Southwest Airlines has reported a third quarter net profit of $67 million or $0.11 per diluted share on a year-over-year increase in revenue of 5.3 percent to $6.9 billion. At September 30, 2024, the carrier has $10.4 billion in total liquidity.
On Thursday (October 24, 2024), Southwest Airlines reported their third quarter financial results for the period ending September 30, 2024. The carrier reported a third quarter net profit of $67 million or $0.11 per diluted share on a 5.4 percent year-over-year increase in revenue to $6.9 billion, a third quarter record. Southwest’s revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 2.8 percent compared to the same period last year to 15.19 cents, while cost per available seat mile (CASM) increased 4.1 percent to $15.11 cents. Costs excluding fuel (CASM-ex) increased 9.1 percent versus Q3 2023 to 11.97 cents. Southwest ended the third quarter with $9.4 billion in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, as well as a fully available revolving credit line of $1.0 billion.
In Thursday’s announcement, Southwest Airlines’ CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board, Bob Jordan, said,
“It’s an exciting time for us as we execute on our 'Southwest. Even Better.' plan outlined last month at Investor Day. The transformational plan represents a culmination of the dedication and hard work of our Team. We are laser-focused on delivering the robust set of tactical and strategic initiatives included in our plan and returning to the strong financial performance we expect. We are fully committed to executing our plan and to reporting regularly on our progress. Our third quarter profit and strong operational results are reflective of the actions we are taking to deliver our plan and achieve our North Star goal of ROIC of at least 15 percent or greater, well above our cost of capital, in 2027. Based on our current progress, outlook, and confidence in our ability to execute our plan, we intend to repurchase an initial $250 million of Southwest common stock through an accelerated share repurchase program, which is under the $2.5 billion share repurchase authorization announced last month.”
Southwest Airlines has a large base of unencumbered assets with a net book value of around $17.1 billion, including $14.2 billion in aircraft value, as well as $2.9 billion in spare engines, ground equipment and real estate.
During the third quarter Southwest took delivery of nine Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, and retired 14 737-700s and one 737-800. The carrier ended the third quarter with a fleet of 811 aircraft. With Boeing delivery delays taken into account, Southwest expects to take delivery of a total of 20 737-8s in 2024, and also plans on retiring six more aircraft by the end of the year.
Founded in 1971, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has distinguished itself by offering exemplary customer service delivered by nearly 75,000 team members at 121 airports across 11 countries. The airline carried over 137 million guests during 2023. Southwest offers a robust point-to-point network with a strong presence across leisure and business markets. During peak travel seasons, the airline operates more than 4,000 daily departures to 120 destinations across the U.S. and 10 additional countries. Southwest also continues to develop tangible steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering Customers the opportunity to help the airline offset carbon emissions.
Source: Southwest Airlines
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