1 U.S. Airline Actually Turned a Profit Last Quarter

Over the past few weeks, a steady stream of U.S. airlines have reported massive quarterly losses: just like three months ago. And while cash burn is slowing gradually, most airlines are still burning quite a bit of cash and will exit the pandemic with weakened balance sheets.

By contrast, SkyWest (NASDAQ: SKYW) reported a third-quarter profit last week. The regional airline giant does expect to fall back into the red for the next couple of quarters, but it is barely burning any cash and has not suffered any balance sheet damage in 2020. With SkyWest shares down 55% year to date -- more than the broader airline indexes -- SkyWest stock looks like a great way to bet on a future airline industry recovery.