Delta Air Lines on Thursday reported a 37 percent decline in fourth-quarter net profit and forecast passenger unit revenue, a closely watched metric, to be flat to up 2 percent in early 2017.
The No. 2 carrier by passenger traffic said net income fell to $622 million from $980 million a year earlier.
Delta said the profit decline stemmed from the recent agreement it struck with its 13,000 pilots, granting them a 30 percent raise by 2019. The four-year deal, ratified on Dec. 1, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2016.
Operating revenue fell to $9.46 billion from $9.50 billion, slightly above the analysts’ average estimate of $9.40 billion.
