Delta Air Lines

Despite how difficult and intimidating professional money managers and Wall Street talking heads make it seem, math for investing is material that most 10-year-olds have learned upon graduating fifth grade. Let's consider two key metrics that you'll want to consider before buying shares of any company.

Airlines are tossing consumers aside and grabbing the benefit of lower federal taxes on travel tickets. By Saturday night, nearly all the major U.S. airlines had raised fares to offset taxes that expired the night before.

Priceline is adding new features to allow its customers to be alerted when certain pre-set criteria are reached, yet another move by an online travel agency to personalize itself for its customers. Read what stock analysis firm Trefis sees as the future for Priceline -- and for its stock.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual report on airlines showed Southwest still on top of the rankings, and far ahead of No. 2 Continental. Southwest even improved its score, a rare bright spot in an industry that came in last overall in customer satisfaction among those the ACSI rates.

Just over a year after the ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused an expensive and chaotic shutdown of air travel across much of Europe, an different volcano in Iceland, Grimsvoetn, is erupting.

Despite the State Department issuing a travel alert Sunday following the killing of infamous terrorist Osama Bin Laden, Wall Street analysts expect airline stocks to continue their upward ride.

The United-Continental merger was supposed to bring together the best of both carriers, but it doesn't always work that way. Continental is following United's lead and eliminating its free pretzels. But there are still a few options for flyers seeking free munchies -- and some of them are mighty tasty.