Airline stocks are having their worst week in three years
US airlines are having their second-worst week since peak Covid, with the S&P Composite 1500 Passenger Airlines index down more than 13% as of Friday afternoon.
Only the week of March 4, 2022, when the index fell nearly 15%, saw the sector post a worse weekly performance since the peak of the pandemic.
Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines, and American Airlines are all down at least 10% over the past five days, as investors grip the armrest with one hand and slam the help button with the other over President Trump’s tariffs.
Carriers were smacked when tariffs went into effect on Tuesday, then climbed briefly Wednesday as exemptions were announced. Ultimately, fears around the effects of tariffs and a market drawdown on discretionary spending skidded airlines into their latest downturn.
The Trump administration’s move to end the collective bargaining agreement it has with 50,000 TSA officers — a move similar to plans spelled out in “Project 2025” — also can’t be helping.