Delta Air Lines and American Airlines look vulnerable because jet fuel supply is extremely tight. x.com
Arrakis Global
Global Thematic Fund Manager
Delta Air Lines looks set to take a major blow to its reputation from the Delta/Starlink situation, which prompts a rare bearish view on the stock. This is probably an overreaction, though, and there is no plan to actually short it. x.com x.com
Airlines remain a bad industry, and their new capacity discipline looks more like a lucky accident than strategy. Someone, probably American Airlines, will start dumping capacity on routes again and push margins back to zero. Oil may rise again and consumer spending may roll over. x.com
Delta, United and Alaska should see margin expansion as the US-Iran deal and the lifted Hormuz naval blockade push oil lower into summer travel season. Crude fell from $92.16 on June 1 to $70.24, and fuel was 17–21% of their FY2025 opex; Alaska is the highest-beta name, with each $0.10/gallon move worth about $0.75 of EPS. Demand is at record highs and some fares are about 20% above last year. It is a high-risk macro trade, since the ceasefire is fragile and has been repeatedly violated. x.com
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are probably near a peak, as hedge-fund pay and expectations sit at a cyclical high. The average hedge-fund vacation ranged from the South of France to the Amalfi Coast, a sign worth shorting. American Airlines is left out as a budget carrier. x.com x.com
Airlines' fuel-driven fare hikes are finally cracking consumer demand. TSA checkpoint traffic is firmly negative year over year, while the airline ETF is breaking down. x.com
Delta Air Lines looks extremely bullish because its pullback has been inefficient after a near-decade resistance level flipped into support on its largest buy volume since the COVID low. A $2 billion buy day was the largest since last summer, and the quarterly and monthly charts still show that heavy buying. x.com
Airline stocks are a no-brainer long as Delta Air Lines lifts off its 10-month EMA on the monthly chart despite oil and rate pressures. x.com
Airlines including United, American, Southwest and Delta face at least a year of margin pressure from oil even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens almost immediately. At current jet fuel prices their earnings would be destroyed, and fare increases to offset it would hurt volumes significantly. None of this is priced in, and American Airlines could go to zero. Per Rory Johnston, lost Gulf output will top one billion barrels over the shock, with April losses nearly offsetting the IEA reserve release. … Show more
American Airlines turns back into a profit machine once fuel prices collapse. Per Wall St Engine's Q2 2026 recap, revenue rose 16.3% while fuel expense jumped 83%, a $2.2B headwind; full-year guidance reflects about $6B of higher jet fuel costs, and Q3 EPS is guided to a loss. x.com
Delta Air Lines' refinery does not insulate it from higher oil prices. Investor_NICK_ called Delta 'bulletproof,' but investors relying on refinery ownership as an oil hedge will learn otherwise soon. x.com