QQQ   337.27 (+1.86%)
AAPL   175.05 (+1.37%)
MSFT   318.52 (+1.44%)
META   246.85 (+1.80%)
GOOGL   122.83 (+1.65%)
AMZN   118.15 (+2.29%)
TSLA   176.89 (+1.74%)
NVDA   316.78 (+4.97%)
NIO   7.82 (-2.62%)
BABA   85.77 (-5.41%)
AMD   107.93 (+4.03%)
T   16.55 (-0.66%)
F   11.64 (+1.22%)
MU   67.57 (+4.08%)
CGC   1.05 (+0.00%)
GE   104.01 (+0.52%)
DIS   93.76 (+1.07%)
AMC   5.07 (-0.59%)
PFE   36.48 (-0.73%)
PYPL   61.27 (-0.31%)
NFLX   371.29 (+9.22%)
QQQ   337.27 (+1.86%)
AAPL   175.05 (+1.37%)
MSFT   318.52 (+1.44%)
META   246.85 (+1.80%)
GOOGL   122.83 (+1.65%)
AMZN   118.15 (+2.29%)
TSLA   176.89 (+1.74%)
NVDA   316.78 (+4.97%)
NIO   7.82 (-2.62%)
BABA   85.77 (-5.41%)
AMD   107.93 (+4.03%)
T   16.55 (-0.66%)
F   11.64 (+1.22%)
MU   67.57 (+4.08%)
CGC   1.05 (+0.00%)
GE   104.01 (+0.52%)
DIS   93.76 (+1.07%)
AMC   5.07 (-0.59%)
PFE   36.48 (-0.73%)
PYPL   61.27 (-0.31%)
NFLX   371.29 (+9.22%)
QQQ   337.27 (+1.86%)
AAPL   175.05 (+1.37%)
MSFT   318.52 (+1.44%)
META   246.85 (+1.80%)
GOOGL   122.83 (+1.65%)
AMZN   118.15 (+2.29%)
TSLA   176.89 (+1.74%)
NVDA   316.78 (+4.97%)
NIO   7.82 (-2.62%)
BABA   85.77 (-5.41%)
AMD   107.93 (+4.03%)
T   16.55 (-0.66%)
F   11.64 (+1.22%)
MU   67.57 (+4.08%)
CGC   1.05 (+0.00%)
GE   104.01 (+0.52%)
DIS   93.76 (+1.07%)
AMC   5.07 (-0.59%)
PFE   36.48 (-0.73%)
PYPL   61.27 (-0.31%)
NFLX   371.29 (+9.22%)
QQQ   337.27 (+1.86%)
AAPL   175.05 (+1.37%)
MSFT   318.52 (+1.44%)
META   246.85 (+1.80%)
GOOGL   122.83 (+1.65%)
AMZN   118.15 (+2.29%)
TSLA   176.89 (+1.74%)
NVDA   316.78 (+4.97%)
NIO   7.82 (-2.62%)
BABA   85.77 (-5.41%)
AMD   107.93 (+4.03%)
T   16.55 (-0.66%)
F   11.64 (+1.22%)
MU   67.57 (+4.08%)
CGC   1.05 (+0.00%)
GE   104.01 (+0.52%)
DIS   93.76 (+1.07%)
AMC   5.07 (-0.59%)
PFE   36.48 (-0.73%)
PYPL   61.27 (-0.31%)
NFLX   371.29 (+9.22%)

Airline Stocks List

Compare airline stocks and their fundamentals, performance, price, and technicals. Use this free stock comparison tool to evaluate companies based on their analyst ratings, book value, debt, dividend, MarketRank, news sentiment, price performance, profitability, and more. Enter up to ten stock symbols separated by a comma or space (ex. BAC, JPM, WFC, C, GS).

Learn more about trading airline stocks.

