Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014

For its Insider Tips From the Pros packages in the February 2014 and May 2014 issues, Kiplinger�� spoke with dozens of experts in fields ranging from college aid to travel to glean insights they apply to their own financial lives and share with their own family and friends. Rick Seaney, co-founder and CEO of FareCompare.com, revealed some practical and valuable travel tips worth sharing separately with Kip Tips readers here:

How do you get a good seat on a plane?

If you have elite status, it�� much easier to get a good seat. You could also wait until you get to the check-in kiosk to see whether better seats are available. Or check in 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds before your flight to see what�� available. That�� when the airline might free up seats that it was holding. Flying on days that are less busy, such as Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, always helps. Plus, they are typically the cheapest days to fly.

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Buy Right Now: Indonesia Transport & Infrastructure Tbk PT (IATA)

PT Indonesia Transport & Infrastructure Tbk, formerly PT Indonesia Air Transport Tbk, is an Indonesia-based air transport service provider. The Company provides air transportation, hiring and/or leasing aircrafts, repairs and maintenance of aircrafts and trading of aviation technical equipment and related spare parts. It also provides medical evacuation services, tourism and scheduled flight services to several routes in central and eastern Indonesia. The Company operates various types of fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters, such as EC 155 B1, AS 365 Dauphin N2 twin turbine helicopter, Beechcraft 1900D, ATR 42-300, ATR 42-500 and Fokker 50. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shereen El Gazzar]

  The forecast, from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), sees the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region with the strongest international passenger growth, with a compound average growth rate of 6.3% and 5.7% respectively.

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: Copa Holdings SA (CPA)

Copa Holdings, S.A. (Copa Holdings), incorporated on May 06, 1998, is a Latin American provider of airline passenger and cargo service through its two principal operating subsidiaries, Copa Airlines and Copa Colombia. Copa Airlines operates from its position in the Republic of Panama, and Copa Colombia provides service within Colombia and international flights from various cities in Colombia to Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala and Costa Rica, complemented with service within Colombia. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated a fleet of 83 aircraft with an average age of 5.13 years; consisting of 57 modern Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft and 26 Embraer 190 aircraft. . As of December 31, 2012, the Company offers approximately 334 daily scheduled flights among 64 destinations in 29 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, mainly from its Panama City Hub.

Copa provides passengers with access to flights to more than 150 other destinations through codeshare arrangements with UAL pursuant to which each airline places its name and flight designation code on the other�� flights. As of December 31, 2012, Copa had firm orders, including purchase and lease commitments, for 35 additional Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft. Copa also has options for an additional 14 Boeing 737-Next Generation aircraft.

The Company competes with Avianca-Taca, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and LAN Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

• [By Michael J. Carr]

  Copa Holdings (NYSE: CPA) is also undervalued with a PEG ratio of 0.53. Copa Holdings provides airline passenger and cargo services within Colombia and international flights from various cities in Colombia to Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: WestJet Airlines Ltd (WJA)

WestJet Airlines Ltd. (WestJet) provides airline service and travel packages with scheduled service to more than 85 destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and has partnership agreements with over 30 airlines around the world. WestJet operates a fleet of more than 100 Boeing Next-Generation 737 and Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft. The Company�� subsidiaries include WestJet Investment Corp., WestJet Operations Corp., WestJet Vacations Inc. and WestJet Encore Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Gerrit De Vynck]

  Closely held Porter unveiled plans in April to add as many as 30 CSeries jets in an order valued at as much as $2.1 billion from Montreal-based Bombardier to reach as far as Los Angeles and the Caribbean as it challenges the country�� two biggest carriers, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. (WJA) The order, which would be Bombardier�� first for the aircraft with a Canadian carrier, is conditional on the runway extension and a removal of the jet ban.

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (VLRS)

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (Volaris Aviation Holding Company) is a Mexico-based company principally engaged in the airline passenger transportation industry. The Company is a law-cost carrier airline. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV offers direct, point-to-point flights. The Company serves through secondary, lower cost airports and provides a single class of service. The Company utilizes such aircraft as the Airbus A319 and A320 families, among others. The Company has such subsidiaries as Comercializadora Volaris SA de CV, Servicios Corporativos Volaris SA de CV, Concesionaria Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAPI de CV, Deutsche Bank Mexico SA Trust 1484, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  When most American investors think of discount airline stocks, they probably think of relatively large capped Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV)�or sort of small cap�JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) rather than�small cap Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV (NYSE: VLRS) which owns Volaris���a discount airline serving the�Mexican market. However, any investor who has read Benjamin Graham�� Intelligent Investor might want to remember his sage advice about avoiding airline stocks���mainly because airlines were such a new and unproven sector that had yet to make money. But could Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV actually be an airline stock worth owning?

