Jim Cramer Blog

United Airlines is flying high again -- especially overseas.
United parent UAL Corp. reported its most profitable quarter in seven years Tuesday, a $274 million second-quarter profit that reflected increased capacity on international routes as well as fuller U.S. flights and lower costs.

JetBlue Airways Corp. also posted solid second-quarter earnings, but its 50 percent profit increase was tempered by the announcement that it plans to slow its growth in the wake of the February ice-storm debacle.
The better-than-expected earnings by UAL, for years an industry laggard financially, reinforced that carriers are benefiting more than in past years from the busy summer travel season. Like United, many have restructured to reduce domestic flights and trim costs.
Among other U.S. carriers in the latest quarter, American Airlines parent AMR Corp. posted a $317 million profit last week, Delta Air Lines Inc. earned $1.77 billion or $274 million excluding bankruptcy-related items, Southwest Airlines Co. netted $278 million and Continental Airlines Inc. earned $228 million.

Labels: UAL Corporation, UAUA