Southwest Airlines profit rises more than 9% as higher fares offset fuel costs

According to CNBC, Southwest Airlines reported second-quarter profit rose more than 9% from a year earlier as higher fares helped offset fuel costs, but its summer outlook came in below Wall Street forecasts. The Dallas-based airline forecast third-quarter adjusted earnings of 50 cents to 75 cents per share, below the 82 cents analysts expected, while projecting sales growth of 17.5% to 19.5% from a year earlier. Southwest said it plans to reduce capacity by as much as 1% or keep flying flat from the third quarter of 2025. Second-quarter revenue increased 16.4% to $8.4 billion, and the carrier said its fuel bill climbed almost $900 million from a year earlier.