AirTran 1st Quarter results

[bladeusa]

anybody look at the stock price today for airtran -and united..
not good.
aai down over 20% uaua down over 34%.

 

[Andy]

AirTran Announces Intention to Offer $65 Million of Convertible Senior Notes and to Offer 14,250,000 Shares of Common Stock

Great call by management. Although this will result in greater debt levels and massive dilution on the stock, it should raise enough cash to keep AAI out of bankruptcy.
Profits and losses take a back seat to cash on hand right now. Forget about expansion; think survival.

 

[CoolSidePillow]

One positive note is that the debacle that has been the last 8 years of the Bush regime are coming to a close. He has done about as much damage as any white house in the same amount of time if not more. He has destroyed our credibility, emptied the country's checking account, created more instability in the middle east, probably created more terrorists too, and of course paved the way for the oil corporations and oil supporting corporations to make historic profits. When there is a white house change it usually impacts world affairs. Oil should come down simply because a less oil hungry white house will spook investors. Less people will want a part of oil futures and prices should relax a bit. Here is just one problem of our destroyed political system. A first term white house wants one thing; a second term. So they must use whatever they can to build themselves up. Once a second term is secured then the true fleecing can begin as has happened in the last 4 years. A new white house will have to make some progress on the economy as a number one issue to build a good foundation for another run in 4 years. Unfortunately, the amount of epic damage that has occurred in the last 4 years will take a very long time to recover from and it is possible there will not be a full recovery. Perhaps the U.S. empire of prosperity is drawing the final curtain. The U.S. has always basically been a house full of teenagers with the parents away from home. The country grew up before it matured. Perhaps a revolution is needed.

 

[SFR]

The US is not that bad. Just because you choose a sub-standard carrier to work for don't blame it on the president.

You went to Airtran because (they were so great in 2002-2005), they could do no wrong... deal with it!

I guess all the "Mr. discount airline pilot guys" will be pissed soon.

 

[Yuppyguppy]

re regulation is on the way

 

[flying zephyr]

I will agree with the last post on some of their points, but I am worried that either Clinton or Obama when elected are going to follow through on the plan to double the capital gains tax from 15 to 30%. That is crazy. More than 100 million Americans own stock. It is not for the elite anymore and this may really kill the economy. Stock is how companies raise capital and how many people are going to risk money in the market knowing the government is going to take a 1/3 of it. They should modify gains over a certain amount ie 50,000 or more get the double tax, but this hurts everyone. On a side note, AirTran assured investors that they had plenty of cash on hand less than two weeks ago, but now wants to raise more cash by diluting the stock. Not a good way to keep investor confidence. They should've had reasons(besides oil) to want to raise cash. If FL is going to survive, AND I truly hope they do. I have many friends there. This would be a great opportunity to buy, but I worry with oil near 120/bbl today I'm not sure any of us are "stable" for the long run.

Here's hoping for a quick turnaround for all of us. Best of luck to all, God bless.

 

[Lear70]

Guys, guys... don't feed the troll and he'll go away.

Someone with all that negativity untempered with a positive outlook is OBVIOUSLY flamebait.

Just relax, the paychecks aren't bouncing, the hotels aren't kicking us out, things are fine and will be for a while yet. There's time to sort out the madness.

p.s. NO government ever lasts forever.

The U.S. is headed for some major fallout. Foreigners own huge portions of our most valuable real estate, stocks in large companies, and our debt is going up every year.

Eventually that WILL catch up with us. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but I bet our children will live to see some type of major political shift in the U.S.

I'm sure Ben Franklin is rolling in his grave right now, wondering if we're going to hold onto this Republic they fought so hard for...

 

[Eagle757shark]

earning estimates

First Call Mean EstimatesFiscal Year Ending : Dec - Last Changed : 04/16/08 YR Ending Q1 Mar Q2 Jun Q3 Sep Q4 Dec 2009 -0.14 0.42 0.19 0.01 2008 -0.31 0.15 -0.06 -0.15 2007 0.03A 0.37A 0.18A -0.02A
These are numbers that are posted on AirTran's website under investor relations. As we can all see, AirTran is now forecasting a loss for all of 2008. I know some on this board have talked about AirTran historically posting week numbers in the first and fourth quarters. However, no one has seen fuel at the rates we are currently seeing them. This is not the last seven years and I think looking at these numbers there should be some concern. I say that because fuel is the one constant we can't control. As we all know, AirTran has the lowest cost in the business and is losing money. The executives have to figure out fast how to raise yield! Yes we have a low non-fuel operating cost, but you have to pass that extra fuel cost off to the consumer. If you have cut your growth and fuel keeps rising and you don't raise your fares, then you will continue burning away money.

I will say it over and over again, the airlines have to start conditioning the American public like the oil companies have. Stop advertising $39 dollar airfares. That is conditioning the consumer with the wrong mindset and further allowing airlines not to operate at cost.

