Airlines liking those international long-distance relationships

For many U.S. airlines, flights that cross oceans and continents have fast become as important as those that cross the country.

U.S. airlines increasingly are looking abroad to make money, as the demand for international travel skyrockets, and the race to woo domestic fliers gets tighter and tougher.

Carriers are adding routes that crisscross the globe, even as they pare the seats available for passengers flying coast to coast. They're spending millions to upgrade international terminals, filling their fleets with jets better able to make long-distance trips, and adding bed-like seats and other perks to make a flight across time zones as comfortable as possible.