Southwest Airlines cuts outlook for key revenue measure

[March 10, 2017]  (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co cut its forecast for a key revenue measure on Friday, citing "unexpected softness" in demand for last-minute flight bookings in the second half of February.

Southwest Airlines planes are seen in front of the Las Vegas strip, Nevada, United States in this April 23, 2015, file photo. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Files

The No. 4 airline by passenger traffic said it expects first-quarter operating unit revenue to fall in the 2-3 percent range, compared with its previous forecast of flat to down 1 percent.

Unit revenue compares sales to the number of seats an airline flies and how far it flies them.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.