Wednesday turned out to be a great day to own airline shares, with major carriers like Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) soaring to close the day with double-digit percentage gains, or nearly so. By the end of trading, Delta shares were up 9.5%.
As the day wore on, even airlines such as Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) and Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ: HA), which initially looked like they were going to sit out the rally, managed to climb on board and find a seat. By the closing bell, Alaska Air was up 9.2%, and Hawaiian scored a 10.9% gain.
Airplane maker Boeing (NYSE: BA) put in a strong showing as well. Up more than 5% at one point, Boeing shares closed the day with a 4.4% increase.