October 22, 2013
Delta Air Lines' quarterly profit (click here) soared into the billions, topping Wall Street expectations as more passengers flew amid a continued uptick in fares and a decline in fuel costs.
Delta's net income for the third quarter jumped 31% to $1.37 billion, the carrier announced Tuesday in an optimistic report that also said holiday bookings have been strong and that the company's revenue outlook appeared "solid" through the year's end.
Without one-time items — such accounting gains from the carrier's fuel hedges — Delta's profit would have been $1.2 billion, or $1.41 per share. That topped Wall Street expectations by 5 cents per share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet.
Delta's strong results were helped by an increase in passengers and fares.
Delta's passenger traffic inched up by 2% for the quarter while the average fare paid by passengers on a per-mile basis jumped nearly 5%. Overall, total operating revenue rose 6% to $10.49 billion over the same period last year, an increase that was in line with analysts' projections....
Turning the tables to focus on consumers doesn't make Delta's error a matter of ethnics when the airline itself is unethical in their victimization of it's "passengers for profit." I don't mind that Delta raises it's prices, it has a right to do so, but, don't tout ethics in consumerism when the airline itself is unethical in their pricing.
"From about 10 a.m. to noon ET [Thursday], (click here) certain Delta fares on the airline's own website and other airfare booking sites were showing up incorrectly, offering some savvy bargain hunters incredible deals. A roundtrip flight between Cincinnati and Minneapolis for February was being sold for just $25.05 and a roundtrip between Cincinnati and Salt Lake City for $48.41. The correct price for both of those fares is more than $400."
It isn't known just how many folks snapped up the bargains, but Delta says it will honor the fares....
...Why would it be all right, ethically, to purchase tickets at prices that were so obviously wrong? Is it just because "you" weren't to blame and no human being was involved at the other end?...
