ATLANTA, Oct. 3, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) today reported record load factors for September 2008. Load factors for system (80.0 percent), domestic (81.5 percent) and Latin America (73.7 percent) were higher than any previous September on record for Delta.
International traffic increased 12.8 percent year over year on a 13.6 percent increase in capacity, and load factor declined 0.6 points. As a result of Delta's global expansion, a record number of passengers flew internationally on Delta during the month of September. The number of international and Atlantic passengers increased 5.0 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, versus the same period last year.
Delta's domestic traffic in September 2008 decreased 8.0 percent year over year on 12.8 percent lower capacity, and load factor increased 4.3 points. In addition, system traffic in September 2008 decreased 0.8 percent over September 2007 on a capacity decrease of 3.7 percent. Delta's system load factor increased 2.4 points compared to the same period last year.
"September unit revenues were in line with our expectations driven by strong yields in both domestic and international regions, as well as a higher consolidated load factor," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president -- Network Planning and Revenue Management. "While the industry continues to face volatile fuel prices and an uncertain economic outlook, industry-wide capacity reductions are helping to drive unit revenue improvements. We continue to watch domestic and international demand closely and will move quickly to make adjustments to the network as the environment warrants."
Detailed traffic and capacity follows.
Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 287 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 42 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 315 weekly flights to 43 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 16,000 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 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.
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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.
Forward-looking statements in the press release that relate to our proposed merger transaction with Northwest Airlines Corporation include, without limitation, our expectations with respect to the synergies, costs and charges, capitalization and anticipated financial impacts of the merger transaction and related transactions; the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the merger transaction and related transactions; and the timing of the completion of the merger transaction and related transactions. Factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the expected synergies will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, due to, among other things, (1) the airline pricing environment; (2) competitive actions taken by other airlines; (3) general economic conditions; (4) changes in jet fuel prices; (5) actions taken or conditions imposed by the United States and foreign governments; (6) the willingness of customers to travel; (7) difficulties in integrating the operations of the two airlines; (8) the impact of labor relations; and (9) fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Other factors include the possibility that the merger does not close, including due to the failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions.
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, 2007 and Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2008. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on Delta's forward-looking statements, which represent Delta's views only as of October 3, 2008, and which Delta has no current intention to update.
Delta Air Lines
Monthly Traffic Results(a)
September 2008 September 2007 Change
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RPMs (000):
Domestic 5,881,789 6,389,968 (8.0%)
Delta Mainline 4,663,501 4,968,082 (6.1%)
Comair 302,692 362,255 (16.4%)
Contract Carriers 915,596 1,059,631 (13.6%)
International 3,828,870 3,395,581 12.8%
Latin America 576,980 604,169 (4.5%)
Delta Mainline 562,527 571,235 (1.5%)
Comair 0 0 0.0%
Contract Carriers 14,453 32,934 (56.1%)
Atlantic 3,025,032 2,659,781 13.7%
Pacific 226,858 131,631 72.3%
System 9,710,659 9,785,549 (0.8%)
ASMs (000):
Domestic 7,213,959 8,273,599 (12.8%)
Delta Mainline 5,618,025 6,395,563 (12.2%)
Comair 432,460 490,144 (11.8%)
Contract Carriers 1,163,474 1,387,892 (16.2%)
International 4,925,725 4,334,847 13.6%
Latin America 782,927 843,449 (7.2%)
Delta Mainline 761,697 794,363 (4.1%)
Comair 0 0 0.0%
Contract Carriers 21,230 49,086 (56.7%)
Atlantic 3,827,174 3,316,206 15.4%
Pacific 315,624 175,192 80.2%
System 12,139,684 12,608,446 (3.7%)
Load Factor
Domestic 81.5% 77.2% 4.3 pts
Delta Mainline 83.0% 77.7% 5.3 pts
Comair 70.0% 73.9% (3.9) pts
Contract Carriers 78.7% 76.3% 2.4 pts
International 77.7% 78.3% (0.6) pts
Latin America 73.7% 71.6% 2.1 pts
Delta Mainline 73.9% 71.9% 2.0 pts
Comair 0.0% 0.0% 0.0 pts
Contract Carriers 68.1% 67.1% 1.0 pts
Atlantic 79.0% 80.2% (1.2) pts
Pacific 71.9% 75.1% (3.2) pts
System 80.0% 77.6% 2.4 pts
Passengers Boarded 8,067,793 8,455,730 (4.6%)
Completion Factor 99.0% 99.4% (0.4) pts
Cargo Ton Miles:
Mail 6,167,995 4,705,285 31.1%
Freight 96,880,193 90,458,278 7.1%
Total System 103,048,188 95,163,563 8.3%
Endnote:
(a) Results include operations under our contract carrier
arrangements.
Delta Air Lines
Year to Date Traffic Results (a)
September 2008 September 2007 Change
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RPMs (000):
Domestic 59,829,155 62,699,927 (4.6%)
Delta Mainline 46,688,924 49,072,816 (4.9%)
Comair 3,286,268 3,451,445 (4.8%)
Contract Carriers 9,853,963 10,175,666 (3.2%)
International 34,634,890 30,126,734 15.0%
Latin America 8,291,912 7,910,527 4.8%
Delta Mainline 7,871,259 7,528,851 4.5%
Comair 8,078 6,806 18.7%
Contract Carriers 412,575 374,870 10.1%
Atlantic 24,528,783 21,164,717 15.9%
Pacific 1,814,195 1,051,490 72.5%
Total System 94,464,045 92,826,661 1.8%
ASMs (000):
Domestic 71,903,353 76,453,044 (6.0%)
Delta Mainline 55,300,398 59,028,466 (6.3%)
Comair 4,375,620 4,577,412 (4.4%)
Contract Carriers 12,227,335 12,847,166 (4.8%)
International 43,295,018 37,896,570 14.2%
Latin America 10,388,462 10,440,040 (0.5%)
Delta Mainline 9,839,687 9,905,940 (0.7%)
Comair 10,015 8,473 18.2%
Contract Carriers 538,760 525,627 2.5%
Atlantic 30,552,350 26,205,442 16.6%
Pacific 2,354,206 1,251,088 88.2%
Total System 115,198,371 114,349,614 0.7%
Load Factor
Domestic 83.2% 82.0% 1.2 pts
Delta Mainline 84.4% 83.1% 1.3 pts
Comair 75.1% 75.4% (0.3) pts
Contract Carriers 80.6% 79.2% 1.4 pts
International 80.0% 79.5% 0.5 pts
Latin America 79.8% 75.8% 4.0 pts
Delta Mainline 80.0% 76.0% 4.0 pts
Comair 80.7% 80.3% 0.4 pts
Contract Carriers 76.6% 71.3% 5.3 pts
Atlantic 80.3% 80.8% (0.5) pts
Pacific 77.1% 84.0% (6.9) pts
Total System 82.0% 81.2% 0.8 pts
Passengers Boarded 80,761,513 82,680,892 (2.3%)
Cargo Ton Miles:
Mail 52,879,012 42,433,724 24.6%
Freight 869,583,327 781,366,011 11.3%
Total System 922,462,339 823,799,735 12.0%
Endnote:
(a) Results include operations under our contract carrier
arrangements.