James Corridore, Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AAI) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

American Airlines expects unit revenue to be up 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in the first quarter. Low cost carrier Southwest Airlines said March bookings were "very strong" while rival AirTran cited "rapid" improvement in yield trends. "Things are moving in the right direction," said S&P analyst Jim Corridore. "The airlines have really improved the supply demand balance in terms of capacity, so pricing should go up on strengthening demand.". Airlines should be able to raise fares this summer, Corridore said. The Arca Airline index hit a two year high in afternoon trading 

Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

American Airlines expects unit revenue to be up 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in the first quarter. Low cost carrier Southwest Airlines said March bookings were "very strong" while rival AirTran cited "rapid" improvement in yield trends. "Things are moving in the right direction," said S&P analyst Jim Corridore. "The airlines have really improved the supply demand balance in terms of capacity, so pricing should go up on strengthening demand.". Airlines should be able to raise fares this summer, Corridore said. The Arca Airline index hit a two year high in afternoon trading 

Continental Airlines, Inc. (CAL) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

Standard & Poor's upgraded Continental shares to "Strong Buy" from "Buy," citing the improving revenue trends. Analyst Jim Corridore said Continental will benefit this year from stronger travel demand, including business and first class travelers. UBS analyst Kevin Crissey said improving demand for corporate travel was bringing in more money. He said the numbers would look even better in March, when results will be compared to the extremely weak months of early 2009. 

AMR Corporation (AMR) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

Delta CEO Richard Anderson "made AMR defend their territory, and went after them aggressively," said Jim Corridore , a Standard & Poor's equity analyst in New York who recommends buying Delta shares and holding AMR 

AMR Corporation (AMR) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

Delta CEO Richard Anderson "made AMR defend their territory, and went after them aggressively," said Jim Corridore, a Standard & Poor's equity analyst in New York who recommends buying Delta shares and holding AMR 

Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

The biggest US discount airline surprised investors in January by posting earnings of $74 million, with lower jet fuel prices offsetting cheaper ticket prices In addition, Southwest's stock has returned 50% in the past year, beating both the rise in the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and global airlines' gain Analysts are mixed on the shares Jim Corridore, equity analyst for Standard & Poor's, contends, "Southwest can grow traffic when the rest of the US airline industry is hunkered down and trying to survive Domestic and leisure travel 

US Airways Group, Inc. (LCC) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

But US Airways shares jumped 6 percent to USD$515 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange "We see cash levels as adequate, and think (US Airways) has done a good job reducing cash outlays for 2010," Standard & Poor analyst Jim Corridore wrote The airline industry suffered in 2009 under the weight of the recession, which caused businesses to cut their travel budgets Airline executives have expressed cautious optimism that business travelers are returning to the skies 

Southwest Airlines Company (LUV) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

"While we are seeing some business traffic increasing, we likely have a long and slow road to recovery," Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smisek said in a statement Southwest Profit Excluding one time costs, Southwest's net income of $116 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with a loss of $56 million, or 8 cents, a year earlier Sales slipped less than 1 percent to $271 billion "Southwest continues to be disciplined in its capacity plans and in its focus on flying more, to more profitable cities," James Corridore, a Standard & Poor's equity analyst, said in a note to investors 

FedEx Corporation (FDX) - James Corridore at Standard & Poor''s Equity Group

The changes reflect UPS's attempts to halt seven straight quarters of volume declines in its largest division, which generates about two thirds of revenue. "It just shows the global economy is starting to improve and companies like UPS and FedEx are prepared to take advantage of it," said Jim Corridore, an analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York UPS is considered a bellwether for the economy because it delivers goods ranging from auto parts to financial documents, electronics and clothing The company's revenue for 2009, which has not yet been announced, was likely $451 billion, according to the average of 17 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg The company said the restructuring will result in a one time charge that will be "offset by cost savings" in the United States