Southwest's profits are down 42% this year but it's the top U.S. airline stock

Southwest Airlines' profits fell 42% in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 2024. But its stock has been on a tear.Southwest shares are up nearly 24% so far in 2025, more than any other U.S. passenger carrier. Industry profit leaders Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are each up about 17% each this year.Southwest stock this week hit a two-and-a-half year high. Analysts and investors have high hopes for the carrier next year, when it completes its planned transformation from ...