Higher fares help Southwest Airlines' profit

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By DAVID KOENIG

DALLAS (AP) - Higher fares helped Southwest Airlines make more money than Wall Street expected in the first quarter, but the company said Thursday that automatic federal spending cuts could hurt revenue in April.

The average passenger fare on Southwest is now more than $150 one-way, 4 percent higher than a year ago.

The airline also said that a new policy on no-shows will start next month.

Southwest's first-quarter net income fell 40 percent to $59 million, or 8 cents per share. That's down from earnings of $98 million, or 13 cents per share, a year ago.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130425/DA5SIAH00.html

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This March 13, 2010 photo, shows a Southwest Airlines plane in Burbank, Calif. Southwest Airlines Co. reports quarterly financial results before the market open on Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

[olddad56]

1. well duh.

[HockeyMom]

2. $400 one way from Florida to NY??????

I could go to EUROPE for that, and would, before I gave them that much $$$$$.

[RobinA]

3. Sounds Like First Class

I got one-way to Las Vegas from Philadelphia for $108 and a little bit more coming back.

[HockeyMom]

5. Not on SW

the "discount" airline, with no booked seats, and at least one, if not two, stopovers between Ft. Myers and NY. Sorry. SW, I am not in a hurry and will DRIVE for less between Florida and NY.

[HughBeaumont]

4. I can't get Cleveland to BWI for cheaper than $72 dollars one way any more.

. . . and that's IF they have that deal . . . for a city that's only 5.5 hours away. Their usual lower prices are now $84 and up at incredibly early or inconvenient times which force you to eat a day at work (forget after work unless you like paying 220 bucks one way).

I used to be able to make that trip via Southwest for as little as 39-49 bucks one way. Even factoring in turnpike and gas, it's just cheaper to drive there. I'd rather just drive than get felt up and then have to sit between two giant personal-space-challenged sloth males that smell like ass and behind a full-recliner bastard.

[HockeyMom]

6. tell me about it

Yes. it is creaper, and in my experience more comfortable, to drive.