You may get exactly what you pay for -- and nothing more -- when flying major airlines.American Airlines (AMR) plans to break down the cost of a flight into basic airfare and may charge additional fees for beverages blankets seat selection or even changing planes.The airline industry calls it "unbundling." The new pricing will give travelers lower base fares with the option to buy only the extra services they want.American Airlines led US carriers in charging for checking baggage and some travelers may see the new fares as just another way to suck more money out of their wallet. ...

Airlines Open Higher As Oil Prices Retreat

Southwest Airlines Reports 5.9% Decline In September Traffic

Like the smart hedge-fund operators, these CAPS investors have bet against a stock -- and won big!

Meet TED, your new best friend.

American Aviation industry, which had been earlier hit hard by a sharp hike in fuel prices, is now facing a drop in passenger traffic and travel demand as credit crisis deepens and recession fears mount. Americans are travelling lesser by air as employers[More...]

Filed under: Google (GOOG), Wal-Mart (WMT), AT and T (T), Citigroup Inc. (C), Money and Finance Today, Merrill Lynch (MER), Countrywide Financial (CFC), Yum Brands (YUM), Southwest Airlines (LUV), Contl Airlines'B' (CAL)

In the News:
Trading Strategies for October
Following the most volatile September in memory, here are 10 ways to play the year's scariest month.
http://www.marketwatch.com/newscommentary/tradingstrategies

Payout Jackpots for Credit Crunch CEOs
Though they were at the helm of companies that were bruised or broken by the credit crunch, these 12 CEOs were still offered big severance packages when they were shown the door. They include Merrill Lynch's Stan O'Neal who got $161 million, Citi's Chuck Prince $105 million and Countrywide's Angelo Mozilo $100 million to name a few.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/26959512

Continue reading Trading strategies for October, Payout jackpots for credit crunch CEOs & small biz woes - Today in Money 10/1

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Wal-Mart (WMT), AT and T (T), Citigroup Inc. (C), Money and Finance Today, Merrill Lynch (MER), Countrywide Financial (CFC), Yum Brands (YUM), Southwest Airlines (LUV), Contl Airlines'B' (CAL)

In the News:
Trading Strategies for October
Following the most volatile September in memory, here are 10 ways to play the year's scariest month.
http://www.marketwatch.com/newscommentary/tradingstrategies


Payout Jackpots for Credit Crunch CEOs
Though they were at the helm of companies that were bruised or broken by the credit crunch, these 12 CEOs were still offered big severance packages when they were shown the door. They include Merrill Lynch's Stan O'Neal who got $161 million, Citi's Chuck Prince $105 million and Countrywide's Angelo Mozilo $100 million to name a few.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/26959512


Small Businesses Struggling to Hang On Across USA
Small businesses are in a very tough spot right now. They are right in that little crevice where money is tight - and getting tighter. Right where weekly payrolls can be financed only by personal credit cards or home equity loans. And right where "income" for the boss is taking five bucks from the till and paying for a sandwich that day for lunch. It's where bankers and other lenders decide if their small business will get money to buy goods, expand or pay employees - or not. The economy is very scary right for many small business owners.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-09-30-main-street-small-business_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip


Food Now Gets Label of Origin
Coming soon to an apple, a pound of hamburger or a head of lettuce near you will be a label that says what country the item came from.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-10-01-food-labeling_N.htm


0% Credit Card Offers May Soon Disappear
New restrictions may result in the end of 0% credit card offers. Get in while you can.
http://www.smartmoney.com/deal-of-the-day/index.cfm?story=Zero-Percent-Credit-Card-Offers-May-Soon-Disappear


Don't Hide From Your Quarterly Statement
Quarterly statements from your brokerage account or retirement plan will soon be in your e-mail or snail mail and the odds are it won't be pretty. Burying your head in the sand won't put a dime back in your portfolio -- but keeping informed and diversified might<.
A HREF="http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/personal-finance-news-a1.asp"> http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/personal-finance-news-a1.asp


A Business Plan for the Catholic Church
A group of execs are putting management skills to work on shaping up the U.S. Catholic Church.
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2008/ca20080930_431981.htm?campaign_id=twxa


Scams and Shams That Prey on Cancer Patients
In some cases, unproven 'therapies' can be dangerous, experts say.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/619383.html?campaign_id=twxa


The Last Typewriter Repairman?
Every business day, as he has done for the past 49 years, Paul Schweitzer, travels the streets and skyscrapers of Manhattan making "house" calls, carrying his black leather tool bag by his side. Schweitzer, who insists on wearing a suit and tie while on his rounds, is one of the last of his kind: the typewriter repairman.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2008/sb20080925_900705.htm?campaign_id=twxa


Florida's Unlikeliest Folk Hero
Meet strip-club king Joe Redner who turned the nude lap dance into a $25 million fortune but still longs for a place in Florida politics.
http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/10/01/Joe-Redner-Profile

 

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Transports have provided a safe haven for investors with the iShares Dow Transports (IYT) registering a small gain over the past year in spite of a meltdown in financials and sharp losses in the overall market averages. The gains in the Dow Transport ETF were largely the result of strong performance by the top four U.S.-based railroads by market cap which I wrote about yesterday as a bullish trade, accounting for over 30% of the stock holdings for IYT.<img alt=""[More...]

If you don’t trade airline shares today, you may have missed this interesting intraday development that occurred around lunch time.[More...]

