U.S. airlines see cargo rises

U.S. airlines see cargo rises    Three major U.S. airlines posted rises in cargo for March.
   United Airlines reported a 11.5 percent year-on-year increase in system cargo ton miles for March. The Chicago-based airline reported 184,282 system cargo ton miles in March. Freight increased 8.3 percent to 146,585 cargo ton miles, while mail jumped 25.9 percent to 37,697 cargo ton miles.
   For the year-to-date, United’s system cargo ton miles are up 14 percent over the first three months in 2004 at 499,510.
   Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines carried 194,967 system cargo ton miles in March, a 3 percent rise over the same month in 2004.
   For the year-to-date, American’s system cargo ton miles are up 3.6 percent over the same period in 2004 at 539,500.
   Continental Airlines reported Friday a 1.2 percent rise in cargo revenue ton-miles for March to 93,726 cargo revenue ton-miles from 82,362 in March 2004.
   For the year-to-date, Continental posted 260,723 cargo revenue ton-miles, up 4.1 percent over the same period in 2004.