Load Factor
Delta Q3 passenger traffic rises 3%, load factor improves 150 bps despite Hurricane Irma
Delta Air Lines rallied on Tuesday after the company issued better-than-expected guidance for the third quarter passenger unit revenue. Despite fall in passenger traffic in September 2017, Delta management expects passenger unit revenue to increase by 2% for the quarter ended September 2017.
In September, operations of few US-based airlines including Delta were affected by the Hurricane Irma. Bad weather conditions forced Delta to cancel 22,000 flights in the last month. As a result, the carrier reported a drop of 2.3% (on a year-on-year basis) in the number of passengers carried during September.
Heckyl’s alternative data platform FiND did not show any major impact of Hurricane Irma on Delta’s operational performance for the quarter ended September 2017. Our analysis showed a growth of 3% (on a y-o-y basis) in the number of passengers carried by Delta during the quarter ended September 2017.