Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) on Thursday posted stronger-than-expected third quarter earnings and said it would ramp up hiring across all categories to meet its recent increase in demand.
For the three months ended September, the airline said it earned USD 2.32 per share, beating Wall Street’s call for USD 2.26 per share. A year ago, the Company posted earnings per share of USD 1.80.
Revenue grew 6.5% to USD 12.56 Billion during the period, short of the average estimate of USD 12.601. Revenue per available seat mile, a key industry metric, rose 1.1%.
“Our powerful brand and competitive strengths drove another quarter of great results for our people, customers and owners,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our people bring our brand to life on every flight and I’m pleased to recognize their outstanding efforts with over USD 1 Billion in profit sharing accrued so far this year.”
For its December quarter, Delta is forecasting earnings in the range of USD 1.20 to USD 1.50 per share, and expects revenues to grow by more than 5% from the prior year period…
