Originally Posted by
flydog431
JetBlue had barely been flying for 18 months when 9/11 happened. It's hard to conceive a less opportunistic time to start an airline, yet JetBlue was the only airline to turn a profit in the downturn.
JetBlue, Exception Among Airlines, Is Likely to Post a Profit - NYTimes.com
While the airline industry has historically
never been a cash cow for investors, good management and sound business plan go a long way.
I hate to rain on your parade Flydog, but the statement that the industry has
never been a cash cow for investors...simply doesn't fly.
A few decades ago, that was exactly the problem. The big carriers made so much money that they attracted some rather unsavory characters, i.e., Frank Lorenzo and Carl Ichan to start the parade. You may not remember when United was literally making a killing and the stock was slightly over $300.00/share. The pilots who had stock options and decided it might be a good time to sell made a hell of a lot of money $$$$$$$$$.
I would certainly agree that in the past decade or so, the industry has slipped and is currently sliding downhill but that's for another topic.
G'Day Mate
