SOUTHWEST AIRLINES REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS; EXPECTS STRONG 2026 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE FROM BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

2025 net income $441 million / $0.79 EPS; adjusted net income 1 $512 million / $0.93 adjusted EPS 1,2

2025 adjusted EBIT 1,3 $574 million and above prior guidance of $500 million

Guiding 2026 adjusted EPS 4 of at least $4.00, up more than 300% over 2025

Ranked #1 in The Wall Street Journal Best U.S. Airlines of 2025

2026 guidance and strong Q1 bookings reflect sweeping transformation undertaken in 2025

DALLAS, Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) today reported its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results, and provided 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of at least $4.00, which represents the lower end of internal forecasts. Fourth quarter performance benefited from revenue initiatives and continued cost control, contributing to solid results and strong momentum. Notwithstanding the impact of Winter Storm Fern, 2026 is off to a strong start, driven by the Company's Customer-focused product offering, operational excellence, and dramatic progress from the transformational initiatives implemented last year.

"Southwest closed 2025 with strong momentum. Last year we implemented the most ambitious transformation in Company history, including bag fees, basic economy fares, assigned and extra legroom seating, Rapid Rewards® program optimization, online distribution expansion, and free Wi-Fi for loyalty members. We also outperformed our cost reduction goals, strengthened operational reliability through new technology, and returned $2.9 billion to our Shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. That foundation positions us well for long‑term success and sets the stage for significant earnings growth this year. Our performance reflects the extraordinary work of our People, who transformed the business while continuing to serve our Customers with unparalleled hospitality and operational excellence. Their efforts enabled us to achieve $574 million in full year adjusted EBIT, and earned Southwest the top spot in The Wall Street Journal Best U.S. Airlines of 2025. I could not be more proud of what we accomplished," said Bob Jordan, Southwest's President & Chief Executive Officer.

2025 Highlights:

2025 Key Initiatives:

Guidance and Outlook:

The following tables provide guidance for first quarter and full year 2026, and include the impact of Winter Storm Fern. The 2026 adjusted EPS guidance is at the lower end of internal forecasts, and well above Wall Street consensus. Just yesterday, assigned and extra legroom seating became operational, and Southwest expects earnings upside based on how booking behavior related to these initiatives unfolds:

In the next month or so, Southwest will have better visibility to the upside potential from these initiatives and will provide range bound guidance for 2026 when current quarterly results are reported, if not earlier.

1Q 2026 Forecast

Adjusted EPS

At least $0.45

ASMs (a), year-over-year

Up 1% to 2%

RASM (b), year-over-year

Up at least 9.5%

CASM-X (c), year-over-year 1,4

Up ~3.5%

2026 Forecast

Adjusted EPS

At least $4.00

ASMs (a), year-over-year

Up 2% to 3%

(a) Available seat miles ("ASMs" or "capacity").

(b) Operating revenues per available seat mile ("RASM" or "unit revenues").

(c) Operating expenses per available seat mile, excluding fuel and oil expense, special items, and profit sharing ("CASM-X").

Revenue Results and Outlook:

Non-Fuel Costs and Outlook:

Fuel Costs:

Capacity, Fleet, and Capital Spending:

Liquidity and Capital Deployment:

Conference Call:

Southwest will discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2025 results on a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on January 29, 2026. To listen to a live broadcast of the conference call please go to

www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com.

Footnotes

1See Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for additional information on special items. In addition, information regarding special items and economic results is included in the accompanying table Reconciliation of Reported Amounts to Non-GAAP Items (also referred to as "excluding special items").

2Adjusted EPS, a non-GAAP financial measure, is calculated as net income, excluding special items, divided by diluted weighted-average shares outstanding.

3Adjusted EBIT, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined as earnings before interest and taxes, excluding special items.

4Projections do not reflect the potential impact of fuel and oil expense, special items, and profit sharing because the Company cannot reliably predict or estimate those items or expenses or their impact to its financial statements in future periods, especially considering the significant volatility of the fuel and oil expense line item. Accordingly, the Company believes a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the equivalent GAAP financial measures for these projected results is not meaningful or available without unreasonable effort.

