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Delta CEO quoted saying Delta is not a low-cost airline and must win by providing the best rather than the cheapest.
Delta's premium ticket revenue reached $6.82 billion in the September quarter, edging past main cabin's $6.80 billion. Back-solved, the crossover depends on roughly 4% fewer coach seats, and $1.6 billion of extra fuel left adjusted pre-tax profit at $1.5 billion.
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Delta cut its full-year profit outlook 24% at the midpoint, to $5.10-$5.60 a share, in a quarter when jet fuel cost it $1.6 billion more. CEO Ed Bastian says fares can stay high once oil eases, though Fortune notes they have not fully covered the fuel bill.
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United is matching the elite status of Delta and American fliers and pitching Starlink Wi-Fi, on about a third of its fleet, as the reason to switch. That puts in-flight connectivity at the center of the fight for the carriers' most valuable fliers, though the evidence that it moves them is so far limited to social-media posts.
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United, Southwest and American told Morgan Stanley's Laguna Conference that high fuel means fewer flights and higher fares this winter. Their own CFOs say fuel reaches fares with a lag, so the increase lands on first-quarter bookings.
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American will put 4K screens at every seat on new narrowbodies from 2028 and add premium seats fleetwide. The driver is a profit gap CNBC puts at about $3bn to United and nearly $5bn to Delta.
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