Compare Stocks - Price & Volume

CompanyCurrent Price50-Day Moving Average52-Week RangeMarket CapBetaAvg. VolumeToday's Volume
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
$15.05
+0.9%
$13.93
$11.65
$18.22
$9.83 B1.5325.57 million shs21.51 million shs
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
$7.22
$6.97
$6.18
$10.97
$2.37 B1.588.75 million shs7.13 million shs
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
$28.60
+1.2%
$23.27
$14.76
$29.31
$1.27 B1.88624,751 shs570,383 shs
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
$48.13
+0.8%
$43.60
$31.58
$55.04
$15.79 B1.428.33 million shs5.92 million shs
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
$8.04
-1.8%
$9.17
$7.61
$15.25
$1.76 B1.991.16 million shs1.35 million shs
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
$35.89
-0.1%
$34.02
$27.20
$42.45
$23.07 B1.2510.49 million shs9.73 million shs
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
$29.96
+0.3%
$30.87
$28.40
$46.46
$17.83 B1.146.99 million shs7.21 million shs
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
$15.78
-0.1%
$17.02
$15.40
$25.67
$1.72 B1.121.56 million shs1.28 million shs

Price Performance

Company1-Day Performance7-Day Performance30-Day Performance90-Day Performance1-Year Performance
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
+5.00%+3.97%+13.82%-9.03%-16.33%
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
+6.02%+4.03%+6.18%-16.34%-29.35%
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
+6.08%+6.85%+18.35%+39.78%+4.05%
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
+5.29%+4.90%+12.67%-2.53%+1.66%
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
+5.13%+2.37%-13.52%-26.81%-15.74%
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
+6.24%+6.30%+3.87%-6.14%-11.76%
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
+4.70%+2.19%-7.52%-15.62%-33.76%
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
+1.41%+0.89%-9.82%-16.67%-23.45%

MarketRank™

CompanyOverall ScoreAnalyst's OpinionShort Interest ScoreDividend StrengthESG ScoreNews and Social Media SentimentCompany OwnershipEarnings & Valuation
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
2.2471 of 5 stars
3.02.00.00.02.61.72.5
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
1.8046 of 5 stars
2.02.00.00.23.11.72.5
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
1.6726 of 5 stars
0.85.00.01.02.81.71.9
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
2.2301 of 5 stars
3.22.00.00.42.72.52.5
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
2.323 of 5 stars
3.42.00.00.01.32.52.5
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
2.7352 of 5 stars
3.53.00.00.62.02.54.4
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
2.7903 of 5 stars
3.33.02.50.42.32.53.8
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
2.215 of 5 stars
3.03.00.00.02.51.71.9

Analyst Ratings

CompanyConsensus Rating ScoreConsensus RatingConsensus Price Target% Upside from Current Price
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
2.00
Hold$17.7517.94% Upside
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
2.00
Hold$8.6519.81% Upside
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
1.67
Hold$20.75-27.45% Downside
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
2.47
Hold$55.5315.38% Upside
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
2.75
Moderate Buy$16.42104.19% Upside
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
3.00
Buy$49.3837.59% Upside
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
2.50
Moderate Buy$44.7149.25% Upside
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
2.00
Hold$24.1453.00% Upside

Current Analyst Ratings

Latest Airline Stocks Analyst Ratings

DateCompanyBrokerageActionRatingPrice TargetDetails
5/18/2023
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
Morgan Stanley
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Boost Price Target$70.00 ➝ $75.00
5/8/2023
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
UpgradeNeutral ➝ Overweight$26.00 ➝ $29.00
5/8/2023
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Lower Price Target$10.00 ➝ $8.00
5/8/2023
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Lower Price Target$81.00 ➝ $70.00
5/8/2023
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
500.com
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Reiterated RatingDowngrade
5/8/2023
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
DowngradeOverweight ➝ Neutral$18.00 ➝ $12.00
5/8/2023
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Lower Price Target$81.00 ➝ $69.00
5/8/2023
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
DowngradeOverweight ➝ Neutral$64.00 ➝ $39.00
5/8/2023
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Lower Price Target$28.00 ➝ $10.00
5/4/2023
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
Susquehanna
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
DowngradePositive ➝ Neutral$12.00 ➝ $10.00
4/28/2023
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
Morgan Stanley
Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating
Boost Price Target$19.00 ➝ $20.00
(Data available from 5/18/2020 forward. View 10+ years of historical ratings with our analyst ratings screener.)