5Based on market prices as of January 23, 2026. Fuel cost per gallon includes fuel taxes and fuel hedging net premium expense of $0.06 per gallon related to terminated fuel derivative contracts.

6Net capital expenditures include the impact of aircraft sales and sale-leaseback transactions.

7Leverage, adjusted debt, and adjusted EBITDAR are each non-GAAP financial measures. Leverage is calculated as adjusted debt divided by trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDAR. Adjusted EBITDAR is calculated as earnings before interest and taxes, and non-operating other (gains) losses, net, excluding special items, and adjusted by adding depreciation and amortization and the fixed portion of operating lease expense ("adjusted EBITDAR"). Adjusted debt includes current and long-term debt, finance lease obligations, and operating lease liabilities (including fleet, ground, and other).

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements related to (i) the Company's financial and operational outlook, earnings upside potential, expectations, goals, plans, targets, and projected results of operations, including with respect to its long-term success, earnings growth, and initiatives, and including factors and assumptions underlying the Company's expectations and projections, including the impact from Winter Storm Fern; (ii) the Company's initiatives, strategic priorities and focus areas, goals, and opportunities, including with respect to assigned and extra legroom seating, including up-sell revenue from close-in bookings and growth in business and leisure segments, the Company's business transformation, Customer-focused product offering, and operational excellence; (iii) the Company's expectations with respect to providing future, range-bound guidance; (iv) the Company's capacity plans and expectations; (v) the Company's expectations with respect to fuel costs and fuel efficiency, including factors underlying the Company's expectations; (vi) the Company's network plans and expectations, including service at new stations; (vii) the Company's fleet plans and expectations, including with respect to its fleet order book, fleet modernization, and expected fleet deliveries and retirements, and including factors and assumptions underlying the Company's plans and expectations; (viii) the Company's plans, estimates, and assumptions related to capital spending, including factors and assumptions underlying the Company's expectations and projections; (x) the Company's plans and expectations with respect to share repurchases and other shareholder returns; and (xi) the Company's plans, expectations, and targets with respect to its investment-grade rating. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current estimates, intentions, beliefs, expectations, goals, strategies, and projections for the future and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. Factors include, among others, (i) the impact of fears or actual outbreaks of diseases, extreme or severe weather and natural disasters, actions of competitors (including, without limitation, pricing, scheduling, capacity, and network decisions, and consolidation and alliance activities), governmental actions, consumer perception, consumer uncertainties with respect to trade policies or government shutdowns (including the imposition of tariffs), economic conditions, banking conditions, fears or actual acts of terrorism or war, sociodemographic trends, and other factors beyond the Company's control, on consumer behavior and the Company's results of operations and business decisions, plans, strategies, and results; (ii) the Company's ability to timely and effectively implement, transition, operate, and maintain the necessary information technology systems and infrastructure to support its operations and initiatives, including with respect to revenue management and assigned and extra legroom seating; (iii) consumer behavior and response with respect to the Company's new commercial products and policies; (iv) the impact of fuel price changes, fuel price volatility, and fuel availability on the Company's business plans and results of operations; (v) the impact of governmental regulations and other governmental actions, including with respect to government shutdowns, as well as the Company's ability to obtain any required governmental approvals, on the Company's business plans, results, and operations; (vi) the Company's dependence on The Boeing Company ("Boeing") and Boeing suppliers with respect to the Company's aircraft deliveries, Boeing MAX 7 aircraft certifications, fleet and capacity plans, operations, maintenance, strategies, and goals; (vii) the Company's dependence on the Federal Aviation Administration with respect to, among other things, the certification of the Boeing MAX 7 aircraft; (viii) the Company's dependence on other third parties, in particular with respect to its technology plans, its plans and expectations related to revenue management, online travel agencies, operational reliability, fuel supply, maintenance, Global Distribution Systems, environmental sustainability, and the impact on the Company's operations and results of operations of any third party delays or nonperformance; (ix) the Company's ability to timely and effectively prioritize its initiatives and focus areas and related expenditures; (x) the impact of labor matters on the Company's business decisions, plans, strategies, and results; (xi) the Company's ability to obtain and maintain adequate infrastructure and equipment to support its operations and initiatives; (xii) the Company's dependence on its workforce, including its ability to employ and retain sufficient numbers of qualified Employees with appropriate skills and expertise to effectively and efficiently maintain its operations and execute the Company's plans, strategies, and initiatives; (xiii) the cost and effects of the actions of activist shareholders; and (xiv) other factors, as described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the detailed factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2025.