 

[Ameriagle]

The US is not that bad. Just because you choose a sub-standard carrier to work for don't blame it on the president.

You went to Airtran because (they were so great in 2002-2005), they could do no wrong... deal with it!

I guess all the "Mr. discount airline pilot guys" will be pissed soon.

SFR, sounds like a serious case of airline envy! My guess is every time you see a citrus jet taxi by you think what might have been.

 

[SFR]

Yeah, what might have been..... A job search beginning now!!

Just think and you will be ok.


Remember: Luv is a gambler with your heart, Luv is a rambler from the start.


All in the Dice

 

[flying zephyr]

I work in MKE and FL was still as of Sunday offering introductary(sp) $49 one way tix with restrictions. That can't even pay for the fuel that it costs to transport them. YX(ME) is really going to feel the pinch this summer. I just hope this doesn't put us both in the ground.

 

[Lear70]

Just for the spirit of open-mindsets about the rise and fall of empires on this planet the last 2,500 years or so, here's some interesting quotes from history's more prominent scholars:

The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence:

From BONDAGE to SPIRITUAL FAITH, from SPIRITUAL FAITH to GREAT COURAGE, from COURAGE to LIBERTY, from LIBERTY to ABUNDANCE, from ABUNDANCE to SELFISHNESS, from SELFISHNESS to COMPLACENCY, from COMPLACENCY to APATHY,from APATHY to DEPENDENCY and from DEPENDENCY back into BONDAGE."

Where do you think we fall in that societal evolution?

Lastly, something that feels especially poignant when you take a good, close look at how our Congress and Senate work and think about the lobbying (i.e. throwing money around) that takes place to get anything accomplished in Washington:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment the majority always votes for the candidate who promises to give them the most, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship".

 

[Eagle757shark]

Great call by management. Although this will result in greater debt levels and massive dilution on the stock, it should raise enough cash to keep AAI out of bankruptcy.
Profits and losses take a back seat to cash on hand right now. Forget about expansion; think survival.

Could it also be a way to attract a merger partner or an overseas airline to potentially code-share with? It would be nice to see AirTran code-share with a European carrier or perhaps a Asian carrier.

 

[SFR]

No, they just need to cbe cool and drink lots of beer

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

As long as fuel prices don't continue climbing.

Um, are you pretending you are an ostrich with your head in the ground?http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/WhyOilCouldHit180DollarsABarrel.aspx

 

[bravodude]

Guys, guys... don't feed the troll and he'll go away.

Someone with all that negativity untempered with a positive outlook is OBVIOUSLY flamebait.

Just relax, the paychecks aren't bouncing, the hotels aren't kicking us out, things are fine and will be for a while yet. There's time to sort out the madness.

p.s. NO government ever lasts forever.

The U.S. is headed for some major fallout. Foreigners own huge portions of our most valuable real estate, stocks in large companies, and our debt is going up every year.

Eventually that WILL catch up with us. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but I bet our children will live to see some type of major political shift in the U.S.

I'm sure Ben Franklin is rolling in his grave right now, wondering if we're going to hold onto this Republic they fought so hard for...

Thats what we tried to do with you but your still here.

 

[Lear70]

Just a thought. Stock price down below $3.50 today.

Market Cap: $318 Million

Cash on hand, right at $350 Million.

Add to that raising $65 Million through convertible senior notes plus $15 Million in additional stock and you have a company with $430 Million in stock, share prices around $3 bucks, and a market cap of still right at $300 Million.

Combine that with dozens of options on 737's with about $10 Million equity in each, reasonable debt load, and you have a company just BEGGING to be purchased...

Things that make you go hmmmm...

OK, I'm getting the heck out of the house!

 

[Lear70]

Thats what we tried to do with you but your still here.

Hmmm... pot, meet kettle.

Do you EVER have anything positive to say? Just curious...

 

[Eagle757shark]

Just a thought. Stock price down below $3.50 today.

Market Cap: $318 Million

Cash on hand, right at $350 Million.

Add to that raising $65 Million through convertible senior notes plus $15 Million in additional stock and you have a company with $430 Million in stock, share prices around $3 bucks, and a market cap of still right at $300 Million.

Combine that with dozens of options on 737's with about $10 Million equity in each, reasonable debt load, and you have a company just BEGGING to be purchased...

Things that make you go hmmmm...

OK, I'm getting the heck out of the house!

Hey Lear, that's why I mentioned above I think this may be a tactic for a merger partner or a code-share opportunity for a European or Asian carrier. AirTran needs to be heading down one of these two roads.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

As long as fuel prices don't continue climbing, the spring and summer months will be profitable for us at these fuel prices.

Now that's some funny sheet right there.


Wasn't there a thread like this about Frontier right before it ...

 

[scarlet]

As I stated in Feb....BK was coming to many airlines !!

