Modern Air to resume its Tegel–Saarbrücken route was granted in time for a summer 1973 re-launch. As a result, the CV-990 became the largest contemporary aircraft type to operate a scheduled service into Saarbrücken's small airport. Several fare increases and the recession following in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis resulted in much reduced demand for air travel in the Berlin–Saarbrücken market. This in turn necessitated a major reduction in frequency to just two round trips per week. These events, as well as the fact that the CV-990 was far too big and consumed too much fuel to serve a regional scheduled route economically, ultimately put paid to the firm's scheduled ambitions. Deteriorating business environment The setbacks Modern Air had suffered in 1972 and the CAB's displeasure at its management's decision to end all US operations necessitated a partial reversal of the previous strategy to focus all activities on West Berlin. This entailed a reduction in the Berlin-based workforce and the return of three of eight aircraft to the US at the end of that year's summer season in November, in preparation for the resumption of limited charter services from the New York area in 1973. The resumption of US-based flying featured a series of charters from New York to Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Mexico City as well as entry of the US cargo charter market for the first time. However, startup costs associated with these flights (in addition to significant restructuring costs) meant that Modern Air remained unprofitable in 1973, when it recorded a $1.86 million operating loss and a $3.22 million net loss, respectively, despite total revenues reaching an all-time high of $25.06 million, increasing the total number of passengers carried to more than 490,000 and flying 13,000 freight tonne-kilometres (FTKs). Steeply rising jet fuel prices in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and Modern Air's reliance on the fuel-thirsty CV-990 had caused a significant increase in its operating costs. This was of particular importance for its operations from and to West Berlin as under Allied air navigation rules aircraft were only permitted to fly at a height of while passing through the Allied air corridors over East Germany, a sub-optimal, fuel-inefficient cruising altitude for modern jet aircraft. A plan to cut costs by further densifying the seating on its 990s to 179, which would have been achieved by converting the aircraft's seating arrangement