Airline bookings are improving across domestic, international and corporate channels
Lukas Wunderlich/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Bank of America reports that U.S. airline bookings are improving across all channels.
- Analyst Andrew Didora notes that the late December-early January period may have marked the worst of the COVID Omicron impact with bookings now improving for a second week in a row.
- "System net sales improved to down -60.3% vs 2019 for the week ending 1/16 (vs last week of down -64.4%). Domestic volumes improved to down -30.4% vs 2019 (vs -35.5% last week) while domestic leisure (tickets sold through OTA (online travel agency) channels) and corporate bookings (tickets sold through large travel agencies) stepped up to -17.7% and -57.5% from -26.3% and -59.2%, respectively, last week."
- On the international front, bookings improved to down -44.0% vs 2019 vs. -49.1% for the prior week and international pricing also stepped up to down -41.4% vs 2019 vs. -46.2% last week.
- There is also some incremental improvement noted with corporate airline booking trends. Didora says 57% of current remote workers would feel comfortable returning to the office, which is well off the highs of 73% in early November before Omicron but a notable improvement from the reading in recent weeks. The remote worker survey is highly correlated to booking trends. In another positive data readthrough, bookings through large travel agencies improved to down -57.5% vs. 2019 vs -59.2% for the prior week.
- U.S. airlines: American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV), United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL), JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ:HA), Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK), Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ:ALGT), Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE), Mesa Airlines (NASDAQ:MESA), SkyWest (NASDAQ:SKYW), Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ:SNCY), Frontier Group (NASDAQ:ULCC).
- European carriers: British Airways (OTCPK:ICAGY), easyJet (OTCPK:EJTTF), Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY), Deutsche Lufthansa (OTCQX:DLAKF, OTCQX:DLAKY), Air France-KLM (OTCPK:AFRAF), SAS Group, Jet2 (OTCPK:DRTGF), Virgin Atlantic, Wizz Air (OTCPK:WZZAF), Aeroflot (OTCPK:AERZY), Finnair (OTCPK:FNNNF), Norwegian Air (OTCPK:NWARF), Air Berlin (OTCPK:AIBEF)
- See Seeking Alpha Quant Ratings across the airline sector.
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Comments (30)
@Gladiator321 probably because crude oil is up again. The two usually trade in opposite directions.
There was also alot of euphoria after earnings even though most airlines said they will still lose money in the first two months of 2022 and for the 1st quarter as a whole. The recovery remains "just around the corner"
There was also alot of euphoria after earnings even though most airlines said they will still lose money in the first two months of 2022 and for the 1st quarter as a whole. The recovery remains "just around the corner"
@Gladiator321 I was thinking it had more to do with the personal spending and consumer sentiment readings for December and January. Just a lot of concern about weak consumer spending and ongoing inflationary pressures so consumer discretionary takes a hit. However, the economy has grown at the fastest clip in 2021 since 1984, so the recovery is obviously there... as is the volatility. How about that rebound, eh?
@andsib TSA stats up:www.tsa.gov/...
Just saw brand new Spirit airplanes on a train in Denver today. If they are buying new airplanes they must be expecting business to grow. SAVE looks like a good buy right now at ~$21.
@EnigmaDude ULCC too. Based in Denver.
fears of war and higher fuel prices are weighing on airlines
@Reit Investor getting cheaper by the minute!