Delta Air Lines' Premium Segmentation Allows It to Earn the Lion's Share of Industry Profits

Delta Air Lines positions itself as a premium airline, with the highest revenue and costs per seat mile in the North American market. Even in the relatively harmonious 2015-19 period after the airline industry consolidated and fuel costs fell, Delta's industry-leading operating margins declined due to increased fuel, labor, and depreciation expense on almost flat capacity. While we believe Delta will continue to garner premium revenue yields, we see the spread between those yields and its overall costs more closely resembling the industry's in the long term, especially as the levers of segmentation and the definition of a business traveler evolve.