Delta Air Lines missed earnings estimates for the first time in two years and slashed its 2026 profit outlook as high fuel prices persist, but CEO Ed Bastian said higher fares aren’t turning off travelers.
Delta on Friday forecast full-year earnings per share of between $5.10 and $5.60 on an adjusted basis, compared with its outlook in July, when fuel prices were lower, of $6.50 to $7.50 a share. The company’s fourth-quarter guidance was below analyst estimates, too.
Delta cut its free cash flow outlook for the year to $2.5 billion, from as much as $4 billion it expected in July.
Still, Bastian said in an interview that fares have continued to tick up as the airline passes along much of a $6 billion increase in fuel costs this year, and that travelers keep booking.
“The consumer response continues to be quite strong. We’re seeing it across all channels, all cabins of service, all geographies, business, leisure,” he said.
Delta…
