DALLAS (WBAP-/KLIF)- Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our first quarter 2019 net income was solid despite unexpected headwinds significantly impacting our performance. I am especially proud of our nearly 60,000 Employees for the commendable job under operationally difficult circumstances. Our People were tasked with minimizing disruptions for our Customers due to more than 10,000 flight cancellations arising from the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft (MAX), unscheduled maintenance disruptions in connection with efforts to reach a Tentative Agreement (TA) with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), and severe winter weather. We estimate the impact of these flight cancellations, combined with the impact of the U.S. government shutdown and softness in leisure revenue trends, reduced our first quarter 2019 net income by approximately $150 million. While our strong momentum coming into the year slowed, we drove record revenues, strong margins and cash flows, a healthy profit-sharing accrual for our Employees, and significant returns for our Shareholders. All notable first quarter achievements, and testaments to our resilient brand and low-cost business model.
BREAKDOWN:
- First quarter net income and earnings per diluted share of $387 million and $.70, respectively
- First quarter record operating revenues of $5.1 billion
- Operating margin of 9.8 percent, and net margin of 7.5 percent
- Operating cash flow of $1.1 billion, and free cash flow of $945 million
- Returned $678 million to Shareholders through share repurchases and dividends
- Return on invested capital (ROIC) pre-tax of 23.3 percent for the 12 months ended March 31, 2019, or 18.1 percent on an after-tax basis
“First quarter 2019 unit revenue growth of 2.7 percent was our best year-over-year performance in 18 consecutive quarters, and benefited from revenue management capabilities implemented in 2018, as well as another stellar performance from our award-winning Rapid Rewards loyalty program. Looking ahead, we are expecting an even stronger year-over-year unit revenue performance in second quarter 2019.
“Currently, the timeline is uncertain for the MAX aircraft return to service. In the meantime, we have proactively adjusted our published flight schedules for the next several months and removed all MAX flights through August 5th. Our goal is to stabilize and protect the integrity of our flight schedule, while providing dependability and reliability for Customers booking their summer travel. The MAX aircraft represents less than 5 percent of all daily flights, and the vast majority of our Customers’ itineraries have been unaffected by the MAX groundings. Following a rescission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order to ground the MAX, we will return the aircraft to service once we are confident that we are in compliance with all necessary FAA directives and all necessary Pilot training has been completed. Safety is our top priority, and that commitment will never be compromised.
“The flight cancellations in first quarter 2019, and the resulting lower available seat mile (ASM, or capacity) growth, year-over-year, created significant pressure on our first quarter unit costs. Flight cancellations are expected to drive unit cost.
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