Turbulent Q1 For Airlines But Clear Skies Above The Clouds, Analyst Says

  • Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Shanker remains bullish on the Airlines into the first-quarter earnings season and also for the rest of 2023.
  • Mid-quarter updates have effectively de-risked 1Q, and the focus will be on 2Q guidance/commentary, said the analyst.
  • The analyst noted that the mid-quarter updates from a few weeks ago were softer than expected but driven mainly by idiosyncratic cost issues, largely isolated to 1Q.
  • The analyst said capacity constraints remain restrictive, which is bad news for CASMxF but good news for price/RASM.
  • According to the analyst, the most important focus area would be revenue trends and forward booking curve commentary.
  • International recovery with China's reopening curve and view on the Transatlantic pipeline will also be important for the Legacy carriers.
  • The analyst thinks American Airlines Group Inc's AAL operational performance has also been relatively strong, bouncing back very quickly after a winter storm that impacted its main hub.
  • For Southwest Airlines Co LUV, though Q1 has been de-risked following the intra-quarter update, lingering issues from the December operational blip remain an overhang.
  • The analyst expects Delta Air Lines Inc DAL operating margins to come in at the midpoint of the 4-6%guide and hope to gain more color on the elongated booking curve, the corporate travel picture in 2023, and the sustainability of demand and yields going into the summer.
  • The analyst lowered the price target of Alaska Air Group Inc ALK from $75 to $71 and raised the price target of United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL from $67 to $70.
  • Some of the other important factors that the analyst will look in the Q1 earnings are capacity constraints, summer operational reliability and jet fuel mark to market.

 

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