Yahoo Finance Airline Stock Roundup: JBLU's Expansion Update, DAL's Deal, RYAAY's Traffic & More
In the past week, JetBlue Airways JBLU management announced that it has commenced operating non-stop daily flights to Paris from New York's John F. Kennedy International or JFK Airport.
Delta Air Lines DAL was also in the news, courtesy of its deal with El Al Israel Airlines in an attempt to boost connectivity between the United States and Israel. European carrier, Ryanair Holdings RYAAY grabbed headlines by virtue of its stellar traffic numbers for the month of June despite multiple flight cancellations.
Recap of the Past Week’s Most Important Stories
1. DAL’s agreement with El Al Israel Airlines involves reciprocal codeshare and frequent flyer benefits, allowing passengers to earn and redeem miles on both carriers. Initially, customers will be able to check in for their entire journey and have their boarding passes issued and bags checked through to their destination. We believe that the decision to ink a deal with El Al is a prudent move by Delta’s management. By expanding its network and improving connectivity, this Atlanta-based carrier can attract more customers and generate additional revenues. The ability to earn and redeem miles on both carriers will also appeal to frequent flyers, potentially increasing customer loyalty. Delta currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Delta was also in the news recently courtesy of its bullish guidance for the second quarter of 2023, owing to the highly impressive air travel demand scenario. That news was covered in detail in the previous week's writeup.
2. The launch of flights to Paris marks JetBlue's expansion into continental Europe, filling a gap in its network and meeting the demands of its customer base. With daily flights connecting New York to Paris, the success of its London service and upcoming routes to Amsterdam, JetBlue is disrupting the dominance of high-fare legacy carriers in the transatlantic market. The airline’s decision to expand its presence in the transatlantic market is a prudent one given the upbeat air travel demand scenario. The routes should generate significant traffic, in turn boosting JetBlue’s top line.
3. Despite having to cancel over 900 flights in June due to air traffic control strikes, Ryanair carried the maximum passengers ever in a month. The low-cost carrier transported 17.4 million passengers, compared with 15.9 million in June 2022. Load factor (% of seats filled with passengers) was an impressive 95% for the month.
4. According to a Reuters report, JetBlue Airways’ management has decided not to appeal against the federal judge’s ruling in May to terminate the alliance with American Airlines AAL in the Northeast as it was anti-competitive. JetBlue’s management, however, strongly disagrees with the court ruling. Despite that, JBLU will not appeal against the decision to save its impending $3.8 billion buyout of Spirit Airlines SAVE.
Performance
The following table shows the price movement of the major airline players over the past week and during the last six months.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The table above shows that all airline stocks traded in the green over the past week, resulting in the NYSE ARCA Airline Index gaining 2.1% to $79.14. Over the course of the past six months, the NYSE ARCA Airline Index has appreciated 41.3%.
What’s Next in the Airline Space?
Delta is scheduled to kickstart the second-quarter earnings season for airlines on Jul 13. Investors will keenly await DAL’s performance amid this bullish air-travel demand scenario.
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Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
