1 day ago

Tariffs are set to make your next flight more expensive — as airline stocks keep plummeting

An American Airlines jet with the company's new tail logo sits at a gate at O'Hare Airport on December 9, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois.

The big three airline stocks are down more than a third this year.Scott Olson/Getty Images
  • Airline stocks have been plummeting this year on fears of reduced demand.

  • They were among the hardest hit by Trump's Wednesday tariff announcements.

  • Analysts also expect ticket prices to rise for customers as a result of the sweeping tariffs.

Tariffs are spelling more bad news for airlines and passengers.

Even before Donald Trump's self-styled "Liberation Day" announcement, the big three airline stocks had fallen around a quarter in a month.

Analysts have already warned that airline customers are set to have less spending money while plane ticket prices rise. Morgan Stanley and Bank of America analysts said the effective tariff rate was about double what they expected.

With US companies paying the tariffs on items they import, prices are set to go up for Americans.

"The resulting hit to purchasing power could take real disposable personal income growth in 2Q-3Q into negative territory, and with it the risk that real consumer spending could also contract in those quarters," JPMorgan Chase's chief US economist Michael Feroli wrote in an analyst note.

Vacations aren't a necessity, so are something people can forego when they tighten their purse strings. Cruise and hotel stocks have dipped, too. Corporate travel is expected to drop as well, since the tariffs are designed to incentivize doing business at home.

Higher-than-expected tariffs have exacerbated an already dreary outlook for travel.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines' share prices have fallen more than a third since the start of the year. American Airlines' is down 44%.

Stocks dipped on Tuesday after Jefferies analysts downgraded American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to Hold ratings.

They said consumer sentiment was at a four-year low and cited "swelling macro uncertainty." In other words, fewer people want to fly because of the state of the economy.

On Monday, Virgin Atlantic executives also warned of softening demand for Americans flying to the UK — although travel in the opposite direction remains at expected levels.

"We think that's quite a natural reaction to the general consumer uncertainty there is in the US at the minute," chief financial officer Oli Byers said in comments reported by several outlets.

The day after the tariffs were announced, the big three airline stocks dropped between 10% and 15% — compared to the broader S&P 500's 5% decline.

Airline ticket prices have been lower this year due to slower demand, but some analysts say they're set to get more expensive.

Read Entire Article

Comments

News Networks