Delta Cuts Annual Profit Forecast by Nearly a Quarter as Fuel Bill Jumps About $6 Billion; Q3 Fuel Costs Up 62%
Delta Air Lines reported third-quarter results on Friday (Oct. 9) and cut its full-year profit forecast: adjusted earnings are now expected at $5.10 to $5.60 per share, down from $6.50 to $7.50 guided in July — a cut of nearly a quarter at the midpoint, below analysts' average estimate of $5.46 — with adjusted pre-tax profit forecast at $4.5 billion. Delta is the first major U.S. airline to report this earnings season; its shares fell about 3% in premarket trading and ended Friday near flat.
The downgrade is driven by fuel. Delta expects its annual fuel bill to rise by roughly $6 billion from last year; third-quarter fuel expense jumped 62% year over year to $4.1 billion, more than $500 million above what it anticipated in July. Third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.72 per share narrowly missed the $1.76 estimate, and the adjusted operating margin fell to 9.4% from 11.1%. Chief Financial Officer Erik Snell told reporters the forecast cut was all about fuel, citing increases in both crude oil and refined jet fuel prices since the summer.
Industry-wide, U.S. airlines spent $42.9 billion on fuel in the first eight months of 2026 — about $13.2 billion more than a year earlier — despite using slightly less fuel, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. United, American and Southwest are due to report later this month. For Southern California travelers: ticket prices have risen several times this year, and whether airlines keep passing costs to passengers will be key for year-end holiday fares if oil stays high.
(Sources: Reuters Oct. 9; Delta Q3 results)
Source: 路透社、达美航空三季度业绩公布
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Adolch，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
