ALK - News and Analysis from Seeking Alpha 'ALK' Tag RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/alk Regional Airlines Picking Up Market Share http://seekingalpha.com/article/171998-regional-airlines-picking-up-market-share?source=feed 171998 It appears that the short haul carriers are picking up market share. Whether it is a company like Allegiant (ALGT) or Continental’s (CAL) Express, many been making strides in this tough climate. At the same time United and American are still increasing load factors. How much is at below market price though in an attempt to fill seats?

The big names are also doing a very good job with what they have to work with. We know that business travel is tough and cost conscience consumers are helping to drive down pricing. Overall there are few names in the industry that we would call “solid” at this time.

]]> Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:35:25 -0500 Andrew Horowitz Andrew Horowitz submits:

It appears that the short haul carriers are picking up market share. Whether it is a company like Allegiant (ALGT) or Continental’s (CAL) Express, many been making strides in this tough climate. At the same time United and American are still increasing load factors. How much is at below market price though in an attempt to fill seats?

The big names are also doing a very good job with what they have to work with. We know that business travel is tough and cost conscience consumers are helping to drive down pricing. Overall there are few names in the industry that we would call “solid” at this time.


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALGT ALK AMR CAL DAL FRNT JBLU LCC LUV RJET SKYW UAUA WJAVF.PK Andrew Horowitz Airlines: Some Costs They Can't - And Shouldn't - Cut http://seekingalpha.com/article/170295-airlines-some-costs-they-can-t-and-shouldn-t-cut?source=feed 170295 Today, like most every day, just over 44,000 of the world's most experienced airline pilots employed by the 9 largest airlines in the United States will accept full responsibility for over 1.5 million lives sitting on the other side of their locked cockpit doors. Over the next 24 hours, these pilots will make over 13,500 take-offs literally around the world. Through every imaginable type of weather, they will be in command of over 36,000 hours of flight time. And, if today is like most days, you will never hear or read about even one of those flights.
There is a perception that salaries are an important key to discretionary cost-cutting by the airlines. Charts below attempt to put that information in perspective as regards pilots.
So what does it really take to be a commercial pilot?
First, similar to a doctor taking years to get qualified in the operating room, there are no 'entry level' pilot jobs at the major airlines. Before being hired by a major airline a commercial pilot will likely have a college degree and either been trained as a pilot in the military or have spent several years acquiring thousands of flight hours experience on smaller aircraft.
Fully depending on the airline’s growth, it could take as many as 20+ years to move from a co-pilot to captain.
Airline pilot wages, benefits and working schedules are based on company seniority. If a pilot leaves one airline he/she will start at the bottom of the next airline’s seniority list as a new hire.
Once hired by a major airline, regardless of prior experience, a pilot goes through several weeks of training and testing before being qualified on that airline’s specific aircraft operations. Every time he or she moves to a different type of aircraft or moves from co-pilot to captain he will again require more weeks of training and testing.
Pilots have to pass a medical check every six months with an annual EKG required as they get older. Due to very stringent medical requirements, approximately 15% of airline pilots are forced to retire before they reach their mandatory retirement age.
The FAA has strict limits on the maximum number of hours pilots are allowed to fly: The maximums are 1,000 in a year, 100 in a month and 30-32 in 7 days (international flight limits are slightly higher than domestic). In order to actually get an hour of flight time, depending on your seniority and the airline’s schedule, you can expect to be away from your base from two to four times actual flight hours. For the most part, a pilot only gets paid when the aircraft is moving. (Note: Pilots do not get premium pay for working holidays or weekends.)

What is a pilot worth?
Actually the important question should be: In the future, is the job going to be worth it for those individuals you want and expect to be responsible for so much?
Since 9/11 and the bankruptcy or reorganization of every legacy airline, pilot hourly pay rates have been reduced to what they were almost 20 years ago. In addition, work rule changes force pilots to work more and longer days than they ever have. Pilots from United (UAL), Delta (DAL), Northwest (now merged with Delta) and USAir (LCC) all lost significant amounts of their pensions as those airlines went through bankruptcy after 9/11.
Recognizing the above, how much of the average passenger airline ticket fare is now used to pay pilots to accept the responsibility they do? Not very much!
Tables below use industry data to calculate the average 'cockpit' wage cost for two pilots per hour of flight for the average passenger fare. Data considers reported passenger revenue kept by the airline and does not include taxes and airport fees. (USAir data includes America West pro forma. Delta and Northwest merged in October 2008. Aircraft movement is considered flight time for this report. )
For year 2008 the average cockpit wage cost per average passenger fare per hour of flight was $3.73. See figure 1 for specific airlines.