Sales & Book Value

CompanyAnnual RevenuePrice/SalesCashflowPrice/CashBook ValuePrice/Book
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
$48.97B0.20$4.29 per share3.51($8.84) per share-1.70
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
$9.75B0.24$1.06 per share6.79$10.29 per share0.70
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
$2.96B0.43$10.92 per share2.62$50.23 per share0.57
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
$44.96B0.35$11.19 per share4.30$20.33 per share2.37
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
$3.33B0.53$0.14 per share58.50$2.23 per share3.61
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
$50.58B0.46$6.89 per share5.21$9.74 per share3.68
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
$23.81B0.75$3.67 per share8.17$17.31 per share1.73
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
$5.07B0.34$1.42 per share11.14$14.44 per share1.09

Profitability & Earnings

CompanyNet IncomeEPSTrailing P/E RatioForward P/E RatioP/E GrowthNet MarginsReturn on Equity (ROE)Return on Assets (ROA)Next Earnings Date
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
$127M$2.535.954.79N/A3.39%-26.84%2.81%7/20/2023 (Estimated)
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
-$362M-$0.91N/A6.02N/A-3.07%-3.54%-0.93%8/1/2023 (Estimated)
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
$72.95M$0.6544.0011.77N/A1.12%3.44%1.09%7/27/2023 (Estimated)
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
$737M$5.828.274.67N/A3.93%35.71%2.89%7/19/2023 (Estimated)
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
-$37M$0.3125.944.76N/A1.99%16.92%1.81%7/26/2023 (Estimated)
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
$1.32B$2.9512.175.150.183.51%56.49%4.10%7/12/2023 (Estimated)
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
$539M$1.0029.967.640.342.65%6.99%2.07%7/27/2023 (Estimated)
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
-$554.15M-$4.25N/A8.26N/A-8.50%-6.24%-1.17%8/8/2023 (Estimated)

Latest Airline Stocks Earnings

DateQuarterCompanyConsensus EstimateReported EPSBeat/MissGap EPSRevenue EstimateActual RevenueDetails
4/27/2023Q1 2023
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
$0.04$0.05+$0.01$0.08$12.20 billion$12.19 billion      
4/27/2023Q1 2023
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
-$0.54-$0.45+$0.09-$0.45$673.84 million$691.83 million    
4/27/2023Q1 2023
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
-$0.21-$0.27-$0.06-$0.27$5.73 billion$5.70 billion    
4/27/2023Q1 2023
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
-$0.89-$0.82+$0.07-$0.69$1.35 billion$1.35 billion      
4/25/2023Q1 23
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
-$0.38-$0.34+$0.04-$0.10$2.32 billion$2.33 billion      
4/19/2023Q1 23
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
-$0.73-$0.63+$0.10-$0.67$11.43 billion$11.43 billion      
4/13/2023Q1 23
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
$0.29$0.25-$0.04$1.07$12.25 billion$12.76 billion      

Dividends

CompanyAnnual PayoutDividend Yield3-Year Dividend GrowthPayout RatioYears of Consecutive Growth
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
$0.561.96%N/A86.15%N/A
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
$0.722.40%-36.41%72.00%N/A
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Latest Airline Stocks Dividends

AnnouncementCompanyPeriodAmountYieldEx-Dividend DateRecord DatePayable Date
5/17/2023
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
quarterly$0.182.48%6/21/20237/12/2023
4/15/2023
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
$0.102.31%4/21/20234/24/20234/28/2023
3/18/2023
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
$0.101.76%3/24/20233/27/20233/31/2023
(Data available from 1/1/2013 forward)

Debt

CompanyDebt-to-Equity RatioCurrent RatioQuick Ratio
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
N/A
0.72
0.62
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
0.98
0.52
0.50
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
1.28
1.09
0.98
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
4.13
0.91
0.86
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
0.50
0.62
0.59
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
3.17
0.47
0.42
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
0.78
1.26
1.19
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
2.15
1.09
1.09

Ownership

Miscellaneous

CompanyEmployeesShares OutstandingFree FloatOptionable
American Airlines Group Inc. stock logo
AAL
American Airlines Group
129,700652.90 million647.77 millionOptionable
JetBlue Airways Co. stock logo
JBLU
JetBlue Airways
20,901327.90 million326.20 millionOptionable
SkyWest, Inc. stock logo
SKYW
SkyWest
13,58244.43 million43.50 millionOptionable
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stock logo
UAL
United Airlines
92,795327.97 million326.76 millionOptionable
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. stock logo
ULCC
Frontier Group
6,470218.52 million36.71 millionNot Optionable
Delta Air Lines, Inc. stock logo
DAL
Delta Air Lines
95,000642.72 million637.32 millionOptionable
Southwest Airlines Co. stock logo
LUV
Southwest Airlines
66,656595.07 million593.29 millionOptionable
Spirit Airlines, Inc. stock logo
SAVE
Spirit Airlines
12,025109.16 million108.56 millionOptionable

