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Best Airline Stocks Right Now

July 4, 2025
11:15 AM
9 min read
AI Enhanced
investmenteconomymoneystockstradingfinancialconsumer discretionaryindustrials

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The post Best Airline Stocks Right Now by Charles Munyi appeared first on Benzinga. Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Airline stocks are cyclical and previous downturns have resulted...

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investment

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Published

July 4, 2025

11:15 AM

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Benzinga

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investmenteconomymoneystockstradingfinancialconsumer discretionaryindustrials

()Spirit Airlines Inc serves the United States, Latin America, and Caribbean as an airline operator

It primarily offers customers unbundled base fares to strip out any unneeded travel amenities

If needed, a customer can elect for additional options at an extra charge

Flight crews are entirely interchangeable across all aircraft, and maintenance and other support services are simplified due to not having an overly complex fleet

The company has one operating segment, air transportation, owing to its system wide route structure

It may decide to expand its network if a market is underserved or overpriced

The majority of revenue is derived from the United States. ()Open-Close-Vol / Avg. - / -Mkt Cap-Day Range- - -52 Wk Range- - -BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialUnited Airlines Holdings (NASDAQ:UAL)United Airlines Holdings served more than 162 million customers through 1. 7 million flights in 2019

It operates 791 mainline aircraft while its United Express carriers operate 581 regional aircrafts

In fiscal 2019, the company reported $3 billion net income or $11. 58 diluted earnings per, an increase from $2. 1 billion or $7. 67 diluted earnings per in 2018

The passenger revenue also increased by $1. 9 billion from 2018 after a 3. 5% growth in available seat miles (ASMs)

UAL repurchased 19. 2 million s for $1. 6 billion and recorded U

Department of Transport on-time arrival rates of 77

United Airlines Holdings(NASDAQ:UAL)$82

Last-: Jul 3, 4:07 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen81. 720Close82. 360Vol / Avg. 757MMkt Cap26. 863BDay Range81. 64052 Wk Range37. 000BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialAlaska Air Gr (NYSE:ALK)Alaska Air Group operates 2 airlines — Horizon and Alaska

Horizon and Alaska have individual plans, economic risks and competitive factors

Together with its regional airline partners, Alaska Air flies to 115 destinations with more than 1,300 daily departures through a vast network across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica

In 2019, the airline carried an all-time record of 47 million guests

It earned $769 million consolidated income compared to $437 million in the previous year

The company also marked its 16th consecutive year of fitability on an adjusted basis

Alaska Air employed 24,134 personnel at the end of fiscal 2019

Some of its biggest holders include The Vanguard Group Inc

Rowe Price Associates Inc. , BlackRock Institutional Trust Company and PRIMECAP Management Company

Alaska Air Gr(NYSE:ALK)$51

Last-: Jul 3, 4:57 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen50. 960Close51. 050Vol / Avg. 308MMkt Cap6. 224BDay Range50. 25052 Wk Range32. 080BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialU

Global Jets ETF (ARCA:JETS)From the U

Global ETFs website, “The U

Global Jets ETF (JETS) vides investors access to the global airline industry, including airline operators and manufacturers from all over the world

Global Jets ETF(ARCA:JETS)$24. 39%]Open23. 860Close24. 120Vol / Avg. 172MMkt Cap-Day Range23. 28052 Wk Range16. 100BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialSun Country Airlines (NASDAQ:SNCY)Sun County Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier flying out of Minneapolis-St

Paul International Airport and headquartered on airport perty

Sun Country Airlines(NASDAQ:SNCY)$12

Last-: Jul 3, 1:23 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen12. 470Close12. 580Vol / Avg. 108MMkt Cap658. 046MDay Range12. 66552 Wk Range8. 588BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialDelta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL)Delta Air Lines, Inc

Vides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally, with hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St

Paul, Detroit and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK and Seattle

There are also international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Seoul-Incheon

Delta Air Lines(NYSE:DAL)$50

Last-: Jul 3, 4:57 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen50. 500Close50. 860Vol / Avg. 569MMkt Cap33. 173BDay Range50. 39052 Wk Range34. 980BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialAmerican Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL)American Airlines Group Inc

And its subsidiaries operate as a network air carrier, with hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D

Also, the carrier works through partner gateways in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney and Tokyo

American Airlines Group(NASDAQ:AAL)$11

Last-: Jul 3, 4:51 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen11. 725Close11. 690Vol / Avg. 967MMkt Cap7. 697BDay Range11. 93052 Wk Range8. 100BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialSouthwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV)Southwest Airlines Co

Operates as a passenger airline company that vide scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international

