Delta Air Lines Achieves Record September Load Factors
ATLANTA, Oct. 3, 2007 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported record load factors for September. Load factors for mainline system (78.0 percent), mainline domestic (77.7 percent), total system (77.6 percent), total domestic (77.2 percent), total regional system (75.5 percent), mainline Latin (71.9 percent) and total Latin system (71.6 percent) were all records for the month of September.
System traffic increased 7.8 percent from September 2006 with a capacity increase of 3.6 percent. Domestic traffic in September 2007 increased 4.7 percent year-over-year on a 0.3 percent decrease in capacity. International traffic in September 2007 increased 14.1 percent year over year on a 12.0 percent increase in capacity.
In addition, a record number of passengers flew internationally on Delta during the month of September. The number of total Latin, mainline Latin, total international, regional system and mainline Atlantic increased 18.9 percent, 16.2 percent, 12.3 percent, 8.8 percent and 8.4 percent respectively, versus the same period last year.
"Delta's September 2007 passenger revenue was in line with our expectations. In particular, international markets added this year are performing better than anticipated, demonstrating strength in Delta's strategy of expanding our network to offer customers more destinations around the world," said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Network Planning and Revenue Management. "With these successful network and revenue initiatives, we are on track to close the remaining revenue gap to our network competitors."
Delta completed 99.4 percent of scheduled flights during the month relative to 98.3 percent in September 2006. Delta boarded 8.5 million passengers during September 2007, an increase of 4.9 percent from September 2006. Detailed traffic and capacity are attached.
Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 310 destinations in 54 countries. Since 2005, Delta has added more international capacity than all other major U.S. airlines combined and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 36 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 400 weekly flights to 53 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 475 worldwide destinations in 104 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 Oct. 3, 2007, and which Delta has no current intention to update.
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