KLM narrowed its third quarter operating losses but still sees tough times ahead as a slump in demand continues. The Amsterdam-based carrier reported losses of EUR63m against EUR76m in the same period of 2001. The company said that it had not accounted in the quarter for the effects of the EUR250m fine imposed on it last year after the collapse of its alliance with Italy's Alitalia. Rumours still strongly persist of a tie-up with Air France and SkyTeam, but the Italian debacle would have left some sores. There was disappointing news from the carrier's low cost operation buzz which saw passenger numbers fall below expectations because of strong competition in the European budget sector. During the quarter, buzz increased its network capacity by 33% compared to the corresponding period of 2001. There are rumours around that buzz might be in for a change?
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