Southwest Airlines cannot continue in current state for next 12 months: CEO

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said it would be "just impossible" for the carrier to continue operating "if the loads continue where they are today for 12 months" (The Dallas Morning News/Bloomberg, 30-Mar-2020). "There's no way we can do that", he argued, adding that even if the airline were to survive then "we'd be in such bad shape at the end of that, that we would really be hobbled for the future". However, were the current loads to continue for only the next six months, he said the carrier would be "kind of bruised a little bit, but I don't think we'll be flat on our backs where we can't get up". He likewise commented that while the carrier was not previously considering early retirements, this would now "be a very logical thing for us to think about". "We are in intensive care", he warned.