Fuel prices are changing the lineup of U.S. airlines from Low-Cost Versus Legacy to Southwest Versus Everybody Else. The cases in point are AirTran Airways and JetBlue Airways, fast-growing carriers with solid low-cost credentials that have prospered in the post-2000 aviation-industry turmoil. Reporting first-quarter results, JetBlue turned in profits considerably lower than it is used to (AW&ST Apr. 25, p. 53), and AirTran dipped into the red with a $9.4-million operating loss. In each case, fuel prices spoiled otherwise superior performance. Only Southwest has avoided this sort of disappointment, through industry-leading fuel-hedging investments.
展开▼
