ATLANTA, Sept. 6, 2007 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported record load factors for August 2007. Load factors for the month for consolidated system (84.3 percent), mainline system (84.8 percent), total Latin America system (81.2 percent), total domestic (86.3 percent), mainline domestic (87.6 percent) and regional (81.6 percent) were all records for the month of August.
System traffic increased 8.8 percent from August 2006 with a capacity increase of 3.1 percent. Domestic traffic in August 2007 increased 4.7 percent year-over-year on a 2.6 percent decrease in capacity. International traffic in August 2007 increased 18.1 percent year over year on a 15.6 percent increase in capacity.
In addition, a record number of passengers flew internationally on Delta during the month of August. The number of international, Latin America and Atlantic passengers increased 17 percent, 24 percent and 11 percent, respectively, versus the same period last year.
"August unit revenues improved significantly year-over-year, driven by record load factors and strong international yields," said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president - network planning and revenue management. "We expect September 2007 quarter operating revenues to be the highest in Delta’s history – further demonstrating that our strategy of shifting domestic capacity to unique international markets is working."
Delta completed 98.8 percent of scheduled flights during the month relative to 98.6 percent in August 2006. Delta boarded 10.2 million passengers during August 2007, an increase of 7.9 percent from August 2006. Detailed traffic and capacity are attached.
Delta Air Lines operates service to more destinations than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 315 destinations in 54 countries. Since 2005, Delta has added more international capacity than all other major U.S. airlines combined and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 36 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers nearly 400 weekly flights to 54 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 15,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 477 worldwide destinations in 103 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
Statements in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections or strategies for the future, may be “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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 and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the cost of aircraft fuel; the impact that our indebtedness will have on our financial and operating activities and our ability to incur additional debt; the restrictions that financial covenants in our financing agreements will have on our financial and business operations; labor issues; interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub airports; our increasing dependence on technology in our operations; our ability to retain management and key employees; the ability of our credit card processors to take significant holdbacks in certain circumstances; the effects of terrorist attacks; and competitive conditions in the airline industry. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in Delta’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2007. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on Delta’s forward-looking statements, which represent Delta’s views only as of Sept. 6, 2007, and which Delta has no current intention to update.
Delta Air Lines
Monthly Traffic Results(a)
|
||||
|
||||
August 2007
|
August 2006
|
Change
|
||
RPMs (000):
|
||||
Domestic
|
7,922,620
|
7,568,799
|
4.7%
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
6,211,973
|
6,020,708
|
3.2%
|
|
Comair
|
431,786
|
504,278
|
(14.4%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
1,278,861
|
1,043,813
|
22.5%
|
|
International
|
3,983,973
|
3,374,492
|
18.1%
|
|
Latin America
|
964,260
|
789,233
|
22.2%
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
908,583
|
765,305
|
18.7%
|
|
Comair
|
554
|
1,634
|
(66.1%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
55,123
|
22,294
|
147.3%
|
|
Atlantic
|
2,861,253
|
2,482,084
|
15.3%
|
|
Pacific
|
158,460
|
103,175
|
53.6%
|
|
Total System
|
11,906,593
|
10,943,291
|
8.8%
|
|
ASMs (000):
|
||||
Domestic
|
9,180,960
|
9,427,754
|
(2.6%)
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
7,089,610
|
7,401,941
|
(4.2%)
|
|
Comair
|
533,602
|
669,426
|
(20.3%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
1,557,748
|
1,356,387
|
14.8%
|
|
International
|
4,937,507
|
4,272,392
|
15.6%
|
|
Latin America
|
1,187,088
|
1,036,919
|
14.5%
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
1,113,158
|
1,003,677
|
10.9%
|
|
Comair
|
632
|
2,191
|
(71.2%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
73,298
|
31,051
|
136.1%
|
|
Atlantic
|
3,571,470
|
3,121,811
|
14.4%
|
|
Pacific
|
178,949
|
113,662
|
57.4%
|
|
Total System
|
14,118,467
|
13,700,146
|
3.1%
|
|
Load Factor
|
||||
Domestic
|
86.3%
|
80.3%
|
6.0
|
pts |
Delta Mainline
|
87.6%
|
81.3%
|
6.3
|
pts |
Comair
|
80.9%
|
75.3%
|
5.6
|
pts |
Contract Carriers
|
82.1%
|
77.0%
|
5.1
|
pts |
International
|
80.7%
|
79.0%
|
1.7
|
pts |
Latin America
|
81.2%
|
76.1%
|
5.1
|
pts |
Delta Mainline
|
81.6%
|
76.3%
|
5.3
|
pts |
Comair
|
87.7%
|
74.6%
|
13.1
|
pts |
Contract Carriers
|
75.2%
|
71.8%
|
3.4
|
pts |
Atlantic
|
80.1%
|
79.5%
|
0.6
|
pts |
Pacific
|
88.6%
|
90.8%
|
(2.2)
|
pts |
Total System
|
84.3%
|
79.9%
|
4.4
|
pts |
Passengers Boarded
|
10,193,732
|
9,449,204
|
7.9%
|
Endnote:
a Results reflect operations under our contract carrier arrangements with the following airlines: Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., Freedom Airlines, Inc., Shuttle America Corp., SkyWest Airlines Inc. for all periods presented, and ExpressJet Airlines beginning June 2007.
