Two of America's largest airlines have filed for bankruptcy. Delta and North-West have been experiencing financial problems for a while and have been hit very hard by recent rises in the price of fuel. This report from Guto Harri:

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Just about every airline in America has been struggling since that fateful day when two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre four years ago. Overall, the industry has lost forty billion dollars.

Delta has been trying to live with large debts in a tough environment where cheaper airlines have been competing for its customers. North-West has found it particularly hard to meet its benefits and pensions obligations and has been wrestling with a bitter strike over the summer. But what's undoubtedly tipped these two major players over the edge is the recent hike in the price of oil, passed onto them as cripplingly expensive jet fuel.

Delta says that applying for what is known as Chapter Eleven protection will help it to address financial challenges and support ongoing efforts to become a simpler, more efficient and cost-effective airline. Both will be hoping to emerge from this with fewer financial commitments and a clearer strategy for surviving in a tough and difficult market.

Guto Harri, BBC News, New York

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airline
légitársaság

large debts
hatalmas adósságok

meet its benefits and pensions obligations
teljesíti kötelezettségeit a juttatások és nyugdíjak tekitetében

wrestling with a bitter strike
megbírkózni egy elkeseredett sztrájkkal

tipped these two major players over the edge
a végső lökést adta a két cégóriásnak

hike
növekedés, emelkedés

cripplingly expensive jet fuel
bénítóan drága repülőgép üzemanyag

Chapter Eleven protection
a tizenegyes cikkely által nyújtott védelem (azt teszi lehetővé, hogy a csődöt jelentett cégek is tovább működhessenek)

address financial challenges
megoldani az anyagi gondokat

a simpler, more efficient and cost-effective airline
egyszerűbb, hatékonyabb és gazdaságosabb légitársaság