Southwest Airls Co Stock Price, News & Analysis

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced significant governance changes effective August 1, 2025. Rakesh Gangwal is stepping down as independent Chair but will remain on the Board, while Doug Brooks has been appointed as the new independent Chair. The company has also formed a new Ad Hoc Fleet Oversight Committee, which will be chaired by Gangwal.

Brooks, who has served as a Director since 2010, brings extensive leadership experience from his former role as Chairman, President, and CEO of Brinker International. During his tenure at AutoZone, Inc., the company achieved a total shareholder return of over 450%. The leadership transition comes as Southwest continues its business model transformation, with the company carrying more than 140 million customers in 2024.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced its 186th quarterly dividend declaration. The company will pay a cash dividend of $0.18 per share to shareholders of record as of September 3, 2025. The dividend payment is scheduled for September 24, 2025.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced a strategic partnership with Peet's Coffee to become their official inflight coffee provider starting August 13, 2025. This marks Peet's first major U.S. airline partnership, introducing their coffee to millions of new consumers across Southwest's network.

The partnership will feature Peet's 'Off the Grid' medium roast blend, made from Colombian and El Salvador beans. Peet's already has a presence in 25 airports served by Southwest, including major hubs in Denver, Houston, and Phoenix. To celebrate the launch, both companies will host a co-branded event at Peet's East 8th Street location in Chicago on August 15-16, 2025.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced significant changes to its service model and route expansion. Starting January 27, 2026, the airline will implement assigned seating across all flights, departing from its traditional open seating policy. Customers can now purchase assigned and premium seating during booking.

The airline also announced new year-round service to St. Thomas, USVI, with daily flights from Orlando beginning February 5, 2026, and peak-day service from Baltimore/Washington starting February 7, 2026. Additionally, Southwest is expanding seasonal routes connecting northeastern cities to Florida, and midwest cities to Phoenix and Palm Springs.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) reported Q2 2025 financial results with net income of $213 million ($0.39 per diluted share), or $230 million excluding special items ($0.43 per diluted share). The company returned $1.6 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Key developments include implementing bag fees and basic economy products, with financial benefits exceeding expectations. The Board authorized a new $2.0 billion share repurchase program. Southwest updated its full year 2025 EBIT guidance to $600-800 million and maintains targets of $1.8 billion EBIT contribution from initiatives in 2025 and $4.3 billion in 2026.

Q2 operating revenues decreased 1.5% to $7.2 billion, with passenger revenues down 1.3% to $6.6 billion. The company completed retrofits of over 220 aircraft for extra legroom seating and will begin selling assigned and premium seating on July 29, 2025, for travel starting January 2026.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced it will host a live webcast to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 12:30 PM Eastern Time.

The presentation will feature key executives including Bob Jordan (President, CEO, and Vice Chairman), Andrew Watterson (Chief Operating Officer), and Tom Doxey (Executive VP and CFO). Investors can access the webcast through Southwest's investor relations website, with registration opening 20 minutes before the call.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) is introducing a major operational change with SeatisFaction™, their new assigned seating system launching January 27, 2026. Starting July 29, 2025, customers can begin selecting seats at booking time for flights from January 2026 onward.

The new system offers three seat categories: Extra Legroom, Preferred, and Standard. Special privileges are extended to Rapid Rewards® Credit Cardmembers and A-List members, who can select seats at booking or within 48 hours of departure, even with Basic fares. The airline is also implementing a new group-based boarding process, with Groups 1-2 reserved for Extra Legroom seats.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced it will host a live webcast to discuss its second quarter 2025 financial results on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 12:30 PM Eastern Time.

The presentation will feature key executives including Bob Jordan (President, CEO, and Vice Chairman), Andrew Watterson (Chief Operating Officer), and Tom Doxey (Executive VP and CFO). Investors can access the webcast through Southwest's investor relations website, with registration opening 20 minutes before the call.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has announced plans to expand its network by adding service to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in early 2026, marking its first new destination addition since 2021. St. Thomas will become Southwest's ninth island destination in the Atlantic Basin.

The expansion is part of Southwest's broader transformation strategy, which includes the introduction of assigned and premium seating in Q3 2025, and plans to operate with new fare bundles and reconfigured fleet featuring extra legroom seating in Q1 2026. The airline plans to announce two more new destinations for 2026 this summer.