Delta Air Lines Q3 adjusted EPS $1.72, up 1%; GAAP EPS falls 47% to $1.15
Delta reported September quarter 2026 results, with adjusted operating revenue up 16% to $17.6 billion, while GAAP net income fell 47% to $756 million. The company gave full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $5.10 to $5.60 and December quarter EPS guidance of $1.15 to $1.65, which matter to shareholders because the GAAP profit decline and the fuel cost pressure both weigh on near-term earnings.
Key points
- Adjusted operating revenue of $17.6 billion, up 16% year over year; GAAP operating revenue of $20.2 billion, up 21%
- GAAP diluted EPS of $1.15 versus $2.17 a year earlier; adjusted diluted EPS of $1.72 versus $1.70
- Full-year 2026 EPS outlook of $5.10 to $5.60 and free cash flow of approximately $2.5 billion; December quarter EPS outlook of $1.15 to $1.65
- Average fuel price of $3.80 per gallon GAAP, up 68% year over year; free cash flow was $463 million in the September quarter
The filing
Written by AI (Anthropic Claude, claude-haiku-5-5) on Nov 8, 2026, 1:42 AM ET, from the text of the filing and its press-release exhibits only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on October 09, 2026.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text (each brief's own page names the model) and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the model's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.