Nov. 27 at 3:22 PM
Airline stocks have rebounded in 2025, but the sector now risks losing those gains without a strong holiday travel season. The JETS ETF is up 3.6% and far above its April low, but a government shutdown has pressured demand: the FAA’s reduced flight operations in early November and weaker booking sentiment are expected to show up in upcoming earnings guidance.
Historically, airline stocks often slip between Thanksgiving and year-end, though record holiday travel in 2023–24 helped reverse that trend. This year’s traffic is solid so far, with several high-volume TSA days, but throughput in early November fell 1.8% year over year. Analysts say December results depend heavily on holiday travel strength, especially after the shutdown’s impact. Delta, United, and Southwest are modestly positive on the year, but analysts warn that negative revisions in December remain likely unless holiday demand delivers.
$JETS $DAL $UAL $LUV