Belgium attacks threaten summer travel demand for US airlines

Terrorist attacks at the Brussels airport and subway are likely to cut into ticket sales for US airlines that had been poised to benefit from strong demand going into the busy summer season. Each of the three biggest US carriers generate at least 12% of total revenue from trans-Atlantic travel, led by United Continental, said an analyst at Raymond James Financial. The Brussels blasts, which killed at least 31 and injured more than 230, will renew fears of travel to Europe after a series of assaults in Paris 4 months earlier, said one aviation security expert. The proximity of the latest attacks to the summer may cause particular anxiety for leisure passengers and hurt airline revenue during Q2 and Q3, said a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. <br/>