Originally Posted by forgot to bid

News of the day:

Atlanta Business News 1:40 p.m. Monday, April 12, 2010
Decrease Increase AirTran, Delta on opposite ends of quality study

The Atlanta Journal-Constipation

AirTran Airways finished No. 2 in the Airline Quality Rating survey for 2009, released Monday, while Delta Air Lines fell to No. 15 out of 18 airlines ranked.

Overall, the survey found, the nation's major airlines did a better job last year with on-time performance, baggage handling and rate of consumer complaints submitted to the government.

The industry as a whole got its third-best rating in the 19 years researchers have issued the report. The authors said reduced flights are a major reason, noting that service measures tend to rise during times of reduced demand and capacity cuts by airlines.

They also said baggage fees may have helped improve the rate of mishandled baggage because fewer people check bags and airlines want to do a better job now that they charge extra.

But "involuntary denied boardings" -- bumping passengers from overbooked flights -- jumped more than 8 percent from 2008 to 2009.

The quality ratings are issued by professors at Wichita State and Purdue universities who analyze monthly federal data, such as on-time performance, and then weight the results to create their rankings.

AirTran also finished 2nd for 2008 and was 1st for 2007.

Delta was 12th for 2008 and 10th for 2007. Its merger partner, Northwest Airlines, is ranked separately for 2009 because the operations were not fully integrated. Northwest finished at No. 4.

Joining Delta near the bottom were two of its regional affiliates. Comair, a Delta subsidiary, was No. 16 while contract carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines was No. 17.

Overall ranking in the 2009 Airline Quality Survey (2008 rank in parentheses)

1. Hawaiian (1)
2. AirTran (2)
3. JetBlue (3)
4. Northwest (4)... okay, now add NWA to DAL and where are we?
5. Southwest (6)
6. Continental (8)
7. Frontier (7)
8. US Airways (10)
9. American (9)
10. ExpressJet (N/A)
11. Alaska (5)
12. Mesa (14)
13. United (11)
14. SkyWest (13)
15. Delta (12)
16. Comair (15)
17. Atlantic Southeast (17)
18. American Eagle (16)

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Earnings Preview: Delta Air Lines's Quarterly Results will be Reported in 12 days (DAL)
Written on Sat, 04/10/2010 - 11:31
By Chip Brian
Analysts, on average, expect Delta Air Lines (NYSEAL) to report a loss of $0.23 on sales of $7 billion on April 21, 2010.
For the full year, analysts expect the company to post EPS of $1.51. In the year-ago period, the company reported a loss of $0.84 on sales of $6.7 billion.
In the previous quarter, the company reported a loss of $0.27, missing consensus estimates for a loss of $0.22.
SmarTrend is bullish on shares of Delta Air Lines and our subscribers were alerted to Buy on March 01, 2010 at $13.22. The stock has risen 10.3% since the alert was issued.
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Sector Snap: Airline stocks climb

Airline shares rose Monday, helped by easing oil prices and a rally in the broader market that pushed the Dow over 11,000.

The Amex airlines index rose 2.1 percent, with all 13 of its component stocks higher in midday trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 25 points to move back above 11,000 in midday trading, as concern eased about Greece's debt problems and corporate takeovers boosted some stocks.

Airline stocks have been helped by reports of merger discussions between United Airlines and US Airways, which could help carriers reduce the supply of seats and hike prices.

Meanwhile, crude oil prices fell slightly as traders figured that a slow economic recovery wouldn't cause a strong boost in U.S. oil and gas demand. Benchmark crude for May delivery dipped 13 cents to $84.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Airline stock often trade opposite oil prices as fuel costs represent one of the industry's biggest expenses.

In midday trading, shares of United parent UAL Corp. rose 89 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $21.39. US Airways Group Inc. gained 23 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $7.55. Continental Airlines Inc. -- which some analysts believe could attempt to combine with United -- rose $1.31, or 6.1 percent, to $22.84.

Delta Air Lines Inc. gained 25 cents to $14.83. American Airlines parent AMR Corp. added 7 cents to $8.71. Southwest Airlines Co. picked up 7 cents to $13.37.