Delta Air Lines CEO Sounds Alarm on Global Economy

Delta Air Lines, one of the most profitable carriers in the U.S., withheld its full year outlook for 2025, citing economic uncertainty.

“With broad economic uncertainty around global trade, growth has largely stalled. In this slower-growth environment, we are protecting margins and cash flow by focusing on what we can control,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “This includes reducing planned capacity growth in the second half of the year to flat over last year while actively managing costs and capital expenditures.”

However, Bastian added that he believed the strength of Delta’s product, low fuel prices, and its “bias toward action” would help the company “deliver solid profitability.”

Delta recorded a higher profit for the first quarter compared to the same time last year. The carrier had a net income of $240 million and total revenue of $13 billion for the quarter, a 3.3% increase. 

Premium and international revenues, some of Delta’s biggest sources of revenue, were also up in the first quarter. Delta said premium revenues continued to outpace main cabin, growing by 7%. The carrier’s remuneration from American Express was $2 billion in the first quarter, a 13% increase. 

Delta said international revenue was mid-single digits for the first quarter. 

For the second quarter, Delta expected revenue to be in the range offered guidance for revenue in the range of down 2% to up 2%.

Delta is the first of the U.S. airlines to report first quarter earnings and was largely expected to give a pulse on how consumers are responding to the economic uncertainty spurred by the Trump administration’s policies. 

The carrier had released a regulatory filing in March, saying it expected slower growth in the first quarter due to declining consumer confidence and corporate demand. 

“It’s not going backwards,” Bastian said on CNBC in March. “But it’s not growing as fast as we were anticipating.”

Delta is set to host a call with analysts at 10 a.m. ET.