DELTA AIR LINES, INC. ATLANTA, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported financial results for the December 2015 quarter, including adjusted pre-tax income of $1.45 billion, a $430 million increase year over year. Adjusted net income was $926 million or $1.18 per diluted share, up 51 percent from the December quarter of 2014.
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"Our 2015 performance was a record for Delta on all fronts - with industry-leading operational performance, superior customer satisfaction, and a $5.9 billion adjusted pre-tax profit. These results show the commitment of the Delta people to running the best airline in the world every day. It's an honor to reward their performance with $1.5 billion in profit sharing for the year," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer. "As we look ahead to 2016, we have a significant opportunity to improve our performance even further. With over $3 billion in potential savings from lower fuel prices and numerous commercial, operational and cost initiatives already in place, we expect to again perform in the top tier of the S&P Industrials on earnings growth, margins, and cash flows this year despite global economic challenges."
Revenue Environment
Delta's operating revenue for the December quarter decreased 2 percent, or $145 million, due to $160 million in foreign currency pressures. Passenger unit revenues declined 1.6 percent, which includes approximately 2 points of impact from foreign currency.
"The success of our network actions and commercial initiatives in 2015 allowed us to grow our top line and our unit revenue premium to the industry, while overcoming nearly $700 million of revenue pressure from foreign currency," said Ed Bastian, Delta's president. "Looking ahead, the overall demand environment remains solid. The breadth of our network scale allows us to focus our commercial efforts on those areas of the business with the best opportunity such as the domestic marketplace, while reducing our exposure in some weaker international regions. While we expect international volatility and currency pressures to result in unit revenue declines of 2.5 - 4.5 percent for the March quarter, we should see over 10 points of margin improvement given our capacity discipline in the face of a more than 50 percent decline in fuel prices."
Increase (Decrease)
4Q15 versus 4Q14
----------------
Change Unit
Passenger Revenue 4Q15 ($M) YoY Revenue Yield Capacity
-------- --- ------- ----- --------
Mainline 4,366 4.2 % (0.7) % (3.2) % 5.0 %
Regional 1,422 (5.0) % (0.8) % (5.5) % (4.2) %
-----
Total Domestic 5,788 1.8 % (1.4) % (4.3) % 3.2 %
Atlantic 1,163 (5.4) % (4.1) % (5.3) % (1.3) %
Pacific 653 (14.0) % (2.9) % (8.1) % (11.4) %
Latin America 521 (7.2) % (6.6) % (7.8) % (0.6) %
---
Total Passenger 8,125 (1.3) % (1.6) % (4.4) % 0.3 %
Cargo Revenue 193 (20.4) %
Other Revenue 1,184 1.3 %
Total Revenue 9,502 (1.5) %
------------- ----- ------
March 2016 Quarter Guidance
Following are Delta's projections for the March 2016 quarter:
1Q16 Forecast
-------------
Passenger unit revenue
(compared to 1Q15) Down 2.5% - 4.5%
Operating margin 18% - 20%
Fuel price, including taxes,
settled hedges and refinery
impact $1.20 - $1.25
CASM -Ex including profit
sharing (compared to 1Q15) Up ~5%
System capacity (compared to
1Q15) Up 2 - 3%
---------------------------- --------
Cost Performance
Adjusted fuel expense(2) declined $726 million compared to the same period in 2014, on 40 percent lower market fuel prices. For the quarter, the refinery produced a profit of $8 million. Settled hedge losses were $336 million, including $60 million of early hedge settlements.
CASM-Ex(3) increased 1.9 percent for the December quarter on a year-over-year basis, with foreign exchange and the benefits of Delta's domestic refleeting and other cost initiatives offsetting the company's investments in its employees, products and operations.
Delta's debt reduction initiative continued to improve the company's interest expense, producing $35 million in interest savings for the quarter compared to the same period in 2014.
Non-operating expense includes a $75 million loss for the write-off of Delta's remaining cash holdings in Venezuela.
"Rigorous cost discipline is a key part of the Delta culture, which was proven by our ability to keep non-fuel unit costs flat in 2015 while significantly investing in our people, products and service," said Paul Jacobson, Delta's chief financial officer. "The first half of 2016 will see the most pressure to non-fuel unit costs, and we expect performance will improve through the year as we lap last year's employee wage increases."
Cash Flow, Shareholder Returns, and Adjusted Net Debt(4
)Delta generated $1.4 billion of adjusted operating cash flow and $300 million of free cash flow during the quarter. The company used this strong cash generation to reinvest $1.1 billion back into the business, including $900 million for aircraft acquisitions, fleet modifications and six slot pairs at London's Heathrow airport.
For full year, the company returned $2.6 billion to shareholders, comprised of $360 million of dividends and $2.2 billion of share repurchases for 48 million shares at an average price of $45.50 per share.
