2026 will be the year of truth – Can Southwest Airlines go premium without losing its soul? UBS says yes and upgrades with over 40% upside potential.

The stock of Southwest Airlines (LUV) has recently staged a solid rally. It is a leading low-cost carrier in the USA. Through its unique "Point-to-Point" network (direct flights instead of hub-and-spoke like Delta or United), LUV connects secondary cities and metropolises more efficiently than the competition. Strategically, the company is undergoing a massive transformation ("Southwest 2.0"): from a pure single-class model to a hybrid model with assigned seating, premium seats ("Extra Legroom"), and overnight flights (Red-Eyes), in order to capture...