AIRLINES

U.S. Airlines Suffer Decline in Traffic: U.S. airlines, cramped by recession and the impact of the Gulf War, saw traffic decline last year for the first time ever, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. Airlines were hit by sharply rising jet fuel prices, caused primarily by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the resulting uncertainty about oil supplies. Fear of terrorist attacks after the United States went to war also cut air travel, especially on international routes. The biggest problem, the FAA said, was “the lethargy of the domestic and international economies over the past year,” reducing both business and recreational air travel.