Figure 1 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 1
Since 9/11, United, Delta, Northwest and USAir filed bankruptcy. American (AMR) and Continental (CAL) reorganized outside of bankruptcy in 2003.
In the past seven years, while inflation increased by 20%, the average hourly cockpit wage cost for the average passenger fare dropped by 29%.
See figure 2 for the year over change since year 2002.

Figure 2 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 2
When comparing year 2008 with 2002, Southwest (LUV) and JetBlue (JBLU) were the only two airlines that had their passenger fare ratio of cockpit wage costs increase. (In 2002, both of these airlines had the lowest fare ratios in the industry.) In figure 3 you can see how the average cockpit wage cost ratio of the average passenger fare per hour of flight changed for each selected airline since year 2002.

Figure 3 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 3

As you can see, on average, the coffee you purchased in the terminal before your flight cost more than what both pilots will earn from your passenger fare for each hour of flight they accept responsibility for your safety.

Whether it is in the operating room or an airline cockpit, if you want the “best” individuals there, you will have to provide the incentives to get them first.
The bottom line questions are: In the future, who do you want replacing these aging and very experienced veteran pilots? Is it worth a few dollars more to attract the “right stuff” to be responsible for such an important job?
Data source: SEC filings and BTS reports

Disclosure: At the time of writing, the author and his family hold stock and derivative positions in AMR.
]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:56:12 -0400 Robert Herbst Robert Herbst submits:
Today, like most every day, just over 44,000 of the world's most experienced airline pilots employed by the 9 largest airlines in the United States will accept full responsibility for over 1.5 million lives sitting on the other side of their locked cockpit doors. Over the next 24 hours, these pilots will make over 13,500 take-offs literally around the world. Through every imaginable type of weather, they will be in command of over 36,000 hours of flight time. And, if today is like most days, you will never hear or read about even one of those flights.
There is a perception that salaries are an important key to discretionary cost-cutting by the airlines. Charts below attempt to put that information in perspective as regards pilots.
So what does it really take to be a commercial pilot?
First, similar to a doctor taking years to get qualified in the operating room, there are no 'entry level' pilot jobs at the major airlines. Before being hired by a major airline a commercial pilot will likely have a college degree and either been trained as a pilot in the military or have spent several years acquiring thousands of flight hours experience on smaller aircraft.
Fully depending on the airline’s growth, it could take as many as 20+ years to move from a co-pilot to captain.
Airline pilot wages, benefits and working schedules are based on company seniority. If a pilot leaves one airline he/she will start at the bottom of the next airline’s seniority list as a new hire.
Once hired by a major airline, regardless of prior experience, a pilot goes through several weeks of training and testing before being qualified on that airline’s specific aircraft operations. Every time he or she moves to a different type of aircraft or moves from co-pilot to captain he will again require more weeks of training and testing.
Pilots have to pass a medical check every six months with an annual EKG required as they get older. Due to very stringent medical requirements, approximately 15% of airline pilots are forced to retire before they reach their mandatory retirement age.
The FAA has strict limits on the maximum number of hours pilots are allowed to fly: The maximums are 1,000 in a year, 100 in a month and 30-32 in 7 days (international flight limits are slightly higher than domestic). In order to actually get an hour of flight time, depending on your seniority and the airline’s schedule, you can expect to be away from your base from two to four times actual flight hours. For the most part, a pilot only gets paid when the aircraft is moving. (Note: Pilots do not get premium pay for working holidays or weekends.)

