Continental Airlines to end a difficult 2009, with a small profit in the fourth quarter, while Southwest Airlines earned enough for their 37th consecutive profitable to the report Thursday.
But not always a definitive answer to the question posed Wednesday by a third company in Texas, America is a business trip – a major source of income – from bouncing?
The leaders of Continental (CAL) and Southwest (LUV) has said clearly that they are based on a recovery is underway. The Americans, who are stuck for another difficult year in 2010.
Southwest plans to grow almost anywhere. The majority of growth will at least boost Continental Service for Mexico and other countries which last year stood in the midst of worries about the H1N1 virus.
Continental, based in Houston, said Thursday it earned $ 85 million in the fourth quarter, or 60 cents per share. Excluding the accounting of the time, gained 4 million, or 3 cents per share. Analysts expected a loss of 7 cents. For the full year, it lost 282 million U.S. dollars.
Headquartered in Dallas, Southwest has a series of games without a previous live with an annual revenue turnover of $ 116 million, or 16 cents per share in the fourth quarter. That gave him a profit of $ 99 million for the year 2009. Excluding items, profit for the fourth quarter was $ 74 million or 10 cents per share. Analysts had expected 7 cents.
On Wednesday, Fort Worth is American reported a loss of 344 million U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter. Other airlines that report next week.
Continental CEO Jeff Smisek entered into a thin line between caution and optimism that business travelers who pay more for first class and business fares are flying again. He said that his company has seen a slight improvement in the fourth quarter. However, a subsequent drop in holiday travel this month, it is difficult to see if the trend continues. Although it is said that the trend is weak.
“We are far from out of the woods,” Smisek said. “We are witnessing the return of the traffic business slowly, but we focus on the word slowly.”
Southwest, Gary Kelly, CEO, was more cautious about Outlook 2010 Business Travel, even if useful.
Southwest filled 77.3% of its seats in the fourth quarter, an increase of 9.5 percentage points over the fourth quarter of 2008. We obtained a percentage point of market share in the United States. Southwest now has about 17% of the national air traffic.
The company has no plans to increase its fleet in 2010, in response, because, says Kelly, Business Travel is still too weak to commit financial resources.
“We have more clients and customers are recreational,” he said.
An image of low-southwestern Tariff backed by an aggressive advertising campaign touting not charge customers to check their luggage, has contributed to the change in market share, “he said.
“When business is harvested, I think we’ll see a big boost to our revenue again,” Kelly said.
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