Thanksgiving

U.S. airlines are expected transport nearly 24 million passengers over the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, up by about 150,000 from last year’s holiday period. Planes should be flying at about 90% of capacity on the busiest travel days.

The chief economist at Airlines for America said:

Despite razor-thin profits, airlines have consistently demonstrated when they are even marginally profitable they add jobs. Improved airline balance sheets have translated into 21 consecutive months of job growth and enabled the carriers to reinvest in equipment, which will help boost efficiency and enhance the customer experience.

Maintenance and materials costs are 9% higher than a year ago, while wages and benefits have risen 5.3%. Among the 10 airlines included in the analysis were Alaska Air Group Inc. ALK.nyse, Delta Air Lines Co. DAL.nyse, JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU.nasdaq, Southwest Airlines Co. LUV.nyse, United Continental Holdings Inc. UAL.nyse, and U.S. Airways Group Inc. LCC.nyse

Avec une baisse rapide du prix du pétrole, les "earnings" des compagnies d'aviation seront à surveiller début 2013.