What is a pilot worth?
Actually the important question should be: In the future, is the job going to be worth it for those individuals you want and expect to be responsible for so much?
Since 9/11 and the bankruptcy or reorganization of every legacy airline, pilot hourly pay rates have been reduced to what they were almost 20 years ago. In addition, work rule changes force pilots to work more and longer days than they ever have. Pilots from United (UAL), Delta (DAL), Northwest (now merged with Delta) and USAir (LCC) all lost significant amounts of their pensions as those airlines went through bankruptcy after 9/11.
Recognizing the above, how much of the average passenger airline ticket fare is now used to pay pilots to accept the responsibility they do? Not very much!
Tables below use industry data to calculate the average 'cockpit' wage cost for two pilots per hour of flight for the average passenger fare. Data considers reported passenger revenue kept by the airline and does not include taxes and airport fees. (USAir data includes America West pro forma. Delta and Northwest merged in October 2008. Aircraft movement is considered flight time for this report. )
For year 2008 the average cockpit wage cost per average passenger fare per hour of flight was $3.73. See figure 1 for specific airlines.

Figure 1 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 1
Since 9/11, United, Delta, Northwest and USAir filed bankruptcy. American (AMR) and Continental (CAL) reorganized outside of bankruptcy in 2003.
In the past seven years, while inflation increased by 20%, the average hourly cockpit wage cost for the average passenger fare dropped by 29%.
See figure 2 for the year over change since year 2002.

Figure 2 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 2
When comparing year 2008 with 2002, Southwest (LUV) and JetBlue (JBLU) were the only two airlines that had their passenger fare ratio of cockpit wage costs increase. (In 2002, both of these airlines had the lowest fare ratios in the industry.) In figure 3 you can see how the average cockpit wage cost ratio of the average passenger fare per hour of flight changed for each selected airline since year 2002.

Figure 3 pilot hourly wage cost
Figure 3

As you can see, on average, the coffee you purchased in the terminal before your flight cost more than what both pilots will earn from your passenger fare for each hour of flight they accept responsibility for your safety.

Whether it is in the operating room or an airline cockpit, if you want the “best” individuals there, you will have to provide the incentives to get them first.
The bottom line questions are: In the future, who do you want replacing these aging and very experienced veteran pilots? Is it worth a few dollars more to attract the “right stuff” to be responsible for such an important job?
Data source: SEC filings and BTS reports

Disclosure: At the time of writing, the author and his family hold stock and derivative positions in AMR.

Complete Story »]]> AAI ALK AMR CAL DAL JBLU LCC LUV UAUA Robert Herbst Airline Industry Q3 Summary: And Then There Was Light http://seekingalpha.com/article/168504-airline-industry-q3-summary-and-then-there-was-light?source=feed 168504 Airline Industry 3rd Quarter Summary-

Finally there appears to be sun light piercing through several recent months of storm clouds for the airline industry.

]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:33:10 -0400 Robert Herbst Robert Herbst submits:

Airline Industry 3rd Quarter Summary-

Finally there appears to be sun light piercing through several recent months of storm clouds for the airline industry.


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALK AMR CAL DAL JBLU LCC LUV UAUA Robert Herbst Why Airline Mergers Don't Work: Scale Is Not a Blessing http://seekingalpha.com/article/163373-why-airline-mergers-don-t-work-scale-is-not-a-blessing?source=feed 163373 On March 24, 2008 my first post on Why Airline Mergers Don’t Work opened with the following paragraph:

Ever wonder why over the last 30 years Southwest Airlines management (NYSE: LUV) spent only $0.03 on mergers and acquisitions for every $1.00 of shareholder value they created? By comparison Delta management (NYSE: DAL) spent $2.35 for every $1.00 of value they created. And Northwest (NYSE: NWA) spent $1.61 on M&A for every $1.00 of value they created. In Louisiana we have a name for this kind of strategy: Jumping over a dollar to get to a nickel.

]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:28:20 -0400 Victor Cook Victor Cook submits:

On March 24, 2008 my first post on Why Airline Mergers Don’t Work opened with the following paragraph:

Ever wonder why over the last 30 years Southwest Airlines management (NYSE: LUV) spent only $0.03 on mergers and acquisitions for every $1.00 of shareholder value they created? By comparison Delta management (NYSE: DAL) spent $2.35 for every $1.00 of value they created. And Northwest (NYSE: NWA) spent $1.61 on M&A for every $1.00 of value they created. In Louisiana we have a name for this kind of strategy: Jumping over a dollar to get to a nickel.


