Delta hikes Q2 revenue outlook on sharply higher airfares

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said Wednesday that it expects second-quarter adjusted revenue will be back to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, and revenue per seat should be up to 8 percentage points better than Delta originally expected. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

To hear it from Delta Air Lines, happy days are here again, with travelers gladly paying sharply higher fares just to get on an airplane and go somewhere this summer.

Delta said Wednesday that it expects second-quarter adjusted revenue will be back to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, and revenue per seat should be up to 8 percentage points better than Delta originally expected.

Travelers are paying more for any type of seat, from basic to premium, CEO Ed Bastian said during an investor conference.

“We expect pricing this summer to be up probably somewhere between 25% and 30% on average,” Bastian said. “We’ve never seen anything of that scale.”