Airline Shares Mixed After United Airlines (UAUA) Reports Lower Than Expected Loss

Shares of airline companies were mixed on Wednesday after UAL Corporation (Nasdaq: UAUA), the parent company of United Airlines, posted a lower than expected loss.

For the past week, many airlines have been posting lower than expected losses. However, after a three month run up in prices, investors have begun to take some profits.

The shares of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) and US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE: LCC) both fell significantly before inching slightly back up, as did UAL Corp. before recovering.

Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) and JetBlue Airways Corporation (Nasdaq: JBLU) saw gains as investors await their quarterly results.

AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AAI) surprised many when it reported a profit of 7 cents per share, beating the Wall Street consensus for 4 cents per share.