Southwest Airlines Ships 12.6M Gallons of Jet Fuel From Texas to California for First Time

According to Southwest Airlines CFO Tom Doxey, the Dallas-based carrier shipped 12.6 million gallons of jet fuel from Houston to Los Angeles on May 28, marking the airline's first such cargo shipment. The vessel traveled through the Panama Canal to address supply concerns on the West Coast, where prices are significantly higher and availability had become constrained.

Jet fuel prices have remained volatile since February's U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, with the West Coast more reliant on imports than other regions. Southwest reported fuel expenses rose nearly $900 million in the second quarter compared to the prior year, as the airline consumed 564 million gallons of jet fuel that quarter.