Can you imagine DL/NW 1200-1400 aircraft flying around right now.....ggggESUS=and if they did not merge they would be one of the first two airlines in BK,but AA is trying to beat other airlines to BK.

I feel Airtran will most likely will file, but so will most of all other airlines....

 

[scarlet]

as management=you never want to be the last company in the court to get=money !!

 

[Max Powers]

The US is not that bad. Just because you choose a sub-standard carrier to work for don't blame it on the president.

You went to Airtran because (they were so great in 2002-2005), they could do no wrong... deal with it!

I guess all the "Mr. discount airline pilot guys" will be pissed soon.

Yes the stock price went down but you need to look at the big picture........AirTran had a very high P/E ratio, prior to this big drop, due to a very rosy outlook in regard to growth. This new stock price is more indicative of a company that is not growing and will only make a small profit. If I were to be on who survives, AirTran is up there compared to others.

In any event we are still in better shape than most legacies. With consolidation coming we can get rid of our lower RASM flights and pick up the scraps the legacys leave behind.

In the end, when your CASM is 20-40% less than your competitor you have a good chance of winning. Albeit things will be smaller thanks to Bush's policies. We desperately need a gas tax to get folks out of their SUVs - but that for another post.

 

[71driver]

Airtran ran a fare sale just a few weeks ago ATL-LAX 139.00 each way it had to be used by Nov 2008.

Here is Greyhound Bus round trip 287.00 non-refundable 387.00 refundable and it takes a couple of days to get there.

Amtrak takes 43 hours to get there and costs 644.00 dollars!!

Orlando is smoking something!!!

I think the fat cats need to hire somebody that knows how to do marketing and yield management because they obviously don't know how to do either.

Amtrak

 

[PCL_128]

Um, are you pretending you are an ostrich with your head in the ground?http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/WhyOilCouldHit180DollarsABarrel.aspx

For every analyst that predicts $180/bbl oil, there is another analyst that predicts $60/bbl oil. The truth is, these prices are all based on speculators, and as soon as most investors realize that the stock market has hit rock bottom, they'll start shifting money from commodities to stocks to get in while the getting is cheap. When that happens, oil prices will plummet. It's only a matter of time. It's lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, but I should have known better than to underestimate the stupidity of the speculators. A product that costs $30 to recover is trading for $117. Ridiculous.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

First it was the stock market in the 90's. Everybody throwing their money to make a quick buck. Then it was housing, speculators driving up prices to unsustainable levels. And the funny think is that the same thing happen in the late 80's and early 90's. Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it.

 

[CoolSidePillow]

The US is not that bad. Just because you choose a sub-standard carrier to work for don't blame it on the president.

You went to Airtran because (they were so great in 2002-2005), they could do no wrong... deal with it!

I guess all the "Mr. discount airline pilot guys" will be pissed soon.

Silence. You are not to respond to my posts unless you break a 3-digit I.Q.
The company that I work for has nothing to do with the state of the country or the idiot that sits in the white house. The government in this country is simply a shadow cast on the wandering herd by big business. Always has been and always will be. The airline industry is a terribly run industry. Always has been and always will be. Labor costs, fuel costs, replenishing fleet costs, FAA enforced costs, and of course the overwhelming greed of executive officers to bleed a company. This country lives on assumed wealth. People think they have it so good but the majority are in debt that they cannot control. It does not matter who is in the white house because the decline will continue. The only difference is what road the decline takes depending on what masters the white house occupant must answer to.
This "my airline is better than your airline" is so beyond ridiculous. I could care less. I bet you put stickers on your flight bag. Dont you? You know you do.

 

[Ty Webb]

I was going to post, but CoolSidePillow said it all, and said it well.

Kudos to you, sir! . . . .:beer:

 

[Kharma Police]

AirTran is toast! If you work there, start looking for another job. Sorry, but this is true.

Life of LCCs are going to be terminating slowly here.

Were you not at ASA and now work for CAL?

 

[Max Powers]

Airtran ran a fare sale just a few weeks ago ATL-LAX 139.00 each way it had to be used by Nov 2008.

Here is Greyhound Bus round trip 287.00 non-refundable 387.00 refundable and it takes a couple of days to get there.

Amtrak takes 43 hours to get there and costs 644.00 dollars!!

Orlando is smoking something!!!

I think the fat cats need to hire somebody that knows how to do marketing and yield management because they obviously don't know how to do either.

Amtrak

Thats the only way we can fill the planes. If we to raise the fares by 20 dollars - instead of 122 paxs we would have 109 paxs. Do the math it is better to keep the prices low in this scenario. We can't get more paxs into a plane, at a higher price, until the SUPPLY is decreased. Which means we need to pray for others to bring down capacity. Then we can added the 5 or 10 dollars to our fares.

Do you seriously think our MGMT. is so dumb that they don't understand this????!!!!!!!

PS no one ever buys a bus ticket across country. Almost all tickets are sold for trips of less than 300 road miles. Your comparison is silly. Are you BD?