Complete Story »]]> ALK AMR DAL JBLU LCC LUV UAUA Victor Cook Will Airline Stocks Continue to Take Off? http://seekingalpha.com/article/162182-will-airline-stocks-continue-to-take-off?source=feed 162182 The Airline Sector has been on a roll recently. Yesterday, in fact, the AMEX Airline Index (XAL) gained about 1.8%, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) was down around 0.3%. This group has long been disliked on a fundamental basis due to their low profit margins, poor balance sheets, and unwieldy cost structures.

However, the tape tells all, as they say, and this group has been very strong in the 3rd quarter of 2009. Take a look at how an Airline ETF, Claymore Arca Airline (FAA), has performed versus the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since July of this year:

]]> Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:35:01 -0400 Moby Waller Moby Waller submits:

The Airline Sector has been on a roll recently. Yesterday, in fact, the AMEX Airline Index (XAL) gained about 1.8%, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) was down around 0.3%. This group has long been disliked on a fundamental basis due to their low profit margins, poor balance sheets, and unwieldy cost structures.

However, the tape tells all, as they say, and this group has been very strong in the 3rd quarter of 2009. Take a look at how an Airline ETF, Claymore Arca Airline (FAA), has performed versus the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since July of this year:


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALK CAL DAL FAA LUV SKYW SPX SPY TAM Moby Waller Airline Industry Not Flying High http://seekingalpha.com/article/153114-airline-industry-not-flying-high?source=feed 153114 As an industry, the airlines just can’t seem to fly very high or very far. Last fall when oil prices dropped rapidly it looked promising on the cost side, but revenues soon began falling even faster than the price of fuel and the optimistic outlook, once again, turned negative.

The “industry”, for this analysis, considers the largest 9 US airlines: Delta (DAL), American (AMR), United (UAUA), Continental (CAL), Southwest (LUV), USAir (LCC), JetBlue (JBLU), Alaska (ALK) and Air Tran (AAI).

]]> Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:28:07 -0400 Robert Herbst Robert Herbst submits:

As an industry, the airlines just can’t seem to fly very high or very far. Last fall when oil prices dropped rapidly it looked promising on the cost side, but revenues soon began falling even faster than the price of fuel and the optimistic outlook, once again, turned negative.

The “industry”, for this analysis, considers the largest 9 US airlines: Delta (DAL), American (AMR), United (UAUA), Continental (CAL), Southwest (LUV), USAir (LCC), JetBlue (JBLU), Alaska (ALK) and Air Tran (AAI).


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALK AMR CAL DAL JBLU LCC LUV UAUA Robert Herbst The Truth About the Airline Industry http://seekingalpha.com/article/140940-the-truth-about-the-airline-industry?source=feed 140940 I noticed the following headline last week:

“Virgin Atlantic boss warns no airlines will make money this year.”

]]> Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:38:24 -0400 Timothy Lutts Timothy Lutts submits:

I noticed the following headline last week:

“Virgin Atlantic boss warns no airlines will make money this year.”


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALGT ALK AMR BAIRY.PK CAL CEA CPA DAL GIA GOL HA JBLU LCC LFL LUV MESA PNCL RJET RYAAY SKYW TAM UAUA WJAVF.PK XJT ZNH Timothy Lutts U.S. Airline Industry No Longer in Freefall http://seekingalpha.com/article/138785-u-s-airline-industry-no-longer-in-freefall?source=feed 138785 Even discounting the Easter effect, the airline market stabilized in April after a six-month freefall, says CreditSights. Year-on-Year domestic and Atlantic capacity reductions bottomed, but load factor perked up smartly and Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Mile declines halted.

While the summer demand picture remains cloudy, it is now not a bottomless pit.

]]> Wed, 20 May 2009 16:21:05 -0400 Research Recap Research Recap submits:

Even discounting the Easter effect, the airline market stabilized in April after a six-month freefall, says CreditSights. Year-on-Year domestic and Atlantic capacity reductions bottomed, but load factor perked up smartly and Passenger Revenue per Available Seat Mile declines halted.

While the summer demand picture remains cloudy, it is now not a bottomless pit.


