(Atlanta)

The airline market has not been doing very well this year. Fuel prices and expanding capacity have weighed on the stocks. United is up big, but the rest of the pack is either in the red or up single digit percentages. Recently, there has been clear winners and losers, with United Continental, Delta, and Spirit being outperformers, and American, Alaska, and Southwest being laggards.

FINSUM: Airlines are an interesting sector, as each has its own unique characteristics, but they are all subject to similar woes. American Airlines has been a big loser this year, but some analysts think it could be the biggest gainer in the medium term.