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Accounting Framework The company still has hedged oil futures at a rate of 80%, which is one of the riskiest levels in commercial aviation, yet guarantees them exceptionally low-priced fuel if the price rises again. This is the gamble Southwest continually makes and the majority of the time, wins. Given the volatility in oil pricing and reduction in passenger traffic, Southwest still broke at a profit for the year as well. The years of hedging paid off in mitigating what could have been a very challenging year for them otherwise.
The reclassification of this expense from an aggregated category to a specific one, Fuel and oil expense, reflects a shift in how hedging will be done in the future within Southwest. Hedging was treated as a pre-emptive financial strategy within the air carrier, often managed completely off the Income Statement and included in accrued or long-term liabilities (Carter, Rogers, Simkins, 54). Given the market-to-market impact of fuel contracts being negative ($73M in 2009 per the annual report) and the ineffectiveness of fuel hedges settling in future periods of -$97M the net effect on the company's profitability will be a -$54M reduction in asset valuation. This is compared to a $92M valuation in 2008. This significant shift in the valuation of hedging contracts led to the redefinition of the expense category as well.
Lessons Learned
References
David A Carter, Daniel A Rogers, and Betty J. Simkins. "Does Hedging Affect Firm Value? Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry. " Financial Management 35.1 (2006): 53-86.
Duncan Wood. "Cheaper Oil Isn't the Only Payback. " Treasury and Risk Management 16.1 (2005): 42.
Managing its fleet. This pertains to the optimization of an Airline's major assets, which is its airplanes, which is measure by its load factor, which is that percentage of an airplane's sets that are sold and actually filled at departure. The Company's load factor continues to increase from 69.5% in 2004, to 70.7% in 2005 to 73.1% in 2006. The Company is able to maximize its fleet by reducing its
Southwest Airlines originally began operation in 1967, but as Air Southwest Co. In 1971 its name was changed to Southwest Air Co. The purpose behind its foundation was to provide passengers with a cheap means of air travel within Texas. Today they have a fleet of 550 Boeing 737s and 37000 employees. Although it's a relatively small, domestic airline, taking passengers to 73 American cities, but it provides remarkable customer
Southwest Airlines Case Analysis Southwest Airlines is a company that has grown from a small regional carrier in Texas and surrounding states to the largest U.S.-based airline. The primary strategy of the company is to be the low-cost, no frills option for people wanting to travel within the United States. Recently, Southwest acquired another carrier so they will soon begin international flights to the Caribbean and Mexico. This paper discusses the
Southwest Airlines The airline industry has been one that has consistently lost money during the last decade. Even before that, if an airline did not have a good business strategy, they were most likely doomed to failure. Many people do not remember Braniff, TWA or Pan American, but for a long time they were among the largest air carriers in the world. He present model, for airlines as well as other
Southwest Airlines Analysis Established in 1971 by Herbert D. Kelleher and several business partners, Southwest Airlines has secured a strong position in the airlines industry over the last 35 years. Southwest and its wholly owned subsidiary, Air Tran, serve a combined 103 destinations in 41 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and six near-international countries (Johnson, 2011). Both entities combined offer over 4000 daily flights. The
And many have got successful too in earning the market share. The emerging competition by new companies is a growing threat for the company and it should be tackled properly to avoid any future disturbances. In order to further describe the competition Southwest Airlines is facing a Competitive Profile Matrix is designed. The following Competitive Profile Matrix tells about the tough competitors which are in a good position to have