SW-QFS

Southwest Airlines Co.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income

(in millions, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

2025

2024

Percent

Change

2025

2024

Percent

Change

OPERATING REVENUES:

Passenger

6,785

6,307

7.6

25,535

24,980

2.2

Freight

(4.4)

171

175

(2.3)

Other

614

579

6.0

2,357

2,328

1.2

Total operating revenues

7,442

6,931

7.4

28,063

27,483

2.1

OPERATING EXPENSES:

Salaries, wages, and benefits

3,381

3,232

4.6

12,963

12,240

5.9

Fuel and oil

1,333

1,264

5.5

5,240

5,812

(9.8)

Maintenance materials and repairs

306

307

(0.3)

1,227

1,353

(9.3)

Landing fees and airport rentals

540

493

9.5

2,178

1,962

11.0

Depreciation and amortization

371

407

(8.8)

1,560

1,657

(5.9)

Other operating expenses

1,120

950

17.9

4,467

4,138

8.0

Total operating expenses

7,051

6,653

6.0

27,635

27,162

1.7

OPERATING INCOME

391

278

40.6

428

321

33.3

NON-OPERATING EXPENSES (INCOME):

Interest expense

(18.6)

167

249

(32.9)

Capitalized interest

(17)

(11)

54.5

(54)

(35)

54.3

Interest income

(33)

(105)

(68.6)

(205)

(497)

(58.8)

Other (gains) losses, net

(14)

n.m.

(43)

n.m.

Total non-operating expenses (income)

(16)

(51)

(68.6)

(135)

(277)

(51.3)

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

407

329

23.7

563

598

(5.9)

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

23.5

122

133

(8.3)

NET INCOME

323

261

23.8

441

465

(5.2)

NET INCOME PER SHARE:

Basic

0.63

0.44

43.2

0.82

0.78

5.1

Diluted

0.61

0.42

45.2

0.79

0.76

3.9

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:

Basic

516

595

(13.3)

540

598

(9.7)

Diluted

521

641

(18.7)

558

643

(13.2)

Southwest Airlines Co.

Reconciliation of Reported Amounts to Non-GAAP Items (excluding special items)

(See Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures)

(in millions, except per share amounts) (unaudited)

Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

2025

2024

Percent

Change

2025

2024

Percent

Change

Fuel and oil expense, unhedged

1,297

1,252

5,095

5,750

Add: Premium cost of fuel contracts designated as hedges (a)

145

148

Deduct: Fuel hedge gains included in Fuel and oil expense, net

—

(22)

—

(86)

Fuel and oil expense, as reported

1,333

1,264

5,240

5,812

Add: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

Add: Premium cost of fuel contracts not designated as hedges

—

Fuel and oil expense, excluding special items (economic)

1,333

1,289

3.4

5,240

5,855

(10.5)

Total operating expenses, as reported

7,051

6,653

27,635

27,162

Deduct: Voluntary Employee programs

—

(5)

—

(5)

Deduct: Labor contract adjustment

—

(9)

Deduct: Contract Termination Charge

(7)

—

(7)

—

Add: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

Add: Premium cost of fuel contracts not designated as hedges

—

Add: DOT settlement waiver

—

Deduct: Impairment of long-lived assets

—

(8)

—

Deduct: Litigation accruals

—

(19)

(7)

Add (Deduct): Professional advisory fees/reimbursement

(18)

(37)

Deduct: Transformation costs

—

(5)

(33)

(5)

Deduct: Severance and related costs (b)

—

(62)

—

Total operating expenses, excluding special items

7,062

6,650

6.2

27,524

27,142

1.4

Deduct: Fuel and oil expense, excluding special items (economic)

(1,333)

(1,289)

(5,240)

