Southwest Air Reports 4th. Quarter and 2010 Profit

Southwest Airlines reported its fourth quarter and full year 2010 results. Net income for the fourth quarter 2010 was $131 million compared to $116 million for the fourth quarter of 2009. Excluding special items for both periods, fourth quarter 2010 net income was $115 million compared to $74 million for the fourth quarter of 2009.

For the full year 2010, net income was $459 million compared to $99 million for full year 2009. Excluding special items for both years, full year 2010 net income was $550 million compared to $143 million in 2009.

“We emerged from the worst decade in aviation history without losses, without furloughs, and without degradation of our customer experience. And, 2010 marked our 38th consecutive year of profitability, a tremendous feat unmatched in the aviation industry,” Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board and CEO said.

"Given the slow economic recovery and volatile fuel environment in 2010, we continued our disciplined strategy of strengthening our network through optimization. This allowed us to bring Southwest's legendary low fare service to Panama City Beach, Florida in 2010, and grow key markets like Denver, Boston, and St. Louis, with virtually no seat mile growth for the year. Absent the acquisition of AirTran, we currently have no plans to grow our fleet significantly until we reach our profit target and achieve a 15 percent pretax return on invested capital,” Kelly said.

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