Airline stocks hit 4-year high
The Int'l Air Transport Association sees industrywide '12 profits of $6.7 bil, up sharply from the $4.1 bil forecast from Oct. For '13, the group sees industry profits of $8.4 bil, with N. American carriers leading that growth. IBD's airline group, with 16 carriers, climbed to its highest level intraday since early '08. Delta Air Lines (DAL) rose 5.3%, United Continental (UAL) 7.7%, JetBlue (JBLU) 3% and US Air (LCC) 2%.