The spread of the Delta COVID-19 variant has impacted airline company sentiments, according to GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that sentiments in airline companies’ earnings transcripts reduced by 1% in Q3 2021* compared to Q2 2021 – with negativity seen around key word ‘Capacity’.

Rinaldo Pereira, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “GlobalData’s Filing Analytics platform shows that airline sentiments rose in the latter half of 2020 due to optimism around inoculation drives and a slowdown in COVID-19 cases. However, this was scuppered by the news that the Delta variant was on the rise.”

GlobalData’s platform also finds that ‘Cost’ was among the top trending keywords in 2021 transcripts. Meanwhile, mentions of ‘Demand’ were down in Q3 2021 compared to Q3 2020. While overall sentiments slowed in Q3 2021, companies seem to be optimistic around ‘Fares’, as sentiments around the keyword were nearly 12% higher in Q3 2021, compared to Q3 2020.

Pereira concludes: “Interestingly, mentions of ‘Fares’ in Q3 2021 airline filings are slightly above the pre-pandemic Q3 2019. On the other hand, overall sentiments for Hotels and Resorts have also risen across quarters in 2021, driven by the optimism around capacity and occupancies. As the US opens up for passengers from the UK and the EU, airline sentiments are likely to rise in Q4 2021, with the likelihood of rising fares and improved bookings.”

* Up to 22 September 2021