Delta forecast first-quarter earnings of between 70 cents and $1, slightly higher than analysts' estimates. Delta beat sales and earnings estimates for the last three months of the year. The carrier is the first of the major U.

For the quarter, Delta beat its revenue expectations handily. The company earned operating revenue of $15.6 billion in Q4 and $61.6 billion for the full year. The revenue growth represents a 9.4% increase from the fourth quarter last year, the company’s strongest since October 2023.

Delta Air Lines expects a strong appetite for high-end travel to fuel profit in 2025, said Chief Executive Ed Bastian. The forecast comes as the airline posted better-than-expected revenue growth in the latest quarter as demand picked up.

If investors were questioning whether airline stocks could keep rallying, Delta Air Lines has provided an emphatic answer. The carrier’s fourth-quarter earnings and positive outlook for 2025 gave the sector’s stocks permission to take off again early Friday.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) fell in early trading on Friday after the airline company reported revenue of $15.56 billion to top the consensus estimate by $1.08 billion. Earnings per share came in at $1.