AIRLINES

U.S. Rejects Lorenzo’s New Airline Bid: The airline, ATX Inc., had been strongly opposed by unions and lawmakers who blamed airline executive Frank Lorenzo for throwing Eastern Air Lines and Continental Airlines into bankruptcy while he was at the helm. The Department of Transportation rejected Lorenzo’s application to start a new short-haul carrier on the East Coast. The department said it refused him because Eastern and Continental, “while they were owned by Texas Air and controlled by Lorenzo, experienced operational, maintenance and labor-related problems that were among the most serious in the history of U.S. aviation.” ATX blamed the unions for the rejection and said it would file an appeal in U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington.