SkyWest, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2018 Profit

SkyWest, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2018 Profit

PR Newswire

ST. GEORGE, Utah, April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

First Quarter Highlights:

  • Net income of $54 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, up 56% from $35 million or $0.65 per diluted share in Q1 2017
  • Pre-tax income of $67 million, up 28% from $52 million in Q1 2017
  • Revenue of $783 million, up 5% from $747 million in Q1 2017 on improving fleet mix

SkyWest, Inc. SKYW ("SkyWest") today reported financial and operating results for Q1 2018, including net income of $54 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, compared to net income of $35 million, or $0.65 per diluted share for Q1 2017.

The improvement in Q1 2018 pre-tax income from Q1 2017 was primarily due to SkyWest's ongoing fleet transition. Since Q1 2017 19 new E175 aircraft have been added and 46 CRJ and ERJ 50-seat aircraft and 25 CRJ700/CRJ900 aircraft have been removed. 

Commenting on the results, Chip Childs, Chief Executive Officer and President of SkyWest, said "Demand for our product remains strong, and I'm proud of our professionals who continue to provide best-in-class operations to our customers.  Our financial results reflect continued solid operating performance combined with the ongoing improvements in our fleet mix.  We remain disciplined in our approach to risk and flying commitments and focused on executing a strategy to improve our overall model."   

Q1 2018 Financial Highlights

Revenue was $783 million in Q1 2018, up from $747 million in Q1 2017. The increase in revenue included the net impact of adding new E175 aircraft and improvement in the economics of SkyWest's fleet mix since Q1 2017, partially offset by the removal of unprofitable or less profitable aircraft over the same period. 

Operating expenses were $695 million in Q1 2018, up from $671 million in Q1 2017.  The increase in operating expenses included additional labor, engine maintenance and fuel costs.

The effective tax rate for Q1 2018 was 19% compared to 34% in Q1 2017.  The lower tax rate in Q1 2018 was primarily due to the reduced federal rate under the new tax law enacted in Q4 2017 and additional discrete tax benefits from stock compensation in Q1 2018.

Q1 2018 Operational Update

SkyWest Airlines, Inc. ("SkyWest Airlines") took delivery of five new E175/E175 SC aircraft during Q1 2018.  The following summarizes the anticipated delivery dates for seven E175 aircraft to be placed under contract with Alaska Airlines ("Alaska") (three E175 aircraft previously scheduled for delivery in Q4 2018 have been deferred until 2021 at Alaska's request) and 27 E175 SC aircraft to be placed under contract with Delta Air Lines ("Delta") in 2018:



Scheduled E175/E175 SC

Aircraft Deliveries





In-service

Mar 31, 2018

Q2 2018

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

In-Service

end of 2018

Total E175/E175 SCs:

112

16

13

5

146

ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. ("ExpressJet") continued the previously-announced 2018 wind down of its flying agreement with Delta during the quarter. At the end of Q1 2018, ExpressJet had six CRJ900s and 31 CRJ700s remaining in service under the Delta agreement.  ExpressJet anticipates returning seven leased aircraft to Delta in Q2 2018 (six CRJ900s and one CRJ700). 

ExpressJet continues to engage in discussions around the CRJ700s scheduled to come out of service with Delta later this year and remains pleased with the level of demand for the CRJ700 product. 

Operating Performance:

Flight completion rates at SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet for Q1 2018 and Q1 2017 are summarized as follows:





SkyWest Airlines



ExpressJet





Q1 2018

Q1 2017



Q1 2018

Q1 2017

Adjusted Completion *



99.8%

99.9%



99.9%

99.6%

Raw Completion



97.8%

97.4%



96.1%

96.9%



* Adjusted Completion excludes weather cancellations. Raw Completion includes weather cancellations.

Q1 2018 Capital and Liquidity

SkyWest had $646 million in cash and marketable securities at March 31, 2018, down $39 million from December 31, 2017. During the first quarter of 2018, SkyWest:

  • Used $18 million toward the purchase of five E175 aircraft
  • Used $20 million for an early lease buyout on nine aircraft
  • Used $30 million for other capital investments, including spare engines and aircraft parts
  • Used $10 million to repurchase stock under its $100 million share repurchase program, of which $70 million remains authorized

Total debt for the quarter was $2.8 billion, up $89 million from December 31, 2017, including debt issued for acquired aircraft, partially offset by scheduled principal payments.

