Southwest Load Factors Up Almost 10%

[Airmech737]

Southwest Airlines Reports April Traffic
Monday May 3, 6:00 pm ET 


DALLAS, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV - News) announced today that the Company flew 4.7 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in April 2004, a 19.2 percent increase from the 3.9 billion RPMs flown in April 2003. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 4.1 percent to 6.1 billion from the April 2003 level of 5.9 billion. The load factor for the month was 76.2 percent, compared to 66.6 percent for the same period last year.
For the four months ended April 30, 2004, Southwest flew 16.5 billion RPMs, compared to the 14.8 billion RPMs recorded for the same period of 2003, an increase of 11.1 percent. Available seat miles increased 5.3 percent to 24.5 billion from the 2003 level of 23.3 billion. The year-to-date load factor was 67.2 percent, compared to 63.6 percent for the same period last year.

This release, as well as past news releases on Southwest, are available online at www.southwest.com . 

                              SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
                    PRELIMINARY COMPARATIVE TRAFFIC STATISTICS

                                                            APRIL
                                                2004        2003     CHANGE

    Revenue passengers carried               6,210,438   5,387,526   15.3%

    Enplaned passengers                      7,115,574   6,133,270   16.0%

    Revenue passenger miles (000)            4,688,575   3,934,587   19.2%

    Available seat miles (000)               6,149,540   5,907,597    4.1%

    Load factor                                  76.2%       66.6%    9.6 pts.

    Average length of haul                         755         730    3.4%

    Trips flown                                 79,871      78,667    1.5%


                                                      YEAR-TO-DATE

                                               2004        2003     CHANGE

    Revenue passengers carried              22,205,499  20,465,063    8.5%

    Enplaned passengers                     25,305,978  23,302,842    8.6%

    Revenue passenger miles (000)           16,480,998  14,830,288   11.1%

    Available seat miles (000)              24,531,133  23,306,729    5.3%

    Load factor                                  67.2%       63.6%    3.6 pts.

    Average length of haul                         742         725    2.3%

    Trips flown                                318,340     311,754    2.1%

 

[Bob Owens]

Any word on putting Maint in Islip?