Out Fox The $treet

After years of attempting to turn around Frontier Airlines, Republic Airways ( NASDAQ: RJET     ) ( NASDAQ: RJET     ) ( NASDAQ: RJET     ) made a move that should have surprised no one in the industry. The operator of fixed-fee flights for partner airlines agreed to sell  Frontier to a group run by William Franke, the former chairman of Spirit Airlines ( NASDAQ: SAVE     ) ( NASDAQ: SAVE     ) ( NASDAQ: SAVE     ) . Exiting the troubled subsidiary allows Republic to focus on the profitable fixed-fee segment, but the airline failed to obtain anything significant for its four years of work attempting to make Frontier viable. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No position mentioned. Please read the disclaimer page for more details.

Following a few intriguing moves in the past month,  Spirit Airlines '  ( NASDAQ: SAVE     )  cheap-ticket, high-fee model could be in for serious competition in a few years. Spirit chairman William Franke, who pioneered the airline's highly profitable approach to flying, resigned his post after his Indigo Partners group sold a substantial stake in the airline. But Franke and Indigo turned right around and bought Frontier Airlines, a subsidiary of  Republic Airways ( NASDAQ: RJET     ) The deal won't close until December, and given the time it takes to turn around an airline, Spirit and Allegiant Travel ( NASDAQ: ALGT     ) shouldn't sweat Frontier's competition for now. However, with a strong operator at its helm, other ultra-low-cost carriers could face a tougher rival in the future. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

As with most sectors, airline stocks generally trade in the same general direction whether up in bull markets or down in bear markets. Typically the better company in the sector outperforms, but for an investor picking the right group is the major battle. In the case of the airlines, the whole sector is gaining as historically strong profits and reduced competition from consolidation promises to continue the profits streak. In more » Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

When reviewing the quarterly results for Republic Airways (NASDAQ: RJET ) , a couple of numbers really stuck out as shocking and actually in a good way. The company reported the amazing combination of lower revenue yet higher operating margin. What is going on in the airline industry that is allowing this focus on profits? Republic Airways is a jumbled group of airlines including Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, and Shuttle more » Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

A day after absorbing an 11% loss, Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ: ALGT ) shareholders should spend a minute reviewing the results that caused the selloff. Were the second quarter numbers really bad enough to justify the stock plunge? The company focuses on low-cost travel to leisure destinations and has seen a dramatic stock increase since the middle of 2011. Before digging too much into the numbers, it is worth reviewing the headlines more » Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

When reviewing the airline sector, the moves made by Republic Airways (NASDAQ: RJET ) appear to be all the right ones. In an industry long focused on market share and size, the airlines as a group have undertaken a new dedication to focusing on profits regardless of market share or supposed industry importance. Republic Airways is a jumbled group of airlines including Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, and Shuttle America more » Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.