Airline Stocks Headlines

SourceHeadline
Spirit Airlines asks Puerto Rican family to show passports then denies them flightSpirit Airlines asks Puerto Rican family to show passports then denies them flight
msn.com - May 18 at 4:48 PM
Spirit Airlines, Inc. (NYSE:SAVE) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by AnalystsSpirit Airlines, Inc. (NYSE:SAVE) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts
americanbankingnews.com - May 18 at 2:52 AM
Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) Sees Large Volume IncreaseSpirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) Sees Large Volume Increase
americanbankingnews.com - May 17 at 9:08 AM
JetBlue continues to trade sideways with Spirit merger hanging in the balanceJetBlue continues to trade sideways with Spirit merger hanging in the balance
msn.com - May 16 at 5:48 PM
Analysts Issue Forecasts for Spirit Airlines, Inc.s Q3 2023 Earnings (NYSE:SAVE)Analysts Issue Forecasts for Spirit Airlines, Inc.'s Q3 2023 Earnings (NYSE:SAVE)
americanbankingnews.com - May 14 at 2:32 AM
US airlines made nearly $7 billion in bag fees last year despite mishandling nearly 3 million of them — see how carriers compareUS airlines made nearly $7 billion in bag fees last year despite mishandling nearly 3 million of them — see how carriers compare
msn.com - May 13 at 9:01 AM
Analyzing Harbor Diversified (OTCMKTS:HRBR) and Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE)Analyzing Harbor Diversified (OTCMKTS:HRBR) and Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE)
americanbankingnews.com - May 13 at 4:14 AM
Spirit Airlines Is Offering a Deal on Flights From $49 for One Day OnlySpirit Airlines Is Offering a Deal on Flights From $49 for One Day Only
msn.com - May 12 at 3:16 PM
Spirit’s $49 Sale Has Flights to Florida, California, and More — for One Day OnlySpirit’s $49 Sale Has Flights to Florida, California, and More — for One Day Only
msn.com - May 12 at 10:16 AM
Zacks Research Research Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for Spirit Airlines, Inc. (NYSE:SAVE)Zacks Research Research Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for Spirit Airlines, Inc. (NYSE:SAVE)
marketbeat.com - May 12 at 8:52 AM
Spirit Airlines expands connections its Puerto Rico with five new U.S. routesSpirit Airlines expands connections its Puerto Rico with five new U.S. routes
sacbee.com - May 11 at 1:11 PM
Low-cost airline takes top spot for best first- and business-class experience in new report: Here’s how U.S. carriers fared in the rankingLow-cost airline takes top spot for best first- and business-class experience in new report: Here’s how U.S. carriers fared in the ranking
finance.yahoo.com - May 10 at 1:23 PM
Flying Spirit Airlines? This is the Bag You Need So You Don’t Get Charged ExtraFlying Spirit Airlines? This is the Bag You Need So You Don’t Get Charged Extra
johnnyjet.com - May 10 at 11:07 AM
Spirit Airlines Boosts Puerto Rico Presence with New Connections and Increased FrequenciesSpirit Airlines Boosts Puerto Rico Presence with New Connections and Increased Frequencies
aviacionline.com - May 10 at 8:22 AM
Spirit adds nonstop flight from Atlanta to Puerto RicoSpirit adds nonstop flight from Atlanta to Puerto Rico
bizjournals.com - May 10 at 8:22 AM
Spirit Airlines Expands Connections to Puerto RicoSpirit Airlines Expands Connections to Puerto Rico
msn.com - May 9 at 12:20 PM
Spirit adds nonstop flights to Puerto Rico from these U.S. citiesSpirit adds nonstop flights to Puerto Rico from these U.S. cities
bizjournals.com - May 9 at 12:20 PM
Some Airlines Avoid Twitter, Putting a Popular Travel Hack at RiskSome Airlines Avoid Twitter, Putting a Popular Travel Hack at Risk
livemint.com - May 9 at 9:54 AM
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trims Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) Target Price to $10.00JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trims Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE) Target Price to $10.00
americanbankingnews.com - May 9 at 5:55 AM
Spirit Airlines Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitorsSpirit Airlines Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
marketwatch.com - May 8 at 6:16 PM
2023 ATW Value Airline of the Year: Spirit Airlines2023 ATW Value Airline of the Year: Spirit Airlines
aviationweek.com - May 8 at 3:06 PM
Nothing a Little Tape Wont Fix: Internet Uproar After Traveler Spots Spirit Airlines Worker Taping Plane WingNothing a Little Tape Won't Fix: Internet Uproar After Traveler Spots Spirit Airlines Worker Taping Plane Wing
blog.cheapism.com - May 8 at 1:14 PM
JP Morgan Maintains Spirit Airlines (SAVE) Underweight RecommendationJP Morgan Maintains Spirit Airlines (SAVE) Underweight Recommendation
msn.com - May 8 at 10:23 AM
Spirit Airlines Launches its Puerto Rico Expansion, Adding Nonstop FlightsSpirit Airlines Launches its Puerto Rico Expansion, Adding Nonstop Flights
breakingtravelnews.com - May 7 at 9:07 AM

