Delta Air Lines today released its financial results for the September quarter and provided its outlook for the December quarter.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today released its financial results for the September quarter and provided its outlook for the December quarter and full year 2026.
“Demand remains strong, supported by consumers’ growing preference for experiences and travel, with air travel remaining one of the best values in the consumer economy,” said Ed Bastian, Delta Chairman and CEO. “Against this backdrop, we delivered a pre-tax profit of $1.5 billion for the September quarter, matching last year’s performance, and generated $1.9 billion in free cash flow year-to-date. Our resilience reflects the structural sustainability we have built over many years, allowing us to effectively navigate one of the highest energy environments in recent times. The foundation of this resilience lies in our people, whose commitment to meeting our customers’ expectations continues to set Delta apart.
Bastian continued: “For the full year, we expect to generate pre-tax profit of approximately $4.5 billion, absorbing a $6 billion increase in fuel costs. Looking ahead, we remain focused on profitable growth and achieving our long-term financial framework, including margins and returns of approximately 15 years, sustainable free cash flow and gross leverage of approximately 1x.
September 2026 Quarter GAAP Financial Results
- Operating income of $20.2 billion
- Operating profit of $1.5 billion with an operating margin of 7.2%
- Pre-tax profit of $1.1 billion with a pre-tax margin of 5.3%
- Earnings per share of $1.15
- Operating cash flow of $1.7 billion
September 2026 Quarter Non-GAAP Financial Results
- Operating income of $17.6 billion
- Operating profit of $1.7 billion with an operating margin of 9.4%
- Pre-tax profit of $1.5 billion with a pre-tax margin of 8.5%
- Earnings per share of $1.72
- Operating cash flow of $1.7 billion
Read the full release on PR Newswire via download.
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 deemed “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 warranties. promised results 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, objectives, aspirations, commitments and strategies reflected or implied 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 the aircraft of our partner airlines; breaches or failures in the security of the technological systems we use and rely on, which could compromise the data stored therein, as well as failure to comply with evolving global regulatory obligations relating to privacy and security or
adequately respond to growing customer attention to data privacy and security issues; disruptions to our IT infrastructure; the failure of the technology we use or depend on to operate effectively, including new and emerging technologies; increase in the price of aircraft fuel; extended
disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel, including from Monroe Energy, LLC (“Monroe”), our wholly-owned subsidiary that operates the Trainer refinery; the inability to achieve the expected results or returns from our business relationships with airlines in other regions of the world and from the investments we have in
some of these airlines; the effects of significant disruption to the operations or performance of third parties on which we rely; failure to comply with financial or other commitments in our financing agreements; work-related disruptions; the effects on our business of seasonality and other factors beyond our control, such as changes in the value of our equity investments, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters or other environmental events, including the impact of climate change; the failure or inability of insurance to cover a significant liability at the Monroe refinery; failure to comply with existing and future environmental regulations to which Monroe’s refinery operations are subject, including those relating to the release of materials into the environment, waste management, pollution prevention measures and greenhouse gas emissions; significant damage to our reputation and brand, including from exposure to significant negative publicity or failure to achieve certain sustainability goals; our ability to retain senior management and other key employees and maintain our corporate culture; epidemics or other threats to public health, as well as the measures implemented to combat them; the effects of terrorist attacks, geopolitical conflicts or security events; competitive conditions in the airline industry; prolonged service interruptions or disruptions at major airports where we operate; significant problems associated with the types of aircraft or engines we operate; the effects of the numerous regulatory and legal compliance requirements to which we are subject; the impact of laws and regulations governing environmental protection, 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 adverse economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate or volatility in exchange rates.
Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements is contained in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and other filings with the SEC from time to time. You should be careful 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 as required by law.
© 2026 Delta Airlines, Inc.
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