BizRadio's Jack Warkenthien interviewed James Altucher, the President of Stockpicker.com about what to buy and what to avoid right now. Among the stocks talked about are Value Click (NASDAQ:VCLK), QLogic (NASDAQ:QLGC), Kellogs (NYSE:K), Lowe's (NYSE:L), Campbell's (NYSE:CPB), Zynex (OTC:ZYXI), Valence (NASDAQ:VLNC), American Airlines (NYSE:AMR), Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV), Global Industries (NASDAQ:GLBL), Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Rackspace (NYSE:RAX), Capital Trust (NYSE:CT), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Service Corp (NYSE:SCI), and The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO). Listen in as Mr. Warkenthien and Mr. Altucher go through the sectors and point out why Internet stocks and storage aren't going anywhere anytime soon, as well as his top pick under $10 and over $100.

Schaeffer's Carly Schaeffer takes a look at activity on the Street ahead of the market open

Schaeffer's Colleen S. King takes a look at activity on the Street after the market close

Guest: Felix Salmon, Condè Nast Portfolio.com. Microsoft and Yahoo!, airlines and media stocks and a dose of the world economy. Felix brings a fresh perspective on the markets and world economy. Andrew asks Felix if bloggers are here to stay or simply a pest that will fade into the nothingness. Find out which is Andrew's favorite airline to cross the pond. Who has the best warm nuts?

JPMorgan slashed ratings on the key stocks airline companies yesterday and the stocks fell like a rock. Jet Fuel has increased 39% in the last 6 months, so it's time to short the industry and long the few stocks that will survive.

JPMorgan analyst Jaime Baker cut his ratings on seven major airline stocks, blaming uncertainty over the outcome of the proposed Delta-Northwest Airlines combination and forecasting major losses amid fears of a recession.

The industry may be redeemed if oil prices fall, he said, but he called that outcome unlikely.

"More likely, in our view, is that oil sits tight but revenue trends reverse," he said in a note. "Even a best-ever recessionary demand scenario results in a $4 billion industry loss."

American Airlines parent AMR Corp., Northwest Airlines Corp., Alaska Air Group Inc., US Airways Group Inc. and United Airlines parent UAL Corp. were all downgraded from "Overweight" to "Underweight."

Yesterday Northwest Airlines Corp. was among the sector's biggest decliners, dropping $1.17, or 9.6 percent, to $11.06. Alaska Air Group Inc. also fell sharply, falling $2.99, or 13.3 percent, to $19.51. No. 1 carrier AMR lost 89 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $9.78.

Baker also downgraded Continental Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. from "Overweight" to "Neutral." His ratings for low-cost carriers, such as Southwest Airlines Co. and AirTran Holdings Inc., remained unchanged.

Southwest, which Baker rates "Neutral," said Tuesday it suspended three employees and hired an expert to review maintenance procedures after the company was accused of flying planes that missed key safety inspections.

Here are the top 20 Airline stocks by market cap, happy trading.

Companies 1 - 20 of about 27 in Airline
Company	Quote	Change	Change%	Market Cap	P/E (ttm)	Ann. Revenue	Ann. Net Income
Ryanair Holdings plc (ADR)	28.88	-0.01	-0.03	8.64B	11.34	3,428.61	664.11
Southwest Airlines Co.	11.70	+0.21	1.83	8.61B	13.94	9,861.00	645.00
Lan Airlines S.A. (ADR)	13.75	-0.05	-0.36	4.66B	14.91	3,033.96	209.73
China Southern Airlines Limited (ADR)	41.08	-2.56	-5.87	3.59B	22.82	6,506.84	30.41
Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (ADR)	15.20	-0.39	-2.50	3.07B	49.35	2,937.48	60.98
Delta Air Lines, Inc.	10.52	+0.39	3.85	3.07B	1.96	19,154.00	1,612.00
UAL Corporation	24.05	-0.24	-0.99	2.86B	10.91	20,143.00	393.00
China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (ADR)	51.19	+1.42	2.85	2.49B	N/A	5,277.79	-515.40
AMR Corporation	9.93	+0.62	6.66	2.48B	5.81	22,935.00	504.00
Northwest Airlines Corporation	9.86	-0.39	-3.80	2.33B	1.71	12,528.00	2,093.00
Continental Airlines, Inc.	21.45	+0.99	4.84	2.11B	5.36	14,232.00	459.00
Copa Holdings, S.A.	33.43	+0.40	1.21	1.44B	9.06	1,027.26	160.41
SkyWest, Inc.	21.21	+0.73	3.56	1.29B	8.52	3,374.33	159.19
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc.	53.72	+0.86	1.63	1.16B	8.73	1,562.71	132.42
JetBlue Airways Corporation	4.79	+0.03	0.63	1.07B	52.62	2,842.00	18.00
TAM S.A. (ADR)	17.95	-0.86	-4.57	1.07B	3.46	4,306.87	475.22
US Airways Group, Inc.	8.76	-0.26	-2.88	804.77M	2.05	11,700.00	427.00
Republic Airways Holdings Inc.	20.23	+0.47	2.38	733.98M	9.93	1,292.68	82.76
Alaska Air Group, Inc.	18.60	+0.24	1.31	707.74M	6.15	3,506.00	125.00
AirTran Holdings, Inc.	6.11	0.00	0.00	561.49M	11.88	2,309.98	52.68