Southwest passengers get gaming perk on flight

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight got more than a small bottle of water when they boarded their plane.

They received a Nintendo Switch system and a download code for the digital version of the “Super Mario Maker 2” game to enjoy as Flight 2246 traveled from Dallas to San Diego on Wednesday. Many of the passengers were headed to Comic Con in the California city.

The gaming-themed flight highlighted Southwest’s partnership with Nintendo in the Let’s Play Getaway sweepstakes that awards a daily winner a Nintendo Switch system and a download code for the digital version.

The sweepstakes ends Aug. 31 with a grand prize winner and three guests receiving roundtrip air travel.

American Express boosts profit, but shares drop

American Express posted a 9% gain in second-quarter profit Friday, helped by more of its customers carrying a credit card balance and increased spending on its namesake cards.

The New York company said it earned a profit of $1.76 billion, or $2.07 a share. That’s up from earnings of $1.62 billion, or $1.84 a share, in the same period a year earlier. Analysts were looking for Amex to earn $2.03 a share, according to Factset.

Shares dropped 2.8%, however, because the company did not raise its forecast for full-year earnings.

J.C. Penney’s stock sinks over restructuring report

J.C. Penney, looking to soothe rattled investors, said Friday it hasn’t hired advisers to prepare for an in-court restructuring or bankruptcy, but shares sank 17%.

Reuters reported Thursday that Penney has held discussions with lawyers and investment bankers who work with struggling companies on debt restructurings. It cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

The department store chain based in Plano, Texas, maintains strong liquidity but faces a $4 billion debt bill in the next few years.