Southwest Airlines Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Annual Profit; 43rd Consecutive Year of Profitability

Southwest Airlines has reported record fourth quarter net income, and record annual operating income of $4.0 billion, excluding special items, resulting in an operating margin of 20.1 percent. Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are extremely pleased to report a record annual net income, excluding special items, of $2.4 billion, or $3.52 per diluted share. We beat 2014’s previous record profit per share by 75.1 percent and produced an all-time high ROIC of 32.7 percent. Record revenues, low fuel prices, and continued cost controls resulted in record operating income of $4.0 billion,