(5,855)

Operating expenses, excluding Fuel and oil expense and special items

5,729

5,361

6.9

22,284

21,287

4.7

Deduct: Profit-sharing expense

(71)

(54)

(97)

(103)

Operating expenses, excluding Fuel and oil expense, special items, and profit sharing

5,658

5,307

6.6

22,187

21,184

4.7

Operating income, as reported

391

278

428

321

Add: Breakage revenue adjustment (c)

—

116

—

116

Add: Voluntary Employee programs

—

Add: Labor contract adjustment

—

Add: Contract Termination Charge

—

Deduct: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

(19)

—

(34)

Deduct: Premium cost of fuel contracts not designated as hedges

—

(6)

—

(9)

Deduct: DOT settlement waiver

(11)

—

(11)

—

Add: Impairment of long-lived assets

—

Add: Litigation accruals

—

Add (Deduct): Professional advisory fees/reimbursement

(7)

Add: Transformation costs

—

Add: Severance and related costs (b)

—

Operating income, excluding special items

380

397

(4.3)

539

457

17.9

Other (gains) losses, net, as reported

(14)

(43)

Deduct: Mark-to-market impact from fuel contracts settling in current periods

—

(1)

—

(34)

Deduct: Premium cost of fuel contracts not designated as hedges

—

(6)

—

(9)

Add: Unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on forward contract

—

Other gains, net, excluding special items

(6)

(3)

100.0

(35)

(39)

(10.3)

Income before income taxes, as reported

407

329

563

598

Add: Breakage revenue adjustment (c)

—

116

—

116

Add: Voluntary Employee programs

—

Add: Labor contract adjustment

—

Add: Contract Termination Charge

—

Deduct: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

(19)

—

(34)

Add: Mark-to-market impact from fuel contracts settling in current periods

—

Deduct: DOT settlement waiver

(11)

—

(11)

—

Add: Impairment of long-lived assets

—

Add: Litigation accruals

—

Add (Deduct): Professional advisory fees/reimbursement

(7)

Add: Transformation costs

—

Add: Severance and related costs (b)

—

Deduct: Unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on forward contract

(8)

—

(8)

—

Income before income taxes, excluding special items

388

455

(14.7)

666

777

(14.3)

Provision for income taxes, as reported

122

133

Add: Net income tax impact of fuel and special items (d)

Provision for income taxes, net, excluding special items

(12.1)

154

180

(14.4)

Net income, as reported

323

261

441

465

Add: Breakage revenue adjustment (c)

—

116

—

116

Add: Voluntary Employee programs

—

Add: Labor contract adjustment

—

Add: Contract Termination Charge

—

Deduct: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

(19)

—

(34)

Add: Mark-to-market impact from fuel contracts settling in current periods

—

Deduct: DOT settlement waiver

(11)

—

(11)

—

Add: Impairment of long-lived assets

—

Add: Litigation accruals

—

Add (Deduct): Professional advisory fees/reimbursement

(7)

Add: Transformation costs

—

Add: Severance and related costs (b)

—

Deduct: Unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on forward contract

(8)

—

(8)

—

Deduct: Net income tax impact of fuel and special items (d)

(3)

(31)

(32)

(47)

Net income, excluding special items

301

356

(15.4)

512

597

(14.2)

Net income per share, diluted, as reported

0.61

0.42

0.79

0.76

Add (Deduct): Impact of special items

(0.02)

0.22

0.20

0.27

Deduct: Net impact of net income above from fuel contracts divided by dilutive shares

—

(0.03)

—

Add: Income tax impact of fuel contracts

—

0.01

—

Deduct: Net income tax impact of special items (d)

(0.01)

(0.06)

(0.07)

Net income per share, diluted, excluding special items

0.58

0.56

3.6

0.93

0.96

(3.1)

Net income, as reported

323

261

441

465

Add: Breakage revenue adjustment (c)

—

116

—

116

Add: Voluntary Employee programs

—

Deduct: Fuel hedge contracts settling in the current period, but for which gains were reclassified from AOCI

—

(19)

—

(34)

