Delta Air Lines to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Offing?

Core Insights - Delta Air Lines (DAL) is expected to report a fourth-quarter 2025 earnings decline of 16.22% year-over-year to $1.55 per share, with revenues projected at $15.45 billion, a 0.7% decrease from the previous year [1][7] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is $5.82 per share, reflecting a 5.52% year-over-year decrease, with revenues estimated at $62.08 billion, indicating a 0.7% increase from 2024 [3] Performance Factors - Increased passenger volumes, particularly from domestic markets during the Thanksgiving holiday, are expected to positively impact DAL's revenue for the December quarter [4] - However, a prolonged government shutdown is anticipated to reduce pre-tax profitability by approximately $200 million, equating to about 25 cents per share, due to operational disruptions and flight cancellations [5][7] - Rising labor costs are projected to increase non-fuel unit costs (CASM: adjusted) by 1.5% compared to fourth-quarter 2024 levels [5][7] Earnings Surprise History - DAL has a strong earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 8.9% [3] Earnings Prediction Model - The current model does not predict an earnings beat for DAL, as it has an Earnings ESP of -1.41% and a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [6]