Southwest Airlines Opens New Crew Base in Austin, Creating 2,000 Jobs
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Source: Newsfilter
Updated: 9 hour ago0mins
- New Crew Base Opening: Southwest Airlines plans to open a new crew base in Austin in March 2026, creating over 2,000 new jobs, which will further solidify its market position in Texas.
- Employee Composition: The new base will start with approximately 335 pilots and 650 flight attendants, aiming to reach a total of 2,000 employees by mid-2027, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and service capabilities.
- Route Expansion: Starting next March, Southwest will add nonstop flights to several popular leisure destinations, bringing the total nonstop destinations from Austin to 53, which is expected to attract more travelers and increase market share.
- Community Partnership: Southwest will collaborate with the City of Austin and local agencies to expand youth internship programs, demonstrating its commitment to community development while providing training and career development opportunities for new employees.
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Analyst Views on LUV
Wall Street analysts forecast LUV stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LUV is 34.00 USD with a low forecast of 28.00 USD and a high forecast of 42.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
7 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 40.740
Low
28.00
Averages
34.00
High
42.00
Current: 40.740
Low
28.00
Averages
34.00
High
42.00
UBS
Atul Maheswari
Neutral
initiated
$33 -> $43
2025-12-12
New
Reason
UBS
Atul Maheswari
Price Target
$33 -> $43
2025-12-12
New
initiated
Neutral
Reason
UBS analyst Atul Maheswari assumed coverage of Southwest with a Neutral rating with a price target of $43, up from $33. While Southwest is making several changes to position the airline based on evolving customer preferences such as adding extra leg room seat and segmenting the cabin, among others, which, coupled with initiatives such as bag fees, could drive improved financials, there is a risk of negative customer reaction to Southwest's changes as well as execution risks associated with making several significant changes simultaneously, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The company will need to showcase potential for upside for the stock to move meaningfully higher from here, UBS argues.
Morgan Stanley
NULL
to
Overweight
upgrade
$38 -> $48
2025-12-08
New
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Price Target
$38 -> $48
2025-12-08
New
upgrade
NULL
to
Overweight
Reason
Morgan Stanley raised the firm's price target on Southwest to $48 from $38 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm maintains an "Attractive" industry view of U.S. airlines into 2026, contending that if the group can finally get a clean, "boring" year to demonstrate their true normalized earnings power, it "could be a transformative year for the stocks."
BMO Capital
Michael Goldie
Market Perform
initiated
$43
2025-12-08
New
Reason
BMO Capital
Michael Goldie
Price Target
$43
2025-12-08
New
initiated
Market Perform
Reason
BMO Capital analyst Michael Goldie initiated coverage of Southwest with a Market Perform rating and $43 price target while launching coverage of the U.S. airline sector. Conditions are improving after a challenging 2024-2025, with normalizing supply/demand and recovering corporate travel, says the analyst, who sees a longer-term opportunity for carriers who can deliver sustained margin expansion.
Citi
Neutral
initiated
$38
2025-12-04
Reason
Citi
Price Target
$38
2025-12-04
initiated
Neutral
Reason
Citi initiated coverage of Southwest with a Neutral rating and $38 price target. The firm believes the setup is positive for the airlines with an "elongated mid-cycle" beginning in 2026. Citi sees the largest beneficiaries as being the "supermajors." The large airlines offer the most favorable risk/reward, the analyst tells investors in a research note. On the other side, Citi believes the legacy low-cost carriers will be underperformers through the cycle.
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About LUV
Southwest Airlines Co. (Southwest) operates Southwest Airlines, a passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation in the United States and near-international markets. The Company's fare products include four categories: Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, and Business Select to provide customers options when choosing a fare. It also offers ancillary services, such as EarlyBird Check-In, Upgraded Boarding, and transportation of pets and unaccompanied minors, in accordance with Southwest’s respective policies. Its Rapid Rewards loyalty program enables program members to earn points for every dollar spent on Southwest base fares, also including purchases paid with LUV Vouchers, gift cards, or flight credit, with no portion of the purchase price paid with Rapid Rewards points. It operates over 803 Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet and serves 117 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and ten near-international countries.
About the author
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Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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