Finally, Some Airlines Are Optimistic About South America

After taking major losses in South America for several years, especially in Brazil, where the economy has been in recession since 2014, two airlines report they're finally starting to see improvements in the long-haul market. In some ways, this is to be expected. Carriers have slashed so many flights to Latin America — and Brazil in particular — that capacity is finally catching up to demand. At an investor event Thursday, Daniel Cravens, managing director for investor relations for American Airlines, said American has cut Latin American capacity by 40 to 50 percent from the airline's peak. With fewer seats to sell, airlines usually have better pricing power. The CEOs of Etihad, Expedia, Routehappy, and More Are Speaki