world’s second- largest carrier, is reviewing its plans to hold seating capacity unchanged or expand by as much as 1 percent, chief financial officer Jake Brace said Wednesday at a Goldman, Sachs & Co. conference in New York.
“Either the industry passes on high fuel prices, or we’ll have to lower capacity,” Brace said.
Nearly 4 million use DIA in September Denver International Airport set another record for passenger traffic in September, with nearly 4 million passengers using the airport, the busiest September on record at DIA.
The September traffic marked a 5.1 percent increase from the same month of 2006.
For the first nine months of the year, DIA had nearly 38 million passengers using the airport, up 4.7 percent from the year-ago period.
DIA is on pace to seat a record for the year with close to 50 million passengers, which would surpass the 47.3 million passengers using the airport in 2006.
Additional business news briefs:
Suncor finishes maintenance on refinery
COMMERCE CITY — Suncor Energy Inc., the world’s second-largest oil- sands producer, started its Commerce City refinery after about 30 days of scheduled maintenance.
The shutdown began Oct. 2. The refinery, which can process 30,000 barrels of crude oil a day, is linked to a second plant that remained in operation and can process 60,000 barrels a day.
Northwest Parkway partner sought
Brisa-Auto Estradas de Portugal SA, the biggest highway operator in Portugal, wants to pick partners for the Northwest Parkway toll-road project in the northwest part of the metro area before the end of this year.
Babcock & Brown Ltd., Australia’s second-largest investment bank, may be a partner, Brisa chief financial officer Joao Azevedo Coutinho told reporters in Lisbon on Wednesday. Babcock bought 10 percent of Brisa in June.
National debt at $9 trillion
WASHINGTON — The national debt has hit $9 trillion for the first time. The Treasury Department, which issues a daily accounting of the debt, said Wednesday that the debt subject to limit was at $9 trillion Tuesday. It was $8.996 trillion Monday.
Productivity rises at annual rate of 4.9 percent
WASHINGTON — Worker productivity surged in the summer at the fastest pace in four years while wage pressures eased.
The Labor Department reported that productivity – the amount of output per hour of work – jumped at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the July-September quarter.
No talks set in writers strike
LOS ANGELES — Writers were back on the picket lines Wednesday after their strike forced at least eight prime- time shows, including the popular NBC sitcom “The Office,” to halt production.
As the strike entered its third day, no new negotiations were scheduled on the main sticking point between writers and producers: payments from DVDs and shows offered on the Internet.
Southwest to offer premium seating
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines Co. said Wednesday it would offer elite business travelers the chance to pay higher fares to board sooner and get frequent-flier bonuses and a cocktail.
The airline hopes the “business select” fares raise more than $100 million next year.
