Delta Air Lines Announces December Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported financial results for the December quarter and full year 2024 and provided its outlook for the March quarter and full year 2025.

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Photo by Delta Air Lines.
  • Delivered record December quarter revenue and operating profit with industry-leading operational performance
  • Reported record full year 2024 revenue, $5 billion of pre-tax income, $8 billion of operating cash flow and $3.4 billion of free cash flow
  • Guiding to 2025 earnings of greater than $7.35 per share and free cash flow of greater than $4 billion
  • Expect March quarter revenue growth of 7 to 9 percent with earnings of $0.70 to $1.00 per share 

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported financial results for the December quarter and full year 2024 and provided its outlook for the March quarter and full year 2025. 

“2024 was a great year for Delta with our results reflecting differentiation from the industry and increased durability.  Our people finished the year strong, delivering industry-leading operational and financial performance.  Sharing Delta’s success is core to our culture, and I’m excited to recognize our people's outstanding efforts with $1.4 billion in profit sharing payments next month,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer. 

“As we move into 2025, we expect strong demand for travel to continue, with consumers increasingly seeking the premium products and experiences that Delta provides.  Our differentiated strategy and best-in-class operations, combined with demand strength and an increasingly constructive industry backdrop, position us to deliver the best financial year in Delta's 100-year history, with pre-tax income greater than $6 billion, earnings per share greater than $7.35 and free cash flow of more than $4 billion.”

December Quarter 2024 GAAP Financial Results

  • Operating revenue of $15.6 billion
  • Operating income of $1.7 billion with an operating margin of 11.0 percent
  • Pre-tax income of $1.2 billion with a pre-tax margin of7.7 percent
  • Earnings per share of $1.29
  • Operating cash flow of $1.9 billion
  • Payments on debt and finance lease obligations of $1.5 billion
  • Total debt and finance lease obligations of $16.2 billion at quarter end

Download the full release.

Forward Looking Statements

Forward Looking Statements Statements made in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments or strategies for the future, should be considered “forward-looking statements” under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not guarantees or promised outcomes and should not be construed as such. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possible effects of serious accidents involving our aircraft or aircraft of our airline partners; breaches or lapses in the security of technology systems we use and rely on, which could compromise the data stored within them, as well as failure to comply with evolving global privacy and security regulatory obligations or adequately address increasing customer focus on privacy issues and data security; disruptions in our information technology infrastructure; our dependence on technology in our operations; increases in the cost of aircraft fuel; extended disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel, including from Monroe Energy, LLC (“Monroe”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta that operates the Trainer refinery; failure to receive the expected results or returns from our commercial relationships with airlines in other parts of the world and the investments we have in certain of those airlines; the effects of a significant disruption in the operations or performance of third parties on which we rely; failure to comply with the financial and other covenants in our financing agreements; labor issues; the effects on our business of seasonality and other factors beyond our control, such as changes in value in our equity investments, severe weather conditions, natural disasters or other environmental events, including from the impact of climate change; failure or inability of insurance to cover a significant liability at Monroe’s refinery; failure to comply with existing and future environmental regulations to which Monroe’s refinery operations are subject, including costs related to compliance with renewable fuel standard regulations; significant damage to our reputation and brand, including from exposure to significant adverse publicity or inability to achieve certain sustainability goals; our ability to retain senior management and other key employees, and to maintain our company culture; disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public health threats, and measures implemented to combat them; the effects of terrorist attacks, geopolitical conflict or security events; competitive conditions in the airline industry; extended interruptions or disruptions in service at major airports at which we operate or significant problems associated with types of aircraft or engines we operate; the effects of extensive government regulation we are subject to; the impact of environmental regulation, including but not limited to regulation of hazardous substances, increased regulation to reduce emissions and other risks associated with climate change, and the cost of compliance with more stringent environmental regulations; and unfavorable economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate or volatility in currency exchange rates. 

Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent quarterly reports and other filings filed with the SEC from time to time. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of the date of this press release, and which we undertake no obligation to update except to the extent required by law.




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