Add: Mark-to-market impact from fuel contracts settling in current periods

—

Add: Impairment of long-lived assets

—

Deduct: DOT settlement waiver

(11)

—

(11)

—

Add: Labor contract adjustment

—

Add: Contract termination charge

—

Add (Deduct): Professional advisory fees/reimbursement

(7)

Add: Transformation costs

—

Add: Litigation accruals

—

Add: Severance and related costs (b)

—

Deduct: Unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on forward contract

(8)

—

(8)

—

Add: Provision for income taxes

122

133

Deduct: Net interest income

(2)

(57)

(92)

(283)

EBIT, excluding special items

386

398

574

494

Operating revenues, as reported

7,442

6,931

28,063

27,483

Add: Breakage revenue adjustment (c)

—

116

—

116

Operating revenues, excluding special items

7,442

7,047

5.6

28,063

27,599

1.7

Operating revenue per ASM (cents), as reported

16.16

15.92

15.59

15.51

Add: Impact of special items

—

0.27

—

0.06

Operating revenue per ASM, excluding special items (cents)

16.16

16.19

(0.2)

15.59

15.57

0.1

Operating expenses per ASM (cents), as reported

15.31

15.28

15.35

15.32

Add (Deduct): Impact of special items

0.03

(0.06)

(0.04)

Deduct: Fuel and oil expense divided by ASMs

(2.89)

(2.90)

(2.91)

(3.27)

Deduct: Profit-sharing expense divided by ASMs

(0.16)

(0.13)

(0.06)

Operating expenses per ASM, excluding Fuel and oil expense, profit sharing, and special items (cents)

12.29

12.19

0.8

12.32

11.95

3.1

(a) Includes amounts reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income associated with hedges previously terminated.

(b) Represents Employee severance payments and related professional fees resulting from the workforce reduction in February 2025 ($53 million in Salaries, wages, and benefits and $9 million in Other operating expenses).

(c) Represents a change in breakage revenue estimate related to flight credits the Company issued to Passengers during 2022 and prior. On July 28, 2022, the Company modified its policy and announced that all unexpired flight credits as of that date, including a significant volume of such credits issued to impacted Customers during the COVID-19 pandemic as the Company was making significant changes to its schedules based on fluctuating demand, will no longer have an expiration date and thus will be able to be redeemed by Customers indefinitely. This change in policy was considered a contract modification under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and the Company accounted for such change prospectively in third quarter 2022. At that time, based on historical Customer behavior, the Company estimated that redemptions of these flight credits would have been reduced to an immaterial amount during 2024 and recognized breakage revenue in prior periods for these flight credits accordingly; however, based on actual Customer redemptions throughout 2024, as well as projected redemptions beyond 2024, the Company determined a reversal of a portion of this prior breakage revenue was warranted in 2024. This adjustment is not reflective of base business revenue trends in fourth quarter 2024 or beyond. See the Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for further information.

(d) Tax amounts for each individual special item are calculated at the Company's effective rate for the applicable period and totaled in this line item.

Southwest Airlines Co.

Comparative Consolidated Operating Statistics

(unaudited)

Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

Percent

December 31,

Percent

2025

2024

Change

2025

2024

Change

Revenue passengers carried (000s)

34,033

34,126

(0.3)

134,110

140,023

(4.2)

Enplaned passengers (000s)

43,004

42,591

1.0

168,334

175,466

(4.1)

Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (in millions) (a)

35,567

34,471

3.2

139,443

142,515

(2.2)

Available seat miles (ASMs) (in millions) (b)

46,052

43,533

5.8

180,046

177,250

1.6

Load factor (c)

77.2

79.2

(2.0) pts.

77.4

80.4

(3.0) pts.