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: Southwest Airlines Co (LUV)

Southwest Airlines Co., incorporated on March 9, 1967, operates Southwest Airlines, a passenger airline, which provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was serving 72 cities in 37 states throughout the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company added addition services in two new states and three new cities: Charleston, South Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Newark, New Jersey. Southwest provides point-to-point. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AirTran).

AirTran�� route system provides hub-and-spoke, rather than point-to-point, service, with approximately half of AirTran�� flights originating or terminating at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. AirTran also serves a range of markets with non-stop service from bases of operation in Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Orlando, Florida. As of December 31, 2011, AirTran was serving 68 United States and near-international destinations, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, The Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda. As of January 31, 2012, AirTran served 65 destinations. During 2011, approximately 71% of Southwest�� customers flew non-stop, and Southwest�� average aircraft trip stage length was 664 miles with an average duration of approximately 1.8 hours.

As of December 31, 2011, Southwest offered 25 weekday roundtrips from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby, 13 weekday roundtrips from Phoenix to Las Vegas, 13 weekday roundtrips from Burbank to Oakland, and 12 weekday roundtrips from Los Angeles International to Oakland. Southwest offers connecting service opportunities from over 60 Southwest cities to different Volaris airports in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Mexico City (MEX), Mexico City-Toluca (TLC), Morelia, and Zacatecas. The Company�� International Connect portal conducts two separate transac! tions: one with Southwest�� reservation system and one with Volaris�� reservation system.

Southwest bundles fares into three categories: Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are lowest fares. Business Select fares are refundable and changeable, and funds may be applied toward future travel on Southwest. Business Select fares also include additional perks, such as priority boarding, a frequent flyer point multiplier, priority security and ticket counter access in select airports, and one complimentary adult beverage coupon for the day of travel. The Company�� Internet Website, southwest.com, is the avenue for Southwest Customers to purchase tickets online. During 2011, southwest.com accounted for approximately 78% of all Southwest bookings. During 2011, approximately 84% of Southwest�� Passenger revenues came through its Website, including revenues from SWABIZ, the Company�� business travel reservation Web page.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of AMR Corp. have gained 9.7% to $6.91–just 3.4% from its 52-week high–while US Airways has risen 5.5% to $22.57. Southwest Airlines (LUV) has advanced 3.4% to $16.96, Delta Air Lines (DAL) has jumped 2.6% to $26.27 and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is up 2.9% at $12.31.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Hero Images Inc./Alamy Using a credit card to earn frequent flier miles is a popular way to get free travel. For example, I am flying to California this Thanksgiving. I was able to book my $650 roundtrip with 25,000 miles and a fee of $11.20. That means my miles were worth 2.6 cents each. Or, to put it a different way, I earned a 2.6 percent return on my credit card spending. However, which frequent flier strategy will be best for you is not always obvious. To make the smartest decision, you should ask yourself: On which airline should I earn my miles? For my chosen airline, which credit card should I use? Airline Choice If you are a frequent flier, then the answers may be obvious. For example, if you fly 30,000 miles a year on Delta (DAL) for work, then topping up your air miles with credit card miles makes a lot of sense. But if you don't travel a lot for business, then you should let the numbers guide your airline choice. And you really shouldn't think about a lifetime loyalty strategy. Instead, you should think about your immediate travel goal. A free trip to Hawaii? Or Europe? Or do you just want to fly home for Thanksgiving, like I did? Your answer impacts the airline that you should chose. When redeeming miles for a free trip, airlines offer multiple redemption tiers. For example, if you want a free trip in the continental United States, American Airlines (AAL) offers MileSAAver awards (25,000 miles for a round-trip ticket), but they are only available some of the time. AAnytime Awards cost 40,000 miles. That is a huge difference. A MileCard.com study showed big differences among airlines on how many miles are required, on average, to redeem for a free ticket. For example, if you want to fly to Hawaii, the average number of miles required was 65,463 at Delta vs. 82,246 at American. Here is a summary of the best airlines, and the miles required, by region. Remember, these are averages based upon historic data, and your mileage requirement may diff

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Southwest Airlines provides air travel services to consumers and companies across the nation. The company said on Monday it will offer nonstop flights from its base at Dallas Love Field, Texas to 15 cities including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles later this year. The stock has been moving higher in recent years, but is now trading sideways. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been increasing, which has left investors pleased with recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Southwest Airlines has been a relative year-to-date performance leader. Look for Southwest Airlines to continue to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Sean Williams]

  This week, we'll head into unchartered territory and I'll show you why Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) CEO Gary Kelly is truly an incredible and innovative force in the airline industry.

