Top Airline Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Airline Stocks To Own Right Now: Southwest Airlines Co (LUV)

Southwest Airlines Co., incorporated on March 9, 1967, operates Southwest Airlines, a passenger airline, which provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was serving 72 cities in 37 states throughout the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company added addition services in two new states and three new cities: Charleston, South Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Newark, New Jersey. Southwest provides point-to-point. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AirTran).

AirTrans route system provides hub-and-spoke, rather than point-to-point, service, with approximately half of AirTrans flights originating or terminating at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. AirTran also serves a range of markets with non-stop service from bases of operation in Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Orlando, Florida. As of December 31, 2011, AirTran was serv ing 68 United States and near-international destinations, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, The Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda. As of January 31, 2012, AirTran served 65 destinations. During 2011, approximately 71% of Southwests customers flew non-stop, and Southwests average aircraft trip stage length was 664 miles with an average duration of approximately 1.8 hours.

As of December 31, 2011, Southwest offered 25 weekday roundtrips from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby, 13 weekday roundtrips from Phoenix to Las Vegas, 13 weekday roundtrips from Burbank to Oakland, and 12 weekday roundtrips from Los Angeles International to Oakland. Southwest offers connecting service opportunities from over 60 Southwest cities to different Volaris airports in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Mexico City (MEX), Mexico City-Toluca (TLC), Morelia, and Zacatecas. The Compa! ny s International Connect portal conducts two separate transac! tions: one with Southwests reservation system and one with Volariss reservation system.

Southwest bundles fares into three categories: Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are lowest fares. Business Select fares are refundable and changeable, and funds may be applied toward future travel on Southwest. Business Select fares also include additional perks, such as priority boarding, a frequent flyer point multiplier, priority security and ticket counter access in select airports, and one complimentary adult beverage coupon for the day of travel. The Companys Internet Website, southwest.com, is the avenue for Southwest Customers to purchase tickets online. During 2011, southwest.com accounted for approximately 78% of all Southwest bookings. During 2011, approximately 84% of Southwests Passenger revenues came through its Website, including revenues from SWABIZ, the Companys business travel reservation Web page.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Southwest (NYSE: LUV  ) is announcing this morning that it's teaming up with DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) to offer complimentary access to 14 live TV channels as well as 75 on-demand shows through the airline's more than 400 Wi-Fi-enabled planes.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) will release its quarterly report tomorrow, and investors expect the quirky airline to continue its tradition of strong financials. The question, though, is whether Southwest earnings will grow as quickly as some of its peers, which have been faster to climb onto money-making strategies like baggage fees and other ancillary charges to enhance their revenue.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Last week, researchers at Wichita State University and Purdue University released the results of the 2013 Airline Quality Rating survey. This study measured the perfor! mance of ! U.S. airlines on a variety of quality metrics in 2012, including the frequency of customer complaints. The results showed that -- for the most part -- airlines are earning their reputations. Oft-reviled network carriers United Airlines (NYSE: UAL  ) and American Airlines (NASDAQOTH: AAMRQ  ) saw higher rates of official complaints in 2012 than in 2011, placing them at the bottom of the industry. By contrast, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) improved on its already low complaint rate from 2011, further distancing itself from other airlines.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-airline-stocks-to-own-right-now.html