About SkyWest

Based in St. George, Utah, SkyWest, Inc. is the holding company for two scheduled passenger airline operations and an aircraft leasing company with more than 17,000 employees. SkyWest's airline companies provide commercial air service in cities throughout North America with nearly 3,000 daily flights carrying more than 50 million passengers annually. SkyWest Airlines operates through partnerships with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

SkyWest will host its conference call to discuss first quarter 2018 results today, April 26, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time. The conference call number is 1-877-418-5293 for domestic callers, 1-866-605-3852 for Canada callers and 1-412-717-9593 for other international callers. Please call up to ten minutes in advance to ensure you are connected prior to the start of the call. The conference call will also be available live on the Internet at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1088/25278. This press release and additional information regarding SkyWest, including access information for the digital rebroadcast of the first quarter 2018 earnings call, participation at investor conferences, investor presentations and monthly traffic statistic releases, can be accessed at inc.skywest.com.

Forward Looking-Statements

In addition to historical information, this release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "forecasts", "expects," "intends," "believes," "anticipates," "estimates", "should," "likely" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the continued demand for our product, the wind-down of ExpressJet's flying agreement with Delta, and the related removal from service and/or placement into service of certain aircraft, the scheduled aircraft deliveries for SkyWest Airlines for 2018, as well as SkyWest's future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations, estimates, intentions and outlook, and other statements that are not historical facts. All forward-looking statements included in this release are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to SkyWest as of such date. SkyWest assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Readers should note that many factors could affect the future operating and financial results of SkyWest, SkyWest Airlines or ExpressJet, and could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements set forth in this release. These factors include, but are not limited to, the prospects of entering into agreements with existing or other carriers to fly new aircraft, ongoing negotiations between SkyWest, SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet and their major partners regarding their contractual obligations, uncertainties regarding operation of new aircraft, the ability to attract and retain qualified pilots, the impact of regulatory issues such as pilot rest rules and qualification requirements, and the ability to obtain aircraft financing.

Actual operational and financial results of SkyWest, SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet will likely also vary, and may vary materially, from those anticipated, estimated, projected or expected for a number of other reasons, including, in addition to those identified above: the challenges and costs of integrating operations and realizing anticipated synergies and other benefits from the acquisition of ExpressJet; the challenges of competing successfully in a highly competitive and rapidly changing industry; developments associated with fluctuations in the economy and the demand for air travel; the financial stability of SkyWest's major partners and any potential impact of their financial condition on the operations of SkyWest, SkyWest Airlines, or ExpressJet; fluctuations in flight schedules, which are determined by the major partners for whom SkyWest's operating airlines conduct flight operations; variations in market and economic conditions; significant aircraft lease and debt commitments; residual aircraft values and related impairment charges; labor relations and costs; the impact of global instability; rapidly fluctuating fuel costs, and potential fuel shortages; the impact of weather-related or other natural disasters on air travel and airline costs; aircraft deliveries; the ability to attract and retain qualified pilots and other unanticipated factors. Risk factors, cautionary statements and other conditions which could cause SkyWest's actual results to differ materially from management's current expectations are contained in SkyWest's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

SkyWest, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(Dollars and Shares in Thousands, Except per Share Amounts)

(Unaudited)







Three Months Ended

March 31



2018



2017

OPERATING REVENUES









   Flying agreements

$  767,964



$  734,529

   Airport customer service and other

15,436



12,637

     Total operating revenues

783,400



747,166











OPERATING EXPENSES









   Salaries, wages and benefits

306,719



297,667

   Aircraft maintenance, materials and repairs             

141,606



132,325

   Depreciation and amortization

77,585



70,114

   Aircraft rentals

44,680



57,709

   Airport-related expenses

29,307



31,948

   Aircraft fuel

26,939



18,433

   Other operating expenses

68,389



62,675

     Total operating expenses

695,225



670,871

OPERATING INCOME

88,175



76,295











OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)









   Interest income

1,705



660

   Interest expense

(26,234)



(24,549)

   Other income, net

3,558



-

   Total other expense, net

(20,971)



(23,889)











INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES

67,204



52,406

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

12,842



17,620

NET INCOME

$   54,362



$   34,786











BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE

$      1.05



$     0.67

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

$      1.03



$     0.65











Weighted average common shares









   Basic

51,921



51,820

   Diluted

53,033



53,202





















 

SkyWest, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Summary of Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in Thousands)

(Unaudited)











