Southwest Airlines Co on Thursday forecast a “solid” profit for the current quarter and full-year, but said staffing woes were making it harder to keep pace with booming travel demand.
The company said a sharp recovery in travel bookings in March helped lift its monthly revenue above 2019 levels for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and turn a profit.
In April, too, leisure bookings for spring and summer travel remained “strong,” it said. The Texas-based carrier now expects an 8%-12% increase in revenue in the quarter through June compared with the corresponding period in 2019.
Southwest’s shares were up about 2.1 percent at $46.90 in afternoon trade.
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