American Airlines Group Inc. on Thursday forecast returning to profitability in March, after reporting a smaller fourth-quarter loss, but said cost pressures would remain elevated this year due to the Omicron coronavirus variant-induced turmoil. The Texas-based carrier said ticket sales are still not back to pre-Omicron levels, but they are recovering “quickly” after dropping off “considerably” in early December. The company said domestic leisure and short-haul international traffic were approaching their 2019 levels, but demand for long-haul international remained challenged. Domestic business travel, which accounted for 30 percent of the company’s 2019 passenger revenue, recovered in the latest quarter to about 70 percent of the pre-pandemic level. American, however, said the volatility in travel demand due to new COVID-19 variants has created “the most challenging planning environment in the history of commercial aviation”. The carrier plans to match its capacity with bookings trends. It expects its capacity in the quarter …