Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Industrials · Passenger Airlines
Structural: premium-cabin and loyalty mix (~57% of revenue) decouples Delta from the commoditised main-cabin yield war that defines $UAL/$AAL/$LUV economics. Amex remuneration runs ~$7B/yr and is contracted to grow to $10B+ by decade end - an annuity that prints through fuel cycles.
Atlanta hub remains the world's most-trafficked, giving Delta gauge and frequency moats domestic LCCs cannot replicate.
(1) corporate travel still 5-10% below 2019 with premium leisure offsetting; (2) 757/767 retirement + A321neo/A330neo/A350 fleet renewal cuts CASM-ex and unlocks long-haul margin; (3) Amex deal renegotiation cadence skews up, not flat; (4) JV with Korean Air consolidates trans-Pacific while $UAL fights for Asia share; (5) cargo + TechOps third-party MRO are under-monetised optionalities.
(1) jet fuel + labour are now ~50% of cost structure post-pilot contract - operating leverage cuts both ways; (2) any US recession compresses corporate travel first and hardest; (3) Boeing $BA delivery slippage on 737 MAX 10 + A350 supplier constraints push the renewal benefit right; (4) ATC staffing + slot constraints at NYC/Boston cap growth at the highest-yield hubs; (5) ESG/SAF mandates layer in cost without parallel revenue.