Delta's UK woes signal tougher times for airlines' trans-Atlantic business

New York

DELTA Air Lines Inc's decision to sell fewer seats from the United Kingdom this winter highlights the threat that Britain's planned exit from the European Union (EU) and new airline competition pose to US airlines that have raked in cash from flights across the Atlantic.

Air travel between the United States and Europe has churned out steady profits in the past decade since top US carriers deepened partnerships with European rivals, consolidating what had been a fragmented, money-losing market outside the summer tourist season.