SOUTHWEST AIRLINES REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2026 RESULTS; RECORD REVENUE PERFORMANCE DRIVES YEAR-OVER-YEAR MARGIN EXPANSION
PR Newswire•21/10/2026•16:18 ET
0
Key Highlights
- ➤Operating revenue $8.4B, up 21.2%, sets a third-quarter company record
- ➤Adjusted EPS $0.66; adjusted operating margin 5.4%, up 4.8 points
- ➤Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS forecast $0.55-$0.80
- ➤2026 adjusted EPS forecast $2.60-$2.85
- ➤Fuel expense rose $821M, creating a $1.08 adjusted-EPS headwind
Expert Statements
Bob Jordan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Airlines
“Customers are responding to the enhanced Southwest offering, and it shows in our results. Demand remained strong as we lapped last year's bag fee and other commercial initiatives, reinforcing our belief that the earnings power we've built is durable, even with significantly higher fuel costs.”
Bob Jordan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Airlines
“With the transformation complete, our efforts have shifted to optimizing the business and delivering the next set of Customer Experience enhancements, both focused on unlocking the next phase of value creation. Robust demand has continued in the fourth quarter, and we are seeing encouraging progress across our product and loyalty initiatives. We remain confident in our ability to further strengthen earnings, improve returns, and expand margins over time.”
Bob Jordan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Airlines
“We look forward to sharing our multi-year financial framework, the targets we are managing toward, and our path to achieving them at our Capital Markets Day in New York City on March 2, 2027.”
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2026 RESULTS; RECORD REVENUE PERFORMANCE DRIVES YEAR-OVER-YEAR MARGIN EXPANSION PR Newswire
Record third quarter operating revenue and all-time record unit revenues
Get started
Create a free account to read the full story.