What Incidents? Wall Street Bullish On United

Image: PHOTO: United 737 departs LAX. (photo via Flickr/InSapphoWeTrust)
Image: PHOTO: United 737 departs LAX. (photo via Flickr/InSapphoWeTrust)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 4:00 PM ET, Wed May 31, 2017

Warren Buffett isn't the only one who suddenly believes in airlines.

Another high-profile investor, Omega Advisors' Leon Cooperman, told CNBC on Tuesday that he purchased even more stock in United Airlines during the immediate aftermath of its infamous dragging incident.

That's right. After Dr. David Yao was forcibly and violently removed from a United flight in April after declining to be involuntarily bumped, Cooperman bought in when many were selling off, causing a more than six percent drop in United's stock price.

Less than six weeks later, United's share price reached an all-time high. Asked on CNBC if he ever wavered, Cooperman told host Scott Wapner, "We bought some in decline."

Call it visionary or call it taking advantage of the situation, but either way, Cooperman looks like a genius now for holding.

"This stuff passes," Cooperman said of the incidents that befell United in the last month-plus. "We're talking about a billions-of-dollars-earned company... It sounds very cold and callous, but if a drug company winds up with a bad drug and they kill somebody, everybody wants to know what is the earnings per share impact."

[READMORE]READ MORE: Bad PR Not Affecting Airlines' Bottom Line [/READMORE]

Buffett, the high-profile CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, broke his 25-year self-imposed gag order on purchasing airline stock last year with investments in several U.S.-based carriers and, earlier this month, took a further investment with American and Southwest airlines.

Buffett's sentiments about the industry were echoed by Cooperman during the CNBC interview.

"At the end of the day, if United has the right plane going to the right place at the right time, I'm flying United," he said. "I'm not going to go out of my way to go to a different airport at a different time."


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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