Other airlines could benefit from mechanics strike

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Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Several Northwest Airlines Corp. competitors are reporting a small increase in business since the carrier's mechanics went on strike last week.

Yet during a summer travel season with robust passenger loads, none of the rivals say they expect substantial extra business -- at least in the short term.

"Certainly we have seen some increase, but it's pretty minimal," said Wendy Blackshaw, a spokeswoman for Sun Country Airlines, which flies to 31 cities from its Minneapolis hub.

United Airlines has also seen a small but not statistically significant bump since Northwest mechanics went on strike Saturday, said Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for UAL Corp.'s United Airlines. The strike continued Wednesday with no talks scheduled.