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Side-by-side financial comparison of American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) and Southwest Airlines (LUV). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
American Airlines Group Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($14.0B vs $7.2B, roughly 1.9× Southwest Airlines). Southwest Airlines runs the higher net margin — 3.1% vs 0.7%, a 2.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Southwest Airlines posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (12.8% vs 2.5%). Over the past eight quarters, American Airlines Group Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (5.5% CAGR vs -0.7%).
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the largest airline in the world in terms of passengers carried and daily flights. American, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name American Eagle, operate an extensive international and domestic network with almost 6,800 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in 48 countries. The airline is also a f...
Southwest Airlines is a major low-cost airline of the United States. It is headquartered in the Love Field neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It is the fourth-largest airline in North America when measured by passengers carried, as of 2024. With its all-Boeing 737 fleet, Southwest serves over 100 destinations in 42 states, Washington, D.C.
AAL vs LUV — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $14.0B | $7.2B |
| Net Profit | $99.0M | $227.0M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 3.2% | — |
| Net Margin | 0.7% | 3.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 2.5% | 12.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | -83.2% | 252.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.15 | $0.45 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $7.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $14.0B | $7.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $13.7B | $6.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.4B | $7.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $12.6B | $6.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.7B | $6.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.6B | $6.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.3B | $7.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | $227.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $99.0M | $323.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-114.0M | $54.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $599.0M | $213.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-473.0M | $-149.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $590.0M | $262.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-149.0M | $67.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $717.0M | $367.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.2% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.1% | 0.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.9% | 3.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.2% | -3.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.3% | 4.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.7% | 0.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 9.7% | 5.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.1% | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.7% | 4.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | -0.8% | 0.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.2% | 2.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.8% | -2.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 4.3% | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | -1.1% | 1.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.45 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.15 | $0.56 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.17 | $0.10 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.91 | $0.39 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.72 | $-0.26 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.94 | $0.46 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.23 | $0.11 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.01 | $0.58 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $3.3B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $25.3B | $5.4B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-3.7B | $6.9B |
| Total Assets | $61.8B | $20.4B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.78× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $3.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $3.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $3.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $3.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $8.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $8.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $9.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $10.0B |
| Q1 26 | — | $5.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $25.3B | $4.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $25.1B | $4.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $25.3B | $4.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $24.7B | $4.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $25.2B | $5.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $26.3B | $5.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $27.6B | $5.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | $6.9B | ||
| Q4 25 | $-3.7B | $8.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $-4.0B | $7.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $-3.9B | $8.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $-4.5B | $9.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $-4.0B | $10.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-4.9B | $10.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $-4.7B | $10.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $20.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $61.8B | $29.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $62.1B | $28.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $63.7B | $28.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $62.6B | $33.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $61.8B | $33.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $63.5B | $34.8B | ||
| Q2 24 | $64.1B | $35.6B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.78× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.57× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.52× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.51× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.44× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.49× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.49× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.48× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $-274.0M | $1.4B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-1.9B | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -13.6% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 11.6% | 8.7% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | -2.77× | 6.25× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-680.0M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $1.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | $-274.0M | $294.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-46.0M | $287.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $963.0M | $401.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.5B | $860.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $398.0M | $476.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $277.0M | $113.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $-23.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $-1.9B | $-565.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-872.0M | $-391.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $464.0M | $-234.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.6B | $359.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-342.0M | $16.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-191.0M | $-404.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $477.0M | $-517.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | -13.6% | -7.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | -6.4% | -5.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.2% | -3.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 13.0% | 5.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -2.5% | 0.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | -1.4% | -5.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.3% | -7.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 8.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 11.6% | 11.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.0% | 9.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.5% | 8.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.6% | 7.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.4% | 6.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.4% | 7.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.5% | 6.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | 6.25× | ||
| Q4 25 | -2.77× | 0.91× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 5.31× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.61× | 1.88× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.67× | 1.82× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.69× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.57× | -0.06× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
AAL
| Passenger Travel | $11.6B | 83% |
| Loyalty Program Travel Redemptions | $1.1B | 8% |
| Loyalty Program Marketing Services | $945.0M | 7% |
| Cargo And Freight | $227.0M | 2% |
| Other Revenue | $169.0M | 1% |
LUV
| Passenger | $6.6B | 91% |
| Other | $614.0M | 8% |
| Freight | $44.0M | 1% |
