Stuck in the Middle

"The contrast in results is stark. Lufthansa, Europe's second-largest airline, posted a $595 million profit in the quarter ended June 30, up from $248 million a year earlier, on revenues up 3.7% to $7.4 billion. By contrast, Italian legacy carrier Alitalia turned in a $179 million loss for the quarter ended Mar. 31—the most recent for which it has reported—despite revenues up 7.4%, to $1.06 billion."