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Sep 30, 2024

Delta Q3 2024 Earnings Report

Delta reported industry-leading operational and financial performance, driven by strong demand and improved industry conditions.

Key Takeaways

Delta Air Lines reported strong September quarter results, driven by industry-leading operational and financial performance. The company expects record December quarter revenue and an 11% - 13% operating margin. The direct revenue impact of the CrowdStrike-caused outage was approximately $380 million.

Delta continues to lead the industry operationally and financially.

The company generated nearly $3 billion of free cash flow year-to-date.

Delta expects December quarter pre-tax profit to grow 30 percent over last year to $1.4 billion.

Delta's balance sheet received an upgrade to investment grade from Fitch.

Total Revenue
$15.7B
Previous year: $15.5B
+1.2%
EPS
$1.5
Previous year: $2.03
-26.1%
Gross Profit
$3.83B
Previous year: $3.6B
+6.3%
Cash and Equivalents
$4.07B
Previous year: $5.14B
-20.7%
Free Cash Flow
-$54M
Previous year: -$193M
-72.0%
Total Assets
$75.4B
Previous year: $73.2B
+2.9%

Delta

Delta

Forward Guidance

Delta expects record December quarter revenue and an 11% - 13% operating margin.

Positive Outlook

  • Improved industry backdrop
  • Strong demand for travel on Delta
  • Industry supply growth continues to rationalize
  • Improved trends to continue during the December quarter
  • Bookings for the holiday period are strong

Challenges Ahead

  • 1 point impact to total unit revenue from reduced travel demand around the election
  • The direct revenue impact of the CrowdStrike-caused outage was approximately $380 million
  • Non-fuel expense impact was $170 million due to the CrowdStrike-caused outage
  • Fuel expense was $50 million lower than it would have been as a result of the 7,000 flight cancellations
  • None