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: US Airways Group Inc (LCC)

US Airways Group, Inc. (US Airways Group) is a holding company whose primary business activity is the operation of a network air carrier through its wholly owned subsidiaries, US Airways, Piedmont Airlines, Inc. (Piedmont), PSA Airlines, Inc. (PSA), Material Services Company, Inc. (MSC) and Airways Assurance Limited (AAL). MSC and AAL operate in support of the Company�� airline subsidiaries in areas, such as the procurement of aviation fuel and insurance. It has hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington National). During the year ended December 31, 2011, it offered scheduled passenger service on more than 3,100 flights daily to more than 200 communities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It also has an East Coast route network, including the US Airways Shuttle service.

The Company had approximately 53 million passengers boarding its mainline flights in 2011. During 2011, the Company�� mainline operation provided scheduled service or seasonal service at 133 airports, while the US Airways Express network served 156 airports in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including 78 airports also served by its mainline operation. US Airways Express air carriers had approximately 28 million passengers boarding their planes in 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 340 mainline jets and was supported by its regional airline subsidiaries and affiliates operating as US Airways Express under capacity purchase agreements, which operated 233 regional jets and 50 turboprops. The Company�� prorate carriers operated seven turboprops and seven regional jets at December 31, 2011.

In May 2011, US Airways Group and US Airways entered into an Amended and Restated Mutual Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement (the Mutual APA) with Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta). Pursuant to the Mutual APA, Delta agreed to acquire 132 slot pa! irs at LaGuardia from US Airways and US Airways agreed to acquire from Delta 42 slot pairs at Washington National and the rights to operate additional daily service to Sao Paulo, Brazil. On December 13, 2011, the transaction contemplated by the Mutual APA closed and ownership of the respective slots was transferred between the airlines. During 2011, the US Airways Express network served 156 airports in the continental United States, Canada and Mexico, including 78 airports also served by its mainline operation. During 2011, approximately 28 million passengers boarded US Airways Express air carriers��planes, approximately 44% of whom connected to or from its mainline flights.

The Company competes with Southwest, JetBlue, Allegiant, Frontier, Virgin America and Spirit.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Mamudi]

  The company created when American Airlines (AAMRQ) and US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) merge will list its shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market, a victory for the exchange operator after losing Twitter Inc. (TWTR)�� initial public offering.

• [By Insider Monkey]

  Last but not the least is US Airways Group (LCC), in which Y/Cap slightly increased its position, now owning around $7.9 million. U.S. Airways is currently on the minds of many investors, mainly due to its plans to merge with American Airlines parent AMR Corp (AAMRQ.PK). While European regulators approved the merger, the U.S. Department of Justice put a spoke in the wheel, and is trying to block the move. The companies filed a motion to the court to set the trial date for November 12. Amid these actions, U.S. Airways and American Airlines prolonged the outside date at which one of the companies can terminate the proposed merger.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Warren Buffett is known for having a long-held aversion to airline stocks. While he owned shares of what is now US Airways (NYSE: LCC  ) back in the 1990s, Buffett famously blamed this investment on "temporary insanity." Buffett has on numerous occasions stated that airlines have all the hallmarks of a terrible business: "one that grows rapidly, requires significant capital to engender the growth, and then earns little or no money."

Top 10 Airline Stocks To Buy For 2014: Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL)

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta) provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo throughout the United States and around the world. The Company�� route network gives it a presence in every domestic and international market. Delta�� route network is centered around the hub system it operate at airports in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Each of these hub operations includes flights that gather and distribute traffic from markets in the geographic region surrounding the hub to domestic and international cities and to other hubs. The Company�� network is supported by a fleet of aircraft that is varied in terms of size and capabilities.

Delta has bilateral and multilateral marketing alliances with foreign airlines to improve its access to international markets. These arrangements can include code-sharing, reciprocal frequent flyer program benefits, shared or reciprocal access to passenger lounges, joint promotions, common use of airport gates and ticket counters, ticket office co-location, and other marketing agreements. Its international code-sharing agreements enable it to market and sell seats to an expanded number of international destinations. The Company has international codeshare arrangements with Aeromexico, Air France, Air Nigeria, Alitalia, Aeroflot, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, CSA Czech Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Olympic Air, Royal Air Maroc, VRG Linhas Aereas (operating as GOL), Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Australia and WestJet Airlines.

