Copa Holdings December 2024 Traffic Improves Year Over Year

Airline Industry Performance - Copa Holdings reported improved revenue passenger miles in December 2024, driven by high passenger volumes and increased capacity [1][8] - Ryanair Holdings transported 13 6 million passengers in December 2024, an 8% year-over-year increase, and operated 77,380 flights, up from 73,750 in November [2][9] - Ryanair expects traffic to grow 8% year-over-year for fiscal 2025, assuming no worsening of Boeing delivery delays [9] Company-Specific Metrics - Copa Holdings' available seat miles increased 6 5% year-over-year in December, while revenue passenger miles rose 6 8%, leading to a load factor of 85 3%, up from 85 1% in December 2023 [8] - Ryanair's load factor improved to 92% in December 2024 from 91% in the year-ago period, reflecting consistent passenger demand [9] Stock Performance and Rankings - Copa Holdings shares lost 9 6% over the past three months, underperforming the Zacks Airline industry's 3 8% growth [3] - American Airlines (AAL) has a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), an expected earnings growth rate of 16%, and shares rose 16 4% in the past year [5][6] - United Airlines (UAL) has a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), an expected earnings growth rate of 1 3%, and shares surged 122 9% in the past year [6][7] Earnings Performance - American Airlines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, with an average earnings beat of 124 4% [6] - United Airlines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average earnings beat of 26 9% [7]