Several airline shares fall as oil prices climb slightly

Sector Snap: Airlines fall as oil prices rise

MINNEAPOLIS —Most airlines’ shares fell slightly on Monday as oil prices rose.

The Amex Airline Index was down 1.5 percent, with nearly all of its U.S. components down. Oil prices climbed 48 cents to $71.41 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In percentage terms, the biggest price loss was at Republic Airways Holdings Inc., which fell 33 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $5.61 in afternoon trading. The operator of regional flights for larger carriers was waiting to see if Southwest Airlines Co. would top its bid for Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. Southwest shares were down 11 cents to $9.

Delta Air Lines Inc. fell 20 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $7.21. American Airlines parent AMR Corp. was down 12 cents, or 2 percent, to $5.82, and United Airlines parent UAL Corp. was flat at $6.04. Continental Airlines Inc. fell 31 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $12.08, and US Airways Group Inc.. fell a nickel to $3.16. Alaska Air Group Inc. fell 14 cents to $23.04.

JetBlue Airways Corp. was down 7 cents to $5.18 and AirTran Holdings Inc. fell 14 cents, or 2 percent, to $6.81.