DELTAreallySUCKS.com

Atlanta — For the airline industry, the economic turbulence in the stock market and the banking industry brings more uncertainty and weaker demand for corporate and leisure travel.

Airline stocks have been dropping with the rest of the stock market. Atlanta-based Delta’s shares closed at $5.66 Thursday, up 2 cents from Wednesday’s close but down 33.8 percent from the price on Oct. 1 — just eight days earlier.

Obviously investors are worried about the overall stock market decline, and they’re worried about the economy. Airline stocks are notoriously risky stocks to own in good times and bad.

While fortunes in the airline industry are linked to the strength of the economy, one bright spot for carriers is the decline in oil prices.

High oil prices have been the bane of the airline industry, so the roughly 40 percent drop in the past three months will mean significant savings for airlines. According to Delta president Ed Bastian, every dollar of movement in oil prices equates to an $80 million a year shift in costs for Delta, and will equate to a $135 million a year shift for a combined Delta and Northwest if their proposed merger is approved.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean savings for travelers (are you really that surprised?). Airlines continue to raise fares, including a $35 one-way increase on Delta fares purchased within a week of travel in Atlanta markets last month, cited in a J.P. Morgan research report.