Delta Air Lines
Year to Date Traffic Results(a)
|
||||
|
||||
August 2007
|
August 2006
|
Change
|
||
RPMs (000):
|
||||
Domestic
|
56,309,959
|
56,530,286
|
(0.4%)
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
44,104,734
|
45,182,051
|
(2.4%)
|
|
Comair
|
3,089,190
|
3,590,752
|
(14.0%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
9,116,035
|
7,757,483
|
17.5%
|
|
International
|
26,731,153
|
22,612,304
|
18.2%
|
|
Latin America
|
7,306,358
|
5,765,144
|
26.7%
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
6,957,616
|
5,597,142
|
24.3%
|
|
Comair
|
6,806
|
32,430
|
(79.0%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
341,936
|
135,572
|
152.2%
|
|
Atlantic
|
18,504,936
|
16,066,492
|
15.2%
|
|
Pacific
|
919,859
|
780,668
|
17.8%
|
|
Total System
|
83,041,112
|
79,142,590
|
4.9%
|
|
ASMs (000):
|
||||
Domestic
|
68,179,445
|
71,279,077
|
(4.3%)
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
52,632,903
|
56,620,648
|
(7.0%)
|
|
Comair
|
4,087,268
|
4,811,243
|
(15.0%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
11,459,274
|
9,847,186
|
16.4%
|
|
International
|
33,561,723
|
28,513,547
|
17.7%
|
|
Latin America
|
9,596,591
|
7,696,285
|
24.7%
|
|
Delta Mainline
|
9,111,577
|
7,474,295
|
21.9%
|
|
Comair
|
8,473
|
43,883
|
(80.7%)
|
|
Contract Carriers
|
476,541
|
178,107
|
167.6%
|
|
Atlantic
|
22,889,236
|
19,927,053
|
14.9%
|
|
Pacific
|
1,075,896
|
890,209
|
20.9%
|
|
Total System
|
101,741,168
|
99,792,624
|
2.0%
|
|
Load Factor
|
||||
Domestic
|
82.6%
|
79.3%
|
3.3
|
pts |
Delta Mainline
|
83.8%
|
79.8%
|
4.0
|
pts |
Comair
|
75.6%
|
74.6%
|
1.0
|
pts |
Contract Carriers
|
79.6%
|
78.8%
|
0.8
|
pts |
International
|
79.6%
|
79.3%
|
0.3
|
pts |
Latin America
|
76.1%
|
74.9%
|
1.2
|
pts |
Delta Mainline
|
76.4%
|
74.9%
|
1.5
|
pts |
Comair
|
80.3%
|
73.9%
|
6.4
|
pts |
Contract Carriers
|
71.8%
|
76.1%
|
(4.3)
|
pts |
Atlantic
|
80.8%
|
80.6%
|
0.2
|
pts |
Pacific
|
85.5%
|
87.7%
|
(2.2)
|
pts |
Total System
|
81.6%
|
79.3%
|
2.3
|
pts |
Passengers Boarded
|
74,225,162
|
72,244,088
|
2.7%
|
Endnote:
a Results reflect operations under our contract carrier arrangements with the following airlines: Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., Freedom Airlines, Inc., Shuttle America Corp., SkyWest Airlines Inc. for all periods presented, and ExpressJet Airlines beginning June 2007.