DELTA AIRLINE ANNOUNCES $1.6 BILLION PRETAX PROFIT FOR JUNE

ATLANTA, Georgia – Delta Air Lines today reported financial results for the June quarter 2018.  Highlights of those results, including both GAAP and adjusted metrics, are below and incorporated here.  Adjusted pre-tax income for the June quarter 2018 was $1.6 billion, a $183 million decrease from the June 2017 quarter, as record revenues partially offset the approximately $600 million impact of higher fuel prices.    

“With an expected $2 billion higher fuel bill for 2018, we are now forecasting our full-year earnings to be $5.35 to $5.70 per share. We have seen early success in addressing the fuel cost increase and offset two-thirds of the impact in the June quarter,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer.  “With strong revenue momentum, an improving cost trajectory, and a reduction of 50-100 bps of underperforming capacity from our fall schedule, we have positioned Delta to return to margin expansion by year end.”

Revenue Environment

Delta’s adjusted operating revenue of $11.6 billion for the June quarter improved 8 percent, or $880 million versus the prior year.  This quarterly revenue result marks a record for the company, driven by improvements across Delta’s business, including double-digit increases in both cargo and loyalty revenue. 

Total unit revenues excluding refinery sales (TRASM) increased 4.6 percent during the period driven by strong demand across all entities and improving yields.  Foreign exchange drove a nearly one point benefit to the quarter.

“The great service of the Delta people, strong demand for our product, and momentum across our business allowed Delta to deliver the highest quarterly revenue in our history and increase our revenue premium to the industry,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s President. “While we are pleased with our revenue performance in the quarter, accelerating the recapture of the recent fuel price increases is the number one focus for our commercial team.  We expect total unit revenue growth of 3.5 to 5.5 percent for the September quarter as we benefit from our commercial initiatives and recapture higher fuel costs.”

Total adjusted operating expenses for the June quarter increased $1.1 billion versus the prior year quarter, with more than half of the increase driven by higher fuel prices.

Adjusted fuel expense increased $578 million, or 33 percent, relative to June quarter 2017.  Delta’s adjusted fuel price per gallon for the June quarter was $2.17, which includes $45 million of benefit from the refinery. 

CASM-Ex increased 2.9 percent for the June 2018 quarter compared to the prior year period, a one point improvement from the March quarter.  Cost pressures were driven by higher revenue-related costs and increased aircraft rent and depreciation associated with Delta’s fleet initiatives.    

“We expect the sequential improvement in cost trends to continue in the second half of the year as we see additional benefits from our fleet restructuring, our One Delta initiatives, and annualization of accelerated depreciation as well as prior investments in our product,” said Paul Jacobson, Delta’s Chief Financial Officer. “Our cost structure is an essential component of sustainable performance, and by keeping our cost growth below 2 percent for the year, we are positioning the company to expand margins by year end.”
                                                                                                         
Adjusted non-operating expense improved by $43 million versus the prior year, driven primarily by pension expense favorability.  Adjusted tax expense declined $255 million for the June quarter primarily due to the reduction in Delta’s book tax rate from 34 percent to 23 percent.

Cash Flow and Shareholder Returns

Delta generated $2.8 billion of operating cash flow and $1.4 billion of free cash flow during the quarter, after the investment of $1.4 billion into the business primarily for aircraft purchases and improvements.

For the June quarter, Delta returned $813 million to shareholders, comprised of $600 million of share repurchases and $213 million in dividends.

The Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, an increase of 15 percent over previous levels.  This change will bring the total annualized dividend commitment to approximately $950 million, consistent with the company’s target of returning 20 to 25 percent of free cash flow to owners over the long-term.  The September quarter dividend will be payable to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 26, 2018, to be paid on August 16, 2018.