I've flown all over the world in all kinds of jetliners, and usually when the plane gets going, I tune out the safety presentation.
Been there, done that.
But on a recent Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) flight from Money Map Press headquarters in Baltimore to Oakland International Airport, I listened carefully as the flight attendant described the plane's safety features.
And when I looked around, I noticed a lot more passengers than usual doing the exact same thing.
Just two days before, a woman died on a Dallas-bound Southwest flight after an engine failed and she was nearly sucked out of the cabin.
At a time like this, many investors might shy away from The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), which made the ill-fated 737 aircraft in question.
But today, I'm going to show you why that would be a big mistake…
A Rare Tragedy
Let me be clear. I'm not making light of what happened. This was a horrible incident, and Jennifer Riordan's family and community are still in mourning.
However, it bears noting that flying in the U.S. remains incredibly safe. Riordan was the first passenger to die on a major U.S. airliner since 2009, and the first ever in the 47 years that Southwest has been flying.
Now then, the reason I paid so much attention to the safety briefing has to do with a message I got from my wife before boarding. She linked me to a photo taken by a passenger that shows folks on that ill-fated flight putting their safety masks on incorrectly.
So, I put my smartphone and tablet down to make sure I knew exactly what to do, should there be an emergency.
I have to say that, overall, the media provided a pretty fair account of Southwest's, as well as Boeing's, "blame" for the incident.
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However, for Boeing, the world's leading commercial aviation firm and longtime Southwest supplier, the accident served as part of a one-two punch. Shares had come under pressure earlier that week because of a possible trade war with China, where Boeing is also a major supplier.
But five days after the fatal flight, the Chicago-based titan reported record earnings that reflect a boom in commercial aviation and the growth in defense spending.
To show you why Boeing remains such a great stock for the long haul, let's focus on the two main areas that will fuel the company's growth for years to come.
I'll start with the massive upside it faces in passenger flights…
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About the Author
Michael A. Robinson is one of the top financial analysts working today. His book "Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings" was a prescient look at the anatomy of the nation's S&L crisis, long before the word "bailout" became part of our daily lexicon. He's a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter, lauded by the Columbia Journalism Review for his aggressive style. His 30-year track record as a leading tech analyst has garnered him rave reviews, too. Today he is the editor of the monthly tech investing newsletter Nova-X Report as well as Radical Technology Profits, where he covers truly radical technologies – ones that have the power to sweep across the globe and change the very fabric of our lives – and profit opportunities they give rise to. He also explores "what's next" in the tech investing world at Strategic Tech Investor.
Boeing built the airplane but the engine blew up not the airplane and GE builds the engine on Southwest Airlines newer aircraft; I think you need some lessons on commercial aircraft!
goood article
Excellent and Wee wrtitten article.