Complete Story »]]> ALK AMR CAL DAL JBLU LCC NWA UAUA Research Recap 20 'Bathwater Babies' and 3 'Dogs with Fleas' for the Week http://seekingalpha.com/article/123536-20-bathwater-babies-and-3-dogs-with-fleas-for-the-week?source=feed 123536 At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans the equity market for potential anomalies which exhibit extremely oversold and overbought conditions. Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside or downside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact or relatively poor. From a contrarian perspective, these lists may also serve as a precursor to changes in institutional sentiment and underlying fundamentals.

(The purpose of this report is not to provide specific recommendations, but instead serve as a time-saving reference tool and starting point for investment ideas as the upcoming trading week unfolds. Of course, the results generated are not always perfect and users are strongly encouraged to perform their own due diligence on these names. Note that overbought and oversold conditions are based upon proprietary algorithms and quantitative models instead of conventional technical analysis indicators. As a supplement to this report, please refer to our Market Condition Summary to determine if market direction trends support a bullish or bearish investment bias over short-term, intermediate, and long-term timeframes.)

]]> Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:47:06 -0500 J Clinton Hill J Clinton Hill submits:

At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans the equity market for potential anomalies which exhibit extremely oversold and overbought conditions. Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside or downside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact or relatively poor. From a contrarian perspective, these lists may also serve as a precursor to changes in institutional sentiment and underlying fundamentals.

(The purpose of this report is not to provide specific recommendations, but instead serve as a time-saving reference tool and starting point for investment ideas as the upcoming trading week unfolds. Of course, the results generated are not always perfect and users are strongly encouraged to perform their own due diligence on these names. Note that overbought and oversold conditions are based upon proprietary algorithms and quantitative models instead of conventional technical analysis indicators. As a supplement to this report, please refer to our Market Condition Summary to determine if market direction trends support a bullish or bearish investment bias over short-term, intermediate, and long-term timeframes.)


Complete Story »]]> AFAM ALK ALTH AMED AMSF APOL CUB EBS GPI GTIV GXDX IMGN KND LHCG MBT NOVN NTRI OCR OMI RMD SAIA STE TRH J Clinton Hill Domestic Air Travel: Lowest Since Post-9/11 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120335-domestic-air-travel-lowest-since-post-9-11?source=feed 120335 From the just-released BTS November air traffic data, this graph of year-over-year monthly changes in domestic air passenger revenue-miles is fairly eye-opening. The industry is in its worst downturn since 9/11, with domestic RPM off 14.3% in November alone.

airlines

]]> Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:18:55 -0500 Paul Kedrosky Paul Kedrosky submits:

From the just-released BTS November air traffic data, this graph of year-over-year monthly changes in domestic air passenger revenue-miles is fairly eye-opening. The industry is in its worst downturn since 9/11, with domestic RPM off 14.3% in November alone.

airlines


Complete Story »]]> ALK AMR CAL DAL JBLU LCC LUV NWACQ UAUA Paul Kedrosky Alaska Air Group Inc. Q4 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/117496-alaska-air-group-inc-q4-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 117496 Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK)

Q4 2008 Earnings Call

January 29, 2009 11:30 am ET

]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:34:14 -0500 Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK)

Q4 2008 Earnings Call

January 29, 2009 11:30 am ET


Complete Story »]]> ALK 11 New Shorting Opportunities for 2009 http://seekingalpha.com/article/113049-11-new-shorting-opportunities-for-2009?source=feed 113049 Happy New Year all! With the new year comes the possibility of a strong bear market rally, which brings with it the potential to profit from the same companies whose fundamentals and macro situation led them to be profitable short candidates in 2008. While I don't give trading advice, I do want my subscribers to be aware that a sharp increase in a weak company's share price does not necessarily make that company stronger.

Keep in my mind the 12 months that I held on to my GGP bear trade. This company had several major price run ups that pushed the position into deep drawdowns, which enabled me to double up on the position without incurring significant option premiums and paying much less for short stock positions. I was able to do this because I had conviction and confidence in my research. If the research is followed consistently over an extended period of time, there should be enouch profit and confidence for the average follower to easily endure drawdowns and adverse market movements with confidence and aplomb! Remember, once you break 100% in net profits, you should be playing completely with the house's money!

