Delta Air Lines ( DAL -0.71% ) is having a pretty good year so far. Its stock has climbed 57% since January 1, more than double the gains of the S&P 500.
And despite the CrowdStrike ( CRWD +1.68% ) software outage that introduced far more chaos into its operations than its industry peers — to the tune of $500 million in losses — the carrier is still pulling in profits. Now Delta wants to let its current and prospective shareholders know that it expects to have a pretty good 2025 as well.
It’s not dealing with severe financial woes like Spirit Airlines . It’s not coming out the other end of a nasty proxy battle like Southwest Airlines . And it’s not battling to regain the trust of key constituencies like American Airlines .
So its upcoming Investor Day should prove to be a pretty low-key affair. Maintaining a comfortable cruising altitude is sometimes easier said than done; investors will be looking to see if Delta can stay on course. Next year marks the company’s 100th anniversary — with a rockstar launch to come in Las Vegas — and it looks like Delta will get to have its birthday cake and eat it, too.
On top of the world Delta is the largest airline in America by market share according the Department of Transportation, edging out the likes of fellow majors Southwest and American Airlines ( AAL -0.10% ). The ratings agency Fitch restored Delta’s investment-grade credit rating this July after cutting it to junk during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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