Delta Air Lines reported earnings have fallen short of Wall Streetestimates owing to the sharp increase in fuel costs.
Net income at Delta was $198 million, or 23 cents a share, for the second quarter, compared with $467 million, or 55 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding special items, Delta earned 43 cents a share, a penny short of analysts’ average forecast, according to Thomson Reuters.
Quarterly revenue rose 12%, to $9.15 billion. Operating expenses rose 19%, with aircraft fuel and related costs up 36%.
Delta’s average fuel price for the second quarter was $3.22 a gallon, up 90 cents from a year earlier. It expects an average fuel cost of $3.20 a gallon for the current quarter.