Delta Air Lines today reported operating performance for November 2018. The company carried 15.5 million customers across its broad global network, a record for the month of November.
For the December quarter, Delta expects to generate earnings per share at the high-end of the company’s $1.10 – $1.30 guidance range. The company expects approximately 7.5% top-line growth (excluding third party refinery sales) on an approximately 3.5% year over year increase in unit revenue. When combined with the benefits from the recent moderation in fuel prices and solid non-fuel cost control, the company is on track to expand pre-tax margins in the December quarter.
Monthly highlights include:
• Ranking as the No. 1 U.S. airline by the corporate travel community in the Business Travel News Airline Survey for a historic eighth consecutive year, sweeping all 10 categories
• Increasing A330-900neo order book to 35 from 25 and deferring 10 A350-900 orders, addressing Delta’s near-to-medium-term widebody needs and reinforcing our commitment to fuel and economic efficiency while remaining capital disciplined
• Carrying over 2.4 million customers on nearly 23,000 flights with a completion factor of 99.77 percent during the Thanksgiving holiday period; Sunday marked the busiest day of the period, flying 658,000 people, an all-time record for the month of November
• Unveiling the first biometric terminal in United States at the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal (Terminal F) in Atlanta, allowing customers to use facial recognition technology from curb to gate and empowering employees to have more time for meaningful interactions with customers
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. In 2018, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the seventh time in eight years.
Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented eight consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 302 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, São Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground.