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

Top Headlines

All Headlines

Company Descriptions

American Airlines Group logo

American Airlines Group

NASDAQ:AAL
American Airlines Group, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the operation of a network carrier through its principal wholly-owned mainline operating subsidiary, American. The firm offers air transportation for passengers and cargo. It operates through the following geographical segments: Department of Transportation Domestic, Department of Transportation Latin America, Department of Transportation Atlantic, and Department of Transportation Pacific. The company was founded on December 9, 2013 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, TX.
JetBlue Airways logo

JetBlue Airways

NASDAQ:JBLU
JetBlue Airways Corp. provides air transportation services. It carries more than 30 million customers a year to 86 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 850 daily flights. The firm offers flights and tickets to more than 82 destinations, with accommodations such as free TV, free snacks, and the most legroom. The company was founded by David Gary Neeleman in August 1998 and is headquartered in Long Island City, NY.
SkyWest logo

SkyWest

NASDAQ:SKYW
SkyWest, Inc. is the holding company for two scheduled passenger airline operations and an aircraft leasing company. SkyWest's airline companies provide commercial air service in cities throughout North America with nearly 3,000 daily flights carrying more than 53 million passengers annually. SkyWest Airlines operates through partnerships with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines operates through partnerships with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Based in St. George, Utah, SkyWest employs nearly 17,000 employees.
United Airlines logo

United Airlines

NASDAQ:UAL
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of transportation services. It operates through the following geographical segments: Domestic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Latin America. The company was founded on December 30, 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
Frontier Group logo

Frontier Group

NASDAQ:ULCC
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. engages in the provision of air transportation. The company was founded on September 2013 and is headquartered in Denver, CO.
Delta Air Lines logo

Delta Air Lines

NYSE:DAL
Delta Air Lines, Inc. engages in the provision of scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. It operates through the Airline and Refinery segments. The Airline segment provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo. The Refinery segment provides jet fuel to the airline segment. The company was founded by Collett Everman Woolman in 1928 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.
Southwest Airlines logo

Southwest Airlines

NYSE:LUV
Southwest Airlines Co. engages in the operation and management of a passenger airline. The firm also offers ancillary services such as early bird check-in, upgraded boarding, and transportation of pets and unaccompanied minors. It operates in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos. The company was founded by Rollin W. King and Herbert D. Kelleher on March 9, 1967, and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.
Spirit Airlines logo

Spirit Airlines

NYSE:SAVE
Spirit Airlines, Inc. engages in the provision of air transportation services. Its operations are concentrated in markets such as South Florida, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Northeast and Northern Midwest regions of the United States. The firm offers travel insurance, carry-on and checked baggage, online booking, and other services. The company was founded by Ned Homfeld in 1964 and is headquartered in Miramar, FL.

Key Points

  • Airline stocks suffered more than most sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Airline stocks are heavily regulated and also have high capital expenditure and fuel costs.
  • Airlines are expected to return to profitability in 2023 thanks to high demand, but several headwinds remain in place.

Looking for airline stocks to invest in? Airlines are notoriously fickle companies since many factors go into their continued operations. While airlines aren't as heavily regulated as they were in past decades, these companies still have to deal with quite a bit of federal oversight, and commodity prices like oil can influence their profits. 