]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:05:26 -0500 Reggie Middleton Reggie Middleton submits:

Happy New Year all! With the new year comes the possibility of a strong bear market rally, which brings with it the potential to profit from the same companies whose fundamentals and macro situation led them to be profitable short candidates in 2008. While I don't give trading advice, I do want my subscribers to be aware that a sharp increase in a weak company's share price does not necessarily make that company stronger.

Keep in my mind the 12 months that I held on to my GGP bear trade. This company had several major price run ups that pushed the position into deep drawdowns, which enabled me to double up on the position without incurring significant option premiums and paying much less for short stock positions. I was able to do this because I had conviction and confidence in my research. If the research is followed consistently over an extended period of time, there should be enouch profit and confidence for the average follower to easily endure drawdowns and adverse market movements with confidence and aplomb! Remember, once you break 100% in net profits, you should be playing completely with the house's money!


Complete Story »]]> ALGT ALK APU CHDN COST OCR OMI ORLY PLCE WMT WYNN Reggie Middleton Where Will the Benefits of Fuel Savings Be Seen? http://seekingalpha.com/article/106942-where-will-the-benefits-of-fuel-savings-be-seen?source=feed 106942 One of the unexpected benefits of a $90-a-barrel drop in the price of crude oil is a transport sector that has far less to pay for keeping things moving. Now, of course, that savings is predicated on the assumption that there’s actually something out there to move – that manufacturers are still making things, and consumers are still buying.

]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:50:44 -0500 Matt McAbby One of the unexpected benefits of a $90-a-barrel drop in the price of crude oil is a transport sector that has far less to pay for keeping things moving. Now, of course, that savings is predicated on the assumption that there’s actually something out there to move – that manufacturers are still making things, and consumers are still buying.


Complete Story »]]> ALK IYT Matt McAbby Airline Outlook Could Take Off In '09 http://seekingalpha.com/article/105996-airline-outlook-could-take-off-in-09?source=feed 105996

(click to enlarge)

The outlook for the airline industry is becoming more favorable thanks to the pullback in jet fuel prices and decreased capacity – as weak carriers go out of business, more planes stay on the ground, and mergers such as Northwest-Delta (DAL) reduce the number of companies competing for less demand as business and consumer travel declines in the wake of the global economic slowdown.
]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:57:55 -0500 Mike Havrilla Mike Havrilla submits:

(click to enlarge)

The outlook for the airline industry is becoming more favorable thanks to the pullback in jet fuel prices and decreased capacity – as weak carriers go out of business, more planes stay on the ground, and mergers such as Northwest-Delta (DAL) reduce the number of companies competing for less demand as business and consumer travel declines in the wake of the global economic slowdown.

Complete Story »]]> ALGT ALK ALNPY.PK DAL HA IYT JALSF.PK SPY Mike Havrilla Airline Industry Not Flying High http://seekingalpha.com/article/104878-airline-industry-not-flying-high?source=feed 104878 The airline industry has been one of the most beaten down in the last year. AMEX Airline Index [XAL] was down more than 50% in the last months, and in July it was down almost 70%. What is interesting is that the low occurred in July - compared to other industries where recent lows have been reached during October after heavy sell-off. Earlier turnover was due to declining crude oil and gasoline prices which are down more than 50% since the July peak.

click to enlarge

]]> Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:50:30 -0500 Vlada Kynsky The airline industry has been one of the most beaten down in the last year. AMEX Airline Index [XAL] was down more than 50% in the last months, and in July it was down almost 70%. What is interesting is that the low occurred in July - compared to other industries where recent lows have been reached during October after heavy sell-off. Earlier turnover was due to declining crude oil and gasoline prices which are down more than 50% since the July peak.

click to enlarge


Complete Story »]]> ALK AMR CAL DAL KLMR.PK LCC LUV NWACQ UAUA Vlada Kynsky Airlines: Profit Forecasts Gaining Altitude http://seekingalpha.com/article/103060-airlines-profit-forecasts-gaining-altitude?source=feed 103060 Yes, the economy is slumping. Yes, the fundamentals of the airlines stink. And yes, I don't like flying. But, profit forecasts for airlines have improved over the past few weeks.

Why?

]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:00:33 -0400 Zacks.com Zacks.com submits:

Yes, the economy is slumping. Yes, the fundamentals of the airlines stink. And yes, I don't like flying. But, profit forecasts for airlines have improved over the past few weeks.