Average length of passenger haul (miles)

1,045

1,010

3.5

1,040

1,018

2.2

Average aircraft stage length (miles)

779

763

2.1

780

763

2.2

Trips flown

359,032

353,529

1.6

1,415,822

1,443,866

(1.9)

Seats flown (000s) (d)

58,048

56,598

2.6

228,193

230,187

(0.9)

Seats per trip (e)

161.7

160.1

1.0

161.2

159.4

1.1

Average passenger fare

199.36

184.81

7.9

190.41

178.40

6.7

Passenger revenue yield per RPM (cents) (f)

19.08

18.30

4.3

18.31

17.53

4.4

RASM (cents) (g)

16.16

15.92

1.5

15.59

15.51

0.5

RASM, excluding special items (cents)

16.16

16.19

(0.2)

15.59

15.57

0.1

PRASM (cents) (h)

14.73

14.49

1.7

14.18

14.09

0.6

CASM (cents) (i)

15.31

15.28

0.2

15.35

15.32

0.2

CASM, excluding Fuel and oil expense (cents)

12.42

12.38

0.3

12.44

12.05

3.2

CASM, excluding special items (cents)

15.34

15.27

0.5

15.29

15.31

(0.1)

CASM, excluding Fuel and oil expense and special items (cents)

12.44

12.31

1.1

12.38

12.01

3.1

CASM, excluding Fuel and oil expense, special items, and profit-sharing expense (cents)

12.29

12.19

0.8

12.32

11.95

3.1

Fuel costs per gallon, including fuel tax (unhedged)

2.38

2.36

0.8

2.34

2.62

(10.7)

Fuel costs per gallon, including fuel tax

2.45

2.38

2.9

2.41

2.64

(8.7)

Fuel costs per gallon, including fuel tax (economic)

2.45

2.42

1.2

2.41

2.66

(9.4)

Fuel consumed, in gallons (millions)

545

531

2.6

2,169

2,194

(1.1)

Active fulltime equivalent Employees

72,790

72,450

0.5

72,790

72,450

0.5

Aircraft at end of period (j)

803

—

803

—

(a) A revenue passenger mile is one paying passenger flown one mile. Also referred to as "traffic," which is a measure of demand for a given period.

(b) An available seat mile is one seat (empty or full) flown one mile. Also referred to as "capacity," which is a measure of the space available to carry passengers in a given period.

(d) Seats flown is calculated using total number of seats available by aircraft type multiplied by the total trips flown by the same aircraft type during a particular period.

(e) Seats per trip is calculated by dividing seats flown by trips flown.

(f) Calculated as passenger revenue divided by revenue passenger miles. Also referred to as "yield," this is the average cost paid by a paying passenger to fly one mile, which is a measure of revenue production and fares.

(g) RASM (unit revenue) - Operating revenue yield per ASM, calculated as operating revenue divided by available seat miles. Also referred to as "operating unit revenues," this is a measure of operating revenue production based on the total available seat miles flown during a particular period.

(h) PRASM (Passenger unit revenue) - Passenger revenue yield per ASM, calculated as passenger revenue divided by available seat miles. Also referred to as "passenger unit revenues," this is a measure of passenger revenue production based on the total available seat miles flown during a particular period.

(i) CASM (unit costs) - Operating expenses per ASM, calculated as operating expenses divided by available seat miles. Also referred to as "unit costs" or "cost per available seat mile," this is the average cost to fly an aircraft seat (empty or full) one mile, which is a measure of cost efficiencies.

(j) Included three Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft in temporary storage as of December 31, 2024.

Southwest Airlines Co.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet

(in millions)

(unaudited)

December 31, 2025

December 31, 2024

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

3,231

7,509

Short-term investments

—

1,216

Accounts and other receivables

1,149

1,110

Inventories of parts and supplies, at cost

775

800

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

490

639

Total current assets

5,645

11,274

Property and equipment, at cost:

Flight equipment

26,293

25,202

Ground property and equipment

9,163

8,244

Deposits on flight equipment purchase contracts

401

413

Assets constructed for others

35,945

33,947

Less allowance for depreciation and amortization

15,700

14,891

20,245

19,056

Goodwill

970

Operating lease right-of-use assets

1,089

1,369

Other assets

1,112

1,081

29,061

33,750

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

1,991

1,818

Accrued liabilities

2,349

2,206

Current operating lease liabilities

312

328

Air traffic liability

5,945

6,294

Current maturities of long-term debt

324

1,630

Total current liabilities

10,921

12,276

Long-term debt less current maturities

4,577

5,069

Air traffic liability - noncurrent

1,219

1,948

Deferred income taxes

2,289

2,167

Noncurrent operating lease liabilities

768

1,031

Other noncurrent liabilities

1,306

909

Stockholders' equity:

