Yesterday, Southwest Airlines’ (LUV) board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.16 per share for the fourth quarter of 2018, which is 28% higher than the corresponding quarter of last year. The recently announced quarterly dividend will be payable on January 2, 2019, to shareholders of record as of December 5, 2018. Most airline operators have used this opportunity to strengthen their balance sheets and enhance shareholders’ returns through share repurchases and dividend payments.