In addition to the Company�� marketing alliance agreements with individual foreign airlines, it is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Delta also has frequent flyer and reciprocal lounge agreements with Hawaiian Airlines, and codesharing agreements with American Eagle Airlines (American Eagle) and Hawaiian Airlines. It has air service agreements with multiple do! mestic regional air carriers that feed traffic to its route system by serving passengers primarily in small-and medium-sized cities.

Through the Company�� regional carrier program, it has contractual arrangements with 10 regional carriers to operate regional jet and, in certain cases, turbo-prop aircraft using its DL designator code. In addition to Delta�� wholly owned subsidiary, Comair, it has contractual arrangements with ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. and SkyWest Airlines, Inc., both subsidiaries of SkyWest, Inc.; Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. and Shuttle America Corporation, both subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.; Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (Mesaba), both subsidiaries of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (Pinnacle); Compass Airlines, Inc. (Compass) and GoJet Airlines, LLC, both subsidiaries of Trans States Holdings, Inc. (Trans States), and American Eagle.

The Company�� SkyMiles program allows program members to earn mileage for travel awards by flying on Delta, Delta�� regional carriers and other participating airlines. Mileage credit may also be earned by using certain services offered by program participants, such as credit card companies, hotels and car rental agencies. In addition, individuals and companies may purchase mileage credits. The Company reserves the right to terminate the program with six months advance notice, and to change the program�� terms and conditions at any time without notice.

SkyMiles program mileage credits can be redeemed for air travel on Delta and participating airlines, for membership in the Company�� Delta Sky Clubs and for other program participant awards. Mileage credits are subject to certain transfer restrictions and travel awards are subject to capacity controlled seating. During the year ended December 31, 2011, program members redeemed more than 275 billion miles in the SkyMiles program for more than 12 million award redemptions. During 2011, 8.2% of revenue miles flown on Delta were from a! ward trav! el.

The Company generates cargo revenues in domestic and international markets through the use of cargo space on regularly scheduled passenger aircraft. Delta is a member of SkyTeam Cargo, an airline cargo alliance. SkyTeam Cargo offers a network spanning six continents and provides customers an international product line.

The Company has several other businesses arising from its airline operations, including aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO); staffing services for third parties; vacation wholesale operations, and its private jet operations. Delta�� MRO operation, known as Delta TechOps, is an airline MRO in North America. In addition to providing maintenance and engineering support for its fleet of approximately 775 aircraft, Delta TechOps serves more than 150 aviation and airline customers. Its staffing services business, Delta Global Services, provides staffing services, professional security, training services and aviation solutions to approximately 150 customers. The Company�� vacation wholesale business, MLT Vacations, is the provider of vacation packages in the United States. Its private jet operations, Delta Private Jets, provides aircraft charters, aircraft management and programs allowing members to purchase flight time by the hour.

The Company competes with SkyTeam, United Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of American Airlines (AAL) have dropped 7% this week, while Delta Air Lines (DAL) has fallen 6.3%, United Continental (UAL) has slid 10%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) has declined 4.9% and Alaska Air (ALK) is off 4.5%.

• [By Gary Jakacky]

  I ran a subjective screen of the companies in IYT, using the following criteria:

  First, I eliminated the airline stocks. I would never own an airline stock individually: they have a long tradition of providing poor returns for their shareholders. A glimpse at a few ten year charts for component airlines like Delta (DAL), Jetblue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV) and United Continental Holdings (UAL) shows a lot of volatility and pitiful gains. The exact opposite of what investors should be looking for. Furthermore they are oil price sensitive: a more efficient way to trade this is an oil ETF. And yes, they are becoming more efficient with newer engines, but Boeing (BA) is a more efficient way to trade that issue. Second, I looked for companies that have shown (nearly) uninterrupted earnings growth since the recession ended in 2009. Sure maybe a soft quarter here and there; but solid growth. If the issue was a bit in doubt I turned to the company's ten year record, and insisted if growth was negative during the recession, it recover swiftly afterward and share net go on to new highs. finally, I wanted the company's trailing PE ratio to be near the bottom of its ten year range.

  Yes, these screen criteria are more subjective than a pure computer screen would be, but this leaves room for investor analysis and judgment, which never should be off the table when making an investment.