Why?


Complete Story »]]> ALGT ALK CEA IYT JBLU LCC LUV RYAAY UAUA Zacks.com Alaska Air Group, Inc. Q3 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/102202-alaska-air-group-inc-q3-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 102202 Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK)

Q3 2008 Earnings Call

October 23, 2008 8:00 am ET

]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:20:22 -0400 Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK)

Q3 2008 Earnings Call

October 23, 2008 8:00 am ET


Complete Story »]]> ALK Top Stock Performers in August: Airlines, Internet http://seekingalpha.com/article/93905-top-stock-performers-in-august-airlines-internet?source=feed 93905 The stock market performed reasonably well in August with falling oil prices and some better than expected earnings results pushing the market indicators all positive for the month. The Dow gained 166 points or 1.5% and the Nasdaq gained 42 points or 1.8%.

Taking a closer look at some of the month’s top performers shows that airline stocks once again benefited from the falling price of oil. While some surprising names posted better than expected quarterly results and ended the month as the top internet stocks.

]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:08:51 -0400 eChristian Investing eChristian Investing submits:

The stock market performed reasonably well in August with falling oil prices and some better than expected earnings results pushing the market indicators all positive for the month. The Dow gained 166 points or 1.5% and the Nasdaq gained 42 points or 1.8%.

Taking a closer look at some of the month’s top performers shows that airline stocks once again benefited from the falling price of oil. While some surprising names posted better than expected quarterly results and ended the month as the top internet stocks.


Complete Story »]]> ALK ANSW CAL DIET INET INSP JBLU LCC MOVE NTES OSTK UAUA VPRT WBMD ZIPR eChristian Investing 41 Stocks Returning 10% or More Last Week http://seekingalpha.com/article/91343-41-stocks-returning-10-or-more-last-week?source=feed 91343 This week's list of top performers has high exposure to retail and solar; areas we have been moving into the past few weeks with greater weightings.... but more into solar than retail for the fund. This list continues to show us that "beaten down" merchandise from the past year is the market's favorite right now. At the very bottom of the entry I also posted the top returners in the $1B to $1.75B range of market capitalization since we are increasingly buying some smaller fare.

Criteria

]]> Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:38:09 -0400 TraderMark Trader Mark submits:

This week's list of top performers has high exposure to retail and solar; areas we have been moving into the past few weeks with greater weightings.... but more into solar than retail for the fund. This list continues to show us that "beaten down" merchandise from the past year is the market's favorite right now. At the very bottom of the entry I also posted the top returners in the $1B to $1.75B range of market capitalization since we are increasingly buying some smaller fare.

Criteria


Complete Story »]]> AIXG ALK ASCA CLWR CREE CTRP CVC CY DISCA DRYS EL ELN ENER ENS ERJ ESC EXM FOSL GA GEO GMGMQ.PK GNK HANS HTV IHS IOC IRF JCP KSS LDG LDK LII LVS MBI MTL NRG NTES NVDA ONXX OTEX PBEGF.PK PDC PENN PETD SBUX SOL SPWRA STP STX TEN TOL TSL UAUA UB WEN WFR WINN TraderMark Time To Ban CEOs and Senators from Derivatives Markets http://seekingalpha.com/article/90898-time-to-ban-ceos-and-senators-from-derivatives-markets?source=feed 90898 Originally written on 7/18/2008

Pandering and Ignorance Not Limited to Washington
We've all witnessed the growing frenzy over derivatives speculation in Washington (see "The Rage Against Derivatives Speculators Is Unfounded" for more information). Senators and congressman have made a number of alarming appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows in recent months. These appearances have revealed a stunning ignorance of the derivatives markets and of the free market system as a whole.

]]> Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:15:56 -0400 Options Insider The Options Insider submits:

Originally written on 7/18/2008

Pandering and Ignorance Not Limited to Washington
We've all witnessed the growing frenzy over derivatives speculation in Washington (see "The Rage Against Derivatives Speculators Is Unfounded" for more information). Senators and congressman have made a number of alarming appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows in recent months. These appearances have revealed a stunning ignorance of the derivatives markets and of the free market system as a whole.


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALK AMR HA JBLU UAUA USO Options Insider