Alcoa revenue beats expectations

DALLAS — Alcoa posted a first-quarter profit that beat Wall Street expectations but its revenue fell short as it continues to transform itself into a supplier for the auto and aerospace industries.

Alcoa was helped by aluminum prices that were 10 percent higher than a year ago, although down from the fourth quarter of 2014. It said growth was mostly driven by its autos and aerospace business.

The company repeated its forecast of increased demand in 2015 from key industries, which also include construction and packaging.

The New York-based company said net income was $195 million, compared with a loss of $178 million a year earlier. Excluding restructuring charges, Alcoa said it would have earned 28 cents per share, up from 9 cents per share a year earlier. Analysts had predicted 26 cents per share, according to a survey.

American Airlines reaches milestone

CHICAGO — American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, received its single operating certificate Wednesday from the FAA, an important behind-the-scenes milestone in its integration with US Airways.

Now comes a potentially more difficult task: Aligning computer reservation systems into one without disrupting flights or vexing consumers.

That changeover is slated to happen late this year.

Combining to a single website and a single reservation system has been a harrowing project that proved rocky in some other airline mergers.

From wire services