But airline stocks intrigue even renowned investors like Warren Buffett, and air travel is rebounding significantly now that COVID-19 is in the rearview. In this article, we'll look into airline stock trends for 2023 and the pros and cons of adding these companies to your portfolio.

What to Know About the Airlines in 2023

Few industries suffered more during the pandemic than airlines. With travel halted, even the best airline stocks plummeted in March 2020. Many are yet to fully recover to their previous highs, including the United States' "big three": American, Delta and United (more on them later).

When travel began to reopen, the airplane stocks were once again hit with a shock, this time by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sent oil prices skyrocketing and significantly increased the cost of fuel. Fueling planes is one of the most significant costs incurred by airlines, and the price per gallon reached multi-year highs in June 2022. The most recent Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) report showed airline companies spent $4.63 billion on fuel in January 2023 at an average price of $3.28 per gallon. Consumption has rebounded near January 2019 levels, but costs remain elevated.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates air travel in the United States and oversees the certification of planes and pilots and the management of airports. Following the September 11 attacks, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) created an additional safeguard for passengers and travel hubs.

how to invest in airline stocks

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects a return to profitability for the airline industry in 2023. However, several headwinds remain in place for the beleaguered sector, and low stock prices still prevail.

  • Staffing: Airlines had trouble finding pilots and flight attendants in 2022, and staffing remains a concern in 2023, primarily for pilots now demanding much higher wages.
  • Costs: Wages aren't the only cost concerns airlines are dealing with; fuel remains expensive, although prices have dipped below 2022 peaks.
  • Demand: After being cooped up for the better part of two years, travel demand rebounded sharply in 2022 and shows no signs of slowing down in 2023. Even the constant threat of recession has yet to cause consumers to rethink their travel plans.

Types of Airline Companies

Airline companies can break down by size, location and the type of service they offer passengers. For this article, we'll break down airline stocks based on the three distinct types of business models they employ to service customers.

Full-Service Carriers (FSC)

Also known as network or legacy airlines, these are the largest players in the industry that serve the broadest range of clients and business travelers. FSC airlines have large fleets of planes offering domestic and international travel with daily flights, rewards for frequent fliers and multiple classes of travel like business and first class. These firms are household industry names like United Airlines Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL), American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL).

Low-Cost Carriers (LCC)

Below the full-service airlines are the low-cost carriers, which provide service to limited popular destinations and have smaller aircraft fleets. Frequent flier programs don't exist with these carriers, and they keep added perks to a minimum. An LCC aims to provide affordable and convenient travel to a centralized list of destinations, usually within the domestic airspace of the carrier's home country. In the United States, the most recognized LCC is Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE: LUV), which offers flights to 42 states. (Learn more about how to buy Southwest Airlines stock.) Other LCCs include JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) and Ireland's Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: RYAAY).

Ultra-Low Cost Carriers (ULCC)

Finally, we have the ultra-low-cost carriers who offer the cheapest available tickets with no frills, luxuries or added services. If you've ever flown on a ULCC, you may have heard the phrase "bus in the sky," since that's what travel on one of these flights resembles. You won't find fancy drinks, movies or any other special amenities, and each additional service, like baggage check and seat selection, carries a fee. The ULCCs you're probably most familiar with are Spirit Airlines Inc. (NYSE: SAVE) and Frontier Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ULCC).

Features to Look for in Airline Stocks

Finding the best airline stocks to invest in requires a different evaluation than most stock research. Airlines face heavy regulation and unpredictable costs, and their stocks haven't always rewarded investors. Your reasoning must be sound if you plan to invest in these companies.

Company Health

Overvalued airlines rarely make a good investment, so the first features you should look at are figures like enterprise value and debt-to-capitalization rate.

  • Enterprise value: To find the enterprise value, take the company’s total market cap and add the value of all preferred stock, long and short-term debt and any minority interest claims. Take this total and subtract the company’s cash and cash equivalents (which is all current cash holdings plus bank deposits) and you’ll get the enterprise value. Calculating enterprise value requires some digging into the balance sheet.
  • Debt-to-capitalization rate: Commonly used to measure a company’s solvency (always a pertinent issue with airlines), the debt-to-capitalization rate is found by taking the company’s total debt (short and long-term) and dividing it by total capital. Total capital is a combination of total debt plus shareholder equity. If the rate here is too high, it could show an airline using too much debt to finance its operations.

