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Southwest Airlines on Wednesday posted a surprise profit for the third quarter and said it expects to generate record sales in the last three months of the year thanks to better travel demand and higher fares.

The carrier said it expects unit revenue to rise between 1% and 3% for the fourth quarter, with capacity up 6% over the same period last year.

"This guidance range assumes demand strength remains at current levels through the end of the quarter," Southwest said.

Here's how Southwest performed in the period ended September 30 compared with Wall Street expectations, according to consensus estimates from LSEG:

Earnings per share: 11 cents adjusted vs. loss of 3 cents expected

Revenue: $6.95 bil

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