Airlines, cruise operators gain as oil prices slide
BUZZ-Airlines, cruise operators gain as oil prices slide ** Shares of major U.S. airlines and cruise operators gain premarket as crude prices fall over 5%
** American Airlines AAL.O, United Airlines UAL.O, Delta Air Lines DAL.N, Southwest Airlines LUV.N gain between 1.5% and 2%
** Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings NCLH.N adds 2.1%, Royal Caribbean RCL.N gains 1.1%, Carnival Corp CCL.N advances 1.7%
** Oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump held off a fresh attack on Iran as he sought a quick deal that would halt Tehran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz
** Fuel costs are one of the largest operating expenses for airlines and cruise operators as oil is the primary energy source for aircraft and ships
** S&P Composite 1500 passenger airlines index .SPCOMAIR up 14% YTD vs 9.4% gain in the S&P 500 .SPX
(Reporting by Sudeshna Ghoshal in Bengaluru)