Southwest Airlines(NYSE:LUV)$34

Last-: Jul 3, 4:58 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)Get Real Time HereOpen34. 000Close34. 080Vol / Avg. 859MMkt Cap19. 432BDay Range33. 23552 Wk Range23. 120BuySellCompare Broketart Your Free 14-Day Benzinga TrialAirline stocks are cyclical and previous downturns have resulted in multiple airline failures and bankruptcies

It’s the question everyone’s been asking: Is it safe to invest in airline stocks now

Which ones are the best-run companies

Benzinga takes a look at some of the best airline stocks so you know where in this industry you should put your money

Quick Look at the Best Airline Stocks:Spirit Airlines, Inc

United Airlines HoldingsAlaska Air GroupU

Global Jets ETFSun County AirlinesDelta Airlines, Inc

American Airlines Group Inc

Southwest Airlines Co

Table of ContentsQuick Look at the Best Airline Stocks:Overview: Airline StocksBest Online Brokers for Airline StocksSee All 5 ItemsOverview: Airline StocksIn short, U

Airline stocks have been lousy investments after the industry was deregulated in the late 1970s

The deregulation allowed companies to fiercely compete for

The federal rule changes resulted in a boom and bust pattern — major fits when times were good and liquidations or bankruptcies when the economy went south

Companies Trans World Airlines (TWA), Braniff International and Eastern Air Lines vanished during this era and investors took billions in losses

The early 2000s was a period of consolidation and restructuring

The number of airlines reduced and the remaining competed and secured the balance sheets of surviving companies

American Airlines Group merged with US Airways

Delta bought Northwest, and Southwest Airlines bought AirTran

Today the airline industry helps pel around $2 trillion in economic activity

Millions of jobs in the U

Airline sector now fall into 3 :Regionals, which offer smaller-jet services to secondary under the brands of full-service companies

Full-service companies, which fly internationally, serve multiple and have various cabin classes

Discounters, which have fewer offerings and cover fewer destinations

Best Online Brokers for Airline StocksYou can buy airline stock through any online broker with access to the major stock exchanges

Powerful stock screeners, analysis and re tools are available for use by anyone who registers

You may apply custom s to identify stocks that fit your goals

Most online brokerages will also offer commission-free trades

Here are Benzinga’s favorites to consider if you trade airline stocks

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ComRobinhood ReviewBest For:BeginnersVIEW S & CONS:securely through Robinhood's websiteGet Started with RobinhoodTradeZero ReviewBest For:Global Broker for Short SellingVIEW S & CONS:securely through TradeZero's websiteGet Started with TradeZeroFeatures to Look for in an Airline StockYou’ll want to ask yourself unit revenue, stock liquidity and total debt ratio before you choose an airline stock

Here’s what you need to know:Unit revenue generally describes revenue statistics adjusted for the amount of flying an airline does

Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) is the most common unit revenue statistic

It is obtained by dividing airline revenue from ticket sales by the number of available seat miles (ASMs)

Revenues from ticket sales typically rise and fall with air traffic

A higher PRASM is better because it means an airline squeezes more revenue from each unit of capacity

Revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is an important evaluation metric and factors all sources of revenue

You should consider this for low-cost carriers that often rely on ancillary (non-ticket) revenue to drive sales

The stock’s liquidity refers to how quickly the s of a stock can be sold or bought without significantly impacting the stock price

Airline stocks with low liquidity could be difficult to sell and result in huge losses if you can’t relinquish the s when necessary

Total debt ratio is a great way to understand a company’s financial structure

It compares a firm’s total liabilities versus its total assets

Un debt-equity ratio, total debt ratio also factors in short-term liabilities and assets

This ratio may help you assess whether a company will face financial difficulty in future

A firm with a huge debt ratio will bably incur higher interest payments

This will also reduce fits

A company may then experience difficulty raising capital since investors could see a higher risk of bankruptcy

A huge debt balance could be at risk of credit defaults if the market plummets

Moreover, you must re the safety records of these airlines

Keep in mind, the number of major air accidents has dropped over time

At the same time, the safety record of an airline does not always include accidents and death tolls

Airlines that cannot afford to train their pilots are more ly to suffer from safety scares, turbulent flights and poor landings

At the same time, you must look at the customer service record of each airline

Passengers the world over will pull away from airlines with a poor record of customer service—look at the cancellation fiascos that have occurred with Southwest Airlines in late 2022 and early 2023

Soar with Confidence in the Airline IndustryThe future of the airline industry is still un

Some traders speculate further declines and want to use this opportunity to go short on airlines and airplane manufacturers

However, the worst may be behind us, crea.