Common stock

888

Capital in excess of par value

4,322

4,199

Retained earnings

16,388

16,332

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(24)

(25)

Treasury stock, at cost

(13,593)

(11,044)

Total stockholders' equity

7,981

10,350

29,061

33,750

Southwest Airlines Co.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(in millions) (unaudited)

Three months ended

December 31,

Year ended

December 31,

2025

2024

2025

2024

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Net income

323

261

441

465

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

371

407

1,560

1,657

Impairment of long-lived assets

—

Unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on forward contract

(8)

—

(8)

—

Unrealized/realized gain on fuel derivative instruments

—

(17)

—

Deferred income taxes

122

132

Gain on sale-leaseback transactions

—

(92)

(3)

(92)

Changes in certain assets and liabilities:

Accounts and other receivables

(13)

100

Other assets

(12)

407

(8)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

427

305

218

(1,363)

Air traffic liability

(961)

(459)

(1,078)

(37)

Other liabilities

(61)

(11)

(197)

Cash collateral provided to derivative counterparties

—

(22)

(28)

Other, net

(26)

157

(86)

Net cash provided by operating activities

295

476

1,842

462

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Capital expenditures, net

(859)

(461)

(2,673)

(2,054)

Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions

—

871

Purchases of short-term investments

—

(1,168)

(470)

(5,014)

Proceeds from sales of short-term and other investments

116

835

1,693

5,995

Other, net

(4)

(3)

(59)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

(742)

(1,429)

(261)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

1,500

—

1,500

—

Payroll Support Program stock warrants repurchase

—

(6)

Proceeds from Employee stock plans

Repurchase of common stock

(50)

(250)

(2,550)

(250)

Payments of long-term debt and finance lease obligations

(672)

(1,310)

(3,275)

(1,337)

Payments of cash dividends

—

(399)

(430)

Other, net

(15)

(26)

(17)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

776

(1,543)

(4,691)

(1,980)

NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

329

(994)

(4,278)

(1,779)

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD

2,902

8,503

7,509

9,288

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD

3,231

7,509

3,231

7,509

NOTE REGARDING USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

The Company's unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). These GAAP financial statements may include (i) unrealized noncash adjustments and reclassifications, which can be significant, as a result of accounting requirements and elections made under accounting pronouncements relating to derivative instruments and hedging and (ii) other charges and benefits the Company believes are unusual and/or infrequent in nature and thus may make comparisons to its prior or future performance difficult.

As a result, the Company also provides financial information in this update that was not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to the information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company provides supplemental non-GAAP financial information (also referred to as "excluding special items"), including results that it refers to as "economic," which the Company's management utilizes to evaluate its ongoing financial performance and the Company believes provides additional insight to investors as supplemental information to its GAAP results. The non-GAAP measures provided that relate to the Company's performance on an economic fuel cost basis include Fuel and oil expense, non-GAAP; Total operating expenses, non-GAAP; Operating expenses, non-GAAP excluding Fuel and oil expense; Operating expenses, non-GAAP excluding Fuel and oil expense and profit sharing; Operating income, non-GAAP; Other gains, net, non-GAAP; Income before income taxes, non-GAAP; Provision for income taxes, net, non-GAAP; Net income, non-GAAP; Net income per share, diluted, non-GAAP; EBIT, non-GAAP; Operating expenses per ASM, non-GAAP, excluding Fuel and oil expense and profit sharing (cents); and Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR. For periods in which fuel hedge contracts are utilized, the Company's economic Fuel and oil expense results may differ from GAAP results in that they only include the actual cash settlements from fuel hedge contracts - all reflected within Fuel and oil expense in the period of settlement. Thus, Fuel and oil expense on an economic basis has historically been utilized by the Company, as well as some of the other airlines that utilize fuel hedging, as it reflects the Company's actual net cash outlays for fuel during the applicable period, inclusive of settled fuel derivative contracts. Any net premium costs paid related to option contracts that are designated as hedges are reflected as a component of Fuel and oil expense, for both GAAP and non-GAAP (including economic) purposes in the period of contract settlement. The Company believes these economic results provide further insight into the impact of the Company's fuel hedges on its operating performance and liquidity since they exclude the unrealized, noncash adjustments and reclassifications that are recorded in GAAP results in accordance with accounting guidance relating to derivative instruments within Fuel and oil expense. This enables the Company's management, as well as investors and analysts, to consistently assess the Company's operating performance on a year-over-year or quarter-over-quarter basis after considering all efforts in place to manage fuel expense. However, because these measures are not determined in accordance with GAAP, such measures are susceptible to varying calculations, and not all companies calculate the measures in the same manner. As a result, the aforementioned measures, as presented, may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

