WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) reported Tuesday decreases in traffic, load factor, and capacity for the month of January. The results included those of AirTran Airways, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest in May 2011 following a $1 billion acquisition.
The combined traffic results are for Southwest Airlines and AirTran for periods prior to the acquisition date.
Dallas, Texas-based airline said combined traffic, measured in revenue passenger miles or RPMs, decreased 2.7 percent to 7.38 billion from 7.59 billion in the same month last year. Combined capacity, measured in available seat miles or ASMs, edged down 0.7 percent to 9.94 billion from last year's 10.01 billion.
Combined load factor for the month was down 1.5 percentage points to 74.3 percent from the year-ago month's 75.8 percent.
Enplaned passengers for the month declined 2.4 percent to 9.77 million from 10.01 million in the comparable period last year. Revenue passengers carried totaled 7.99 million, down 2.6 percent from 8.21 million in the year-ago month. Total trips flown in January decreased 1.0 percent to 109,994 from 111,141 in the prior-year month.
For January 2012, passenger revenue per ASM or PRASM is estimated to have increased about seven percent compared to January 2011.
Meanwhile, Southwest reported in mid-January a profit for the fourth quarter that grew 16 percent from last year, reflecting fuel hedge gains as well as strong revenue, traffic and capacity growth, partially offset by a sharp 59 percent increase in fuel and expenses. Operating revenues grew 31.9 percent to $4.11 billion from $3.11 billion in the prior-year quarter.
AirTran was ranked the number one low cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past three years. It is also the only major airline with Gogo Inflight Internet on every flight and offers coast-to-coast service on North America's newest all-Boeing fleet.
LUV closed Monday's regular trading session at $9.75, down $0.21 on a volume of 4.35 million shares, lower than the three-month average volume of 6.81 million shares. In the past 52-week period, the stock has been trading in a range of $7.15 to $12.88.
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