Airlines always seem cheap when using the price to earnings ratio, or P/E ratio (share price divided by earnings per share), so that's not an ideal metric for finding the best airline stocks to buy.

Free Cash Flow

Not only are airlines heavily regulated and beholden to fuel costs, but capital equipment in the industry is expensive. Airplanes are hard to make! And the equipment used to fuel them, service them and clean them also is costly. When evaluating airline stocks, monitor the free cash flow yield. Airlines with cash flow problems may struggle to fulfill their operating expenses.

Management

Finally, airlines don't have the best reputations. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find another industry the public is sour on than the airlines. Part of this is due to management: many airlines mismanage customer relations and financial matters. Most major U.S. airlines have declared bankruptcy at one point or another (except Southwest). If you're buying airline stocks, ensure the company has a management team you believe in.

How to Add Airline Stocks to Your Portfolio

Interested in investing in airline stocks right now? Here's how to add these companies to your portfolio:

Step 1: Research airline companies.

Which types of airlines do you want to invest in? Low-cost carriers or big network carriers? Companies with regional transportation hubs or ones that travel the globe? Domestic companies or international firms? Determine your investment thesis and research the companies that fit your outlook.

Step 2: Open a brokerage account.

Once you've located your ideal airline investments, you'll need a brokerage account to buy shares. You can purchase airlines in typical taxable vehicles like cash and margin accounts or buy them for your traditional or Roth IRA.

Step 3: Decide how much capital to put toward airlines.

Airlines have lagged behind the market in recent years, but past performance doesn't predict future performance. Still, you never want to put too much capital into a single industry, especially one with a track record like the airlines. If you want a diverse portfolio, only devote a small amount of your overall capital to airline stocks.

Step 4: Buy your shares and monitor your investments.

Airline stocks are easy to find on most major brokerages, especially mega-cap stocks. Only buy shares of the companies you research and ensure they mesh with your long-term goals. How long do you plan on holding these airline stocks? Where are your take-profit points? What types of losses are you willing to endure? Keep track of your investments and exit positions when you reach your parameters.

Airline ETFs

If you don't want to research individual companies, you can buy a big chunk of the sector through airline ETFs. Some ETFs are broadly invested in the entire travel sector, which includes hotels, restaurants and other forms of transportation. The only available ETF with a clear focus on airlines is the U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE: JETS).

The Jets ETF only has $2 billion in assets, but it's the only way to get pure exposure to a broad selection of airlines without including other travel and transportation stocks. JETS offers exposure to the big three U.S. airlines, plus various regional and low-cost carriers. You'll also get exposure to Canadian airlines trading over the counter in the U.S., such as Air Canada and Bombardier Inc.

If you're willing to expand to the larger transportation sector, other ETF options come into play. The largest is the iShares U.S. Transportation ETF (BATS: IYT), which holds airlines along with railroad companies, delivery services, rideshare and trucking companies. Other transportation ETFs include the SDPR S&P Transportation ETF (NYSE: XTN) and the U.S. Sea to Sky Cargo ETF (NYSE: SEA).

You May Need to Wait for the Right Market Conditions

The airlines aren't for impatient investors. Over the last few years, the industry has been dragged through the proverbial muck. Profitability should return in 2023, although a recession later in the year could keep these stocks grounded. 

When looking for airline stocks to invest in, it's important to remember the business layout. Government regulators are always looming over the industry, capital expenditures are high and inflated fuel prices can hinder the entire sector. Risk isn't the only thing to manage when investing in airline stocks — you'll also need to keep your expectations in line.

FAQs

Still considering what the best airline stocks to buy are? Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about airline stocks and the industry.

What is the best airline stock to buy now?

The best airline stock will vary depending on the time frame and goals of the investor. Airlines have been tricky investments for several years now; even Warren Buffett got tired of trying to figure them out. The definition of "best airline stock" always depends on the individual considering the investment.

What has happened with the airline industry over the past few years?

The airline industry suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic as it brought travel to a standstill. Once COVID faded and travel began to open up, rising fuel costs significantly hindered the airlines' ability to turn a profit. The last few years have not been kind to airline stocks.

Are airline stocks a good investment?

Airline stocks can be a tricky sector to invest in since these companies are heavily regulated, and fuel costs vary with commodity prices, which can be unpredictable. Airlines do well in good economies but suffer during recessions when consumers cut back on significant expenses like travel.

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