Further information on (i) the Company's fuel hedging program, (ii) the requirements of accounting for derivative instruments, (iii) the causes of hedge ineffectiveness and/or mark-to-market gains or losses from derivative instruments, and (iv) the Company's termination of its remaining fuel hedge derivative instruments is included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and on Form 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2025.

The Company's GAAP results in the applicable periods may include other charges or benefits that are also deemed "special items" that the Company believes make its results difficult to compare to prior periods, anticipated future periods, or industry trends. Financial measures identified as non-GAAP (or as excluding special items) have been adjusted to exclude special items. For the periods presented, in addition to the items discussed above, special items include:

Because management believes special items can distort the trends associated with the Company's ongoing performance as an airline, the Company believes that evaluation of its financial performance can be enhanced by a supplemental presentation of results that exclude the impact of special items in order to enhance consistency and comparativeness with results in prior periods that do not include such items and as a basis for evaluating operating results in future periods. The following measures are often provided, excluding special items, and utilized by the Company's management, analysts, and investors to enhance comparability of year-over-year results, as well as to industry trends: Fuel and oil expense, non-GAAP; Total operating expenses, non-GAAP; Operating expenses, non-GAAP excluding Fuel and oil expense; Operating expenses, non-GAAP excluding Fuel and oil expense and profit sharing; Operating income, non-GAAP; Other gains, net, non-GAAP; Income before income taxes, non-GAAP; Provision for income taxes, net, non-GAAP; Net income, non-GAAP; Net income per share, diluted, non-GAAP; EBIT, non-GAAP; Operating revenues, non-GAAP; Operating revenue per ASM, non-GAAP; Operating expenses per ASM, non-GAAP, excluding Fuel and oil expense and profit sharing (cents); and Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR.

The Company has also provided adjusted debt, adjusted EBITDAR, and adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR (leverage), which are non-GAAP measures of financial performance. Management believes these supplemental measures can provide a more accurate view of the Company's leverage and risk, since they consider the Company's debt and debt-like obligation profile and capital. Leverage ratios are widely used by investors, analysts, and rating agencies in the valuation, comparison, rating, and investment recommendations of companies. Although adjusted debt, adjusted EBITDAR, and leverage ratios are commonly-used financial measures, definitions of each differ; therefore, the Company is providing an explanation of its calculations for non-GAAP adjusted debt and adjusted EBITDAR in the accompanying reconciliation below in order to allow investors to compare and contrast its calculations to the calculations provided by other companies.

December 31, 2025

(in millions)

Current maturities of long-term debt, as reported

324

Long-term debt less current maturities, as reported

4,577

Total debt, including finance leases (A)

4,901

Add: Current operating lease liabilities, as reported

312

Add: Noncurrent operating lease liabilities, as reported

768

Adjusted debt (B)

5,981

Twelve Months Ended

December 31, 2025

Net income, as reported (C)

441

Interest expense (income), net of capitalized interest, as reported

(92)

Income tax expense (benefit), as reported

122

Non-operating other (gains) losses, net, as reported

(43)

Operating income, as reported

428

Impact of special items

111

Operating income, non-GAAP

539

Depreciation and amortization

1,560

Fixed portion of operating lease expense

363

Adjusted EBITDAR (D)

2,462

Total debt to Net income (A/C)

11.1x

Adjusted debt to adjusted EBITDAR (B/D)

2.4x

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.