      Higher oil prices also translate into higher fuel costs for theairline industry. Again, because all other costs associated with theoperation of an airline company are relatively fixed, an increase in fuelcosts will thin out the bottom line of American Airlines, Delta, and theother airline companies. The net result of this ripple effect is lowerstock prices in the airline sector. One might argue that if the cost of jetfuel goes up, airlines could simply increase fare prices. However, unlikeoil consumption, airline travel is elastic, meaning that "consumption" ofairline tickets will fluctuate with the price level of airline tickets.Therefore, when fare prices rise, the number of airline travelersdecreases, and the net result is still decreased profits.