March 31,

2018



December 31,

2017

Cash and marketable securities

$          645,527



$         685,295

Other current assets

307,096



309,838

Total current assets

$          952,623



$         995,133

Property and equipment, net

4,326,204



4,134,003

Deposit on aircraft

49,000



49,000

Other long-term assets

272,360



296,264

Total assets

$       5,600,187



$       5,474,400









Current portion, long-term debt

$          335,429



$         309,678

Other current liabilities

502,389



511,147

Total current liabilities

$          837,818



$         820,825









Long-term debt, net of current maturities

2,440,771



2,377,346

Other long-term liabilities

534,461



521,907

Stockholders' equity

1,787,137



1,754,322

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$      5,600,187



$      5,474,400

 

Unaudited Operating Highlights















Three Months Ended

March 31,









2018

2017

 Change









Block hours

436,367

452,683

(3.6) %









Departures

248,127

263,862

(6.0) %

























Passengers carried

11,320,230

12,020,377

(5.8) %









Passenger load factor

77.4%

78.6%

 (1.2) pts

























Average passenger trip length

525

520

1.0 %



































































 

SkyWest, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Additional Operational Information (unaudited)



SkyWest's total fleet in service decreased by 15 aircraft during Q1 2018, as follows:



Aircraft in scheduled service at December 31, 2017:





595



Additions:









New E175/E175 SC aircraft:





5



          Removals, net:



CRJ900 aircraft:

(10)







CRJ700 aircraft:

(2)







ERJ145 aircraft

(12)







             Total net removals:





(24)



Redeployed in-transit CRJ200 aircraft:





4



Aircraft in scheduled service at March 31, 2018:





580















 

SkyWest's total fleet in service decreased by 52 aircraft over the last twelve months, as follows:



Aircraft in scheduled service at March 31, 2017:





632



Additions:









New E175/E175 SC aircraft:





19



               Removals, net:



ERJ145/135 aircraft:

(37)







CRJ200 aircraft:

(9)







CRJ900 aircraft;

(22)







CRJ700 aircraft:

(3)







Total net removals:





(71)



Aircraft in scheduled service at March 31, 2018:





580















 

SkyWest, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Additional Operational Information (continued and unaudited)



Completed Block Hours by Aircraft Type and by Airline













Three months ended March 31







By Aircraft Type:

2018



2017



Variance

%















E175s

99,592



79,927



24.6















CRJ700/900s

128,815



136,861



(5.9)















Dual-class aircraft

228,407



216,788



5.4









































CRJ200s

135,009



133,275



1.3















ERJ145/135s

72,951



102,620



(28.9)















50-seat aircraft

207,960



235,895



(11.8)















Total Block Hours

436,367



452,683



(3.6)





































































Three months ended March 31







By Airline:

2018



2017



Variance

%















SkyWest Airlines

328,944



277,835



18.4















ExpressJet

107,423



174,848



(38.6)















Total Block Hours

436,367



452,683



(3.6)









































 

Quarterly Fleet and Block Hour Production Forecast for 2018







































As of

12/31/2017



As of

3/31/2018



As of

6/30/2018



As of

9/30/2018



As of

12/31/2018









Fleet (1):

(Actual)



(Actual)



(Estimate)



(Estimate)



(Estimate)









E175/175SCs

107



112



128



141



146









CRJ700/900s

181



169



158



149



140









CRJ200s

195



199



192



180



171









ERJ145s/135s

112



100



100



100



100









Totals

595



580



578



570



557











































Q4-2017



Q1-2018



Q2-2018



Q3-2018



Q4-2018



Total 2018



Production (2):



(Actual)



(Actual)



(Estimate)



(Estimate)



(Estimate)



(Estimate)



Block Hours



450,095



436,367



439,000



451,000



434,000



1,760,000

































































(1) Fleet count excludes aircraft removed from scheduled service. Actual fleet counts may vary from the forecast due to timing of aircraft removed from service, timing of aircraft transitioned into service and timing of new aircraft deliveries.



(2) Actual production may vary from estimates for various reasons including, but not limited to, timing of aircraft removals and deliveries and anticipated flight completion rates. SkyWest has discontinued providing ASM forecasts, as ASMs are not a meaningful metric in SkyWest's capacity purchase agreements.

 

SkyWest, Inc. Logo

 

Cision View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/skywest-inc-announces-first-quarter-2018-profit-300637652.html

SOURCE SkyWest, Inc.

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