Airlines Are Counting on Premium Even More – and 3 Other Takeaways From Earnings Reports
Photo Credit: A Delta Boeing 737-900ER. Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines / Delta Air Lines
Skift Take
Airlines are pulling their 2025 outlooks and are even more bullish on premium travel as domestic demand weakens in response to economic uncertainty.
“Uncertainty” was the word that captured the latest round of airline earnings. Carriers scrapped their 2025 forecasts and said they would cut capacity in response to declining consumer confidence spurred by the Trump administration’s economic policies.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines continued to be the most profitable in the pack, with both saying that demand for premium and international travel has not weakened.
However, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue all posted losses for the first quarter, and softening domestic demand could further dampen their bottom line this year.
Some CEOs were critical of President Donald Trump’s policies — namely, the tariffs — while others struck a softer tone. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said during a call with analysts April 9 that he was “hopeful that sanity will prevail and we'll move through this period of time on the global trade front relative
