This is the first of series of future posts about our new Southwest One Report ™--a single report on our triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet adhering to Global Reporting Initiative standards.
Once again Southwest Airlines has blazed a new trail! Never before have we published an integrated report that showcases our financial and nonfinancial performance, and the integral relationships between both key aspects of our Company. Even though we’ve always provided an annual financial report to Shareholders and in recent years, have addressed Stakeholders' growing desire to understand the Company’s Corporate Sustainability efforts with our Southwest Cares Report, we’ve now brought all of these communication efforts together into one comprehensive document: The 2009 Southwest One Report.
Reporting on our annual financial Performance, and in particular, a 37-year consecutive annual profitability record unmatched by any major U.S. airline has always provided a source of great pride for me in my conversations with our Investors. Economic turmoil and volatile fuel prices throughout 2009 posed a real threat to that coveted record (not to mention my personal pride!). Perseverance was vital and we, as a Company, delivered! Our aggressive response to the rapidly changing environment with a number of revenue and cost initiatives, the focus and ability to preserve our financial strength, and the dedication to uphold our high-quality Customer Service all sealed the deal to report another annual profit. And yet, Readying ourselves for another challenging year was essential. To learn more about our financial Performance and why we believe we are well-prepared for what’s ahead, read the 2009 Southwest One Report, available online at southwest.com/cares, or southwest.com/investor_relations.
In case you hadn't noticed, the bold capital letters above spell "One Report."
