Jim Cramer Notes “Southwest Took a Big Risk With Some New Policies”

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer shed light on recently. Cramer highlighted the CEO and Elliott Management’s role in the company, as he said:

Let’s start with the good, and then I’ll get the bad. Maybe even some ugly, too… Back on Wednesday night, Southwest Air, symbol LUV, reported a stunning quarter that sent its stock up nearly 19% yesterday, even after the weekend where bad weather caused countless flights to be canceled. Southwest has actually been doing very well under the leadership of CEO Bob Jordan, who took over four years ago, especially since the very smart activist investors at Elliott Management took a big stake in the airline back in 2024. Jordan wisely agreed to cooperate. He saw the light.

Now, last year, Southwest took a big risk with some new policies. They made the airline a lot less customer-friendly, at least for those of us who remember the old way. And it’s a lot more like the rest of the industry, no more free bags, assigned seats… fees for additional legroom, and guess what? It’s working. When Southwest reported two days ago, the headline numbers were just okay, but they gave a very bullish full-year forecast. Management says their earnings per share came more than quadruple this year, and that’s why the stock took off.

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Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) provides passenger air travel with a focus on convenience, loyalty rewards, and digital tools for booking.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.