Southwest Airlines Co. said Wednesday that passengers flew more, flights were more crowded, and a key revenue figure increased in February compared with a year earlier.
Southwest said traffic rose 6 percent as passengers flew 7.57 billion miles last month. The increase outstripped a 3.6 percent increase in capacity, which is measured in seats times miles flown.
Southwest has been adding larger versions of the Boeing 737 and flying longer average flights, both of which increase capacity.
With traffic rising faster than capacity, the average flight was 79.9 percent full compared with 78.1 percent in February 2014.
A closely watched number, revenue for every seat flown one mile, rose about 1 percent over February 2014, the company said. That figure rises when planes fly with more passengers or average fares increase.
Shares of Dallas-based Southwest rose $1.01, or 2.4 percent, to $43.95 in morning trading. They began Wednesday's session up 1 percent in 2015.
