Delta's earnings call reflected a strong financial performance with record profit sharing and investment-grade ratings. The company highlighted growth in premium products and a positive outlook for corporate travel. However, challenges such as the impact of hurricanes, a significant outage, and expected election-related revenue dips were noted.

Company Guidance

In the Delta Airlines Q3 2024 earnings call, executives provided comprehensive guidance reflecting on the company's financial and operational performance. The call highlighted several key metrics, including double-digit operating margins and nearly $3 billion in free cash flow generated year-to-date. Despite challenges such as the CrowdStrike-caused outage impacting profitability by $0.45 per share and Hurricane Helene, Delta's earnings per share would have been at the higher end of their initial guidance. The company maintained a robust financial position with two investment-grade ratings and a dividend yield aligning with the S&P 500. Delta also reported industry-leading on-time performance and completion factor, achieving 60 days of zero cancellations year-to-date. Looking ahead, Delta expects to grow earnings by 30% in the December quarter with a pretax income of $1.4 billion, targeting an operating margin expansion of 11% to 13%. For the full year 2024, earnings are projected to be around the midpoint of their initial $6 to $7 EPS guidance, excluding the outage impact. The company continues to prioritize premium experiences, with premium revenue growth outpacing the main cabin by 9 points and significant investments in customer engagement platforms like Delta Sync. Additionally, Delta's capacity growth for the year is expected to be around 3% to 4%, with non-fuel costs rising by low single digits, aligning with initial forecasts.

Strong Financial Performance

Delta reported a pretax income of $1.3 billion for the September quarter, with double-digit operating margins and nearly $3 billion of free cash flow year-to-date.

Investment Grade Ratings

Delta's balance sheet received an upgrade to investment grade from Fitch, joining Moody's in this status, with S&P just one notch away with a positive outlook.

Record Profit Sharing

Delta has accrued nearly $1 billion towards next February's profit sharing, expected to be among the top in Delta's history, more than the rest of the industry combined.

Premium Product Growth

Premium revenue growth outperformed the main cabin by 9 points during the quarter, driven by investments like Delta One Lounges and Delta Premium Select.

Positive Outlook for Corporate Travel

Corporate travel sales were up 7% during the quarter, with 85% of surveyed companies expecting their travel spend to grow in 2025.

---

Delta Air Lines (DAL) Earnings, Revenues Date & History

The upcoming earnings date is based on a company’s previous reporting, and may be updated when the actual date is announced

Daily Earnings Calendar >

DAL Earnings History

Report Date	Fiscal Quarter	Forecast / EPS	Last Year's EPS	EPS YoY Change	Slides	Play Transcript
Jan 10, 2025	2024 (Q4)	1.76 / -	1.28	―	―	―
Oct 10, 2024	2024 (Q3)	1.52 / 1.50	2.03	-26.11% (-0.53)
Jul 11, 2024	2024 (Q2)	2.37 / 2.36	2.68	-11.94% (-0.32)
Apr 10, 2024	2024 (Q1)	0.37 / 0.45	0.25	80.00% (+0.20)
Jan 12, 2024	2023 (Q4)	1.17 / 1.28	1.48	-13.51% (-0.20)
Oct 12, 2023	2023 (Q3)	1.95 / 2.03	1.51	34.44% (+0.52)
Jul 13, 2023	2023 (Q2)	2.40 / 2.68	1.44	86.11% (+1.24)	―
Apr 13, 2023	2023 (Q1)	0.30 / 0.25	-1.23	120.33% (+1.48)	―
Jan 13, 2023	2022 (Q4)	1.32 / 1.48	0.22	572.73% (+1.26)
Oct 13, 2022	2022 (Q3)	1.53 / 1.51	0.3	403.33% (+1.21)	―	―

The table shows recent earnings report dates and whether the forecast was beat or missed. See the change in forecast and EPS from the previous year.

Beat

Missed

---

DAL Earnings-Related Price Changes

Report Date	Price 1 Day Before	Price 1 Day After	Percentage Change
Oct 10, 2024	$50.83	$50.29	-1.06%
Jul 11, 2024	$46.56	$44.70	-3.99%
Apr 10, 2024	$46.93	$45.86	-2.28%
Jan 12, 2024	$41.81	$38.06	-8.97%

Earnings announcements can affect a stock’s price. This table shows the stock's price the day before and the day after recent earnings reports, including the percentage change.

---