Adjusted net debt at the end of the year stood at $6.7 billion, a more than $10 billion reduction since Delta began its balance sheet improvement strategy in 2009.
GAAP Metrics Related to Fuel, Cost Performance and Cash Flow
Below are GAAP metrics corresponding to the non-GAAP figures cited above.
Change
------
($ in millions except per share and unit costs) 4Q15 4Q14 $ %
Pre-tax income (loss) 1,533 (1,140) 2,673 NM
Net income (loss) 980 (712) 1,692 NM
Diluted earnings (loss) per share 1.25 (0.86) 2.11 NM
Fuel expense (including regional carriers) 1,652 4,435 (2,783) (63%)
Consolidated unit cost (cents) 13.38 18.05 (4.67) (26%)
Operating cash flow 1,479 582 897 NM
Change
------
($ in millions except per share and unit costs) FY 2015 FY 2014 $ %
Pre-tax income 7,157 1,072 6,085 NM
-------------- ----- ----- ----- ---
Special Items
Special items, net of taxes, in the December 2015 quarter totaled $54 million, including:
-- $54 million primarily for mark-to-market adjustments on fuel hedges
settling in future periods.
Special items, net of taxes, in the December 2014 quarter totaled $1.4 billion, net of taxes, including:
-- A $1.2 billion charge for mark-to-market adjustments on fuel hedges
settling in future periods;
-- A $75 million charge for mark-to-market adjustments on hedges owned by
Virgin Atlantic;
-- A $74 million charge for fleet, facilities, and other items; and
-- A $29 million gain related to an insurance settlement.
About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. Delta was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 World's Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fourth time in five years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 328 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.
End Notes
(1) Note A to the attached Consolidated Statements of
Operations provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP
financial measures used in this release to the comparable
GAAP metric and provides the reasons management uses those
measures.
(2) Adjusted fuel expense reflects, among other things, the
impact of mark-to-market ("MTM") adjustments and
settlements. MTM adjustments are defined as fair value
changes recorded in periods other than the settlement
period. Such fair value changes are not necessarily
indicative of the actual settlement value of the
underlying hedge in the contract settlement period.
Settlements represent cash received or paid on hedge
contracts settled during the period. These items adjust
fuel expense to show the economic impact of hedging,
including cash received or paid on hedge contracts during
the period. See Note A for a reconciliation of adjusted
fuel expense and average fuel price per gallon to the
comparable GAAP metric.
(3) CASM -Ex: In addition to fuel expense, profit sharing and
special items, Delta believes adjusting for certain other
expenses is helpful to investors because other expenses
are not related to the generation of a seat mile. These
expenses include aircraft maintenance and staffing
services Delta provides to third parties, Delta's vacation
wholesale operations and refinery cost of sales to third
parties. The amounts excluded were $213 million and $297
million for the December 2015 and December 2014 quarters,
respectively, and $1.2 billion and $913 million for the
years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Management believes this methodology provides a more
consistent and comparable reflection of Delta's airline
operations.
(4) Adjusted net debt includes $119 million of hedge margin
receivable, which is cash that we have posted with
counterparties as hedge margin. See Note A for additional
information about our calculation of adjusted net debt.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections or strategies for the future, may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the cost of aircraft fuel; the availability of aircraft fuel; the impact of rebalancing our hedge portfolio, recording mark-to-market adjustments or posting collateral in connection with our fuel hedge contracts; the possible effects of accidents involving our aircraft; the restrictions that financial covenants in our financing agreements will have on our financial and business operations; labor issues; interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub or gateway airports; disruptions or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure; our dependence on technology in our operations; the effects of weather, natural disasters and seasonality on our business; the effects of an extended disruption in services provided by third party regional carriers; failure or inability of insurance to cover a significant liability at Monroe's Trainer refinery; the impact of environmental regulation on the Trainer refinery, including costs related to renewable fuel standard regulations; our ability to retain management and key employees; competitive conditions in the airline industry; the effects of extensive government regulation on our business; the sensitivity of the airline industry to prolonged periods of stagnant or weak economic conditions; the effects of terrorist attacks or geopolitical conflict; and the effects of the rapid spread of contagious illnesses.
Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2014. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of Jan. 19, 2016, and which we have no current intention to update.
DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
Three Months Year Ended
Ended Dec 31, Dec 31,
------------- -------
(in millions, except per share data) 2015 2014 $ Change % Change 2015 2014 $ Change % Change
----------------------------------- ---- ---- -------- -------- ---- ---- -------- --------
Operating Revenue:
Passenger:
Mainline $6,703 $6,738 $(35) (1)% $28,898 $28,688 $210 1%
Regional carriers 1,422 1,497 (75) (5)% 5,884 6,266 (382) (6)%
Total passenger revenue 8,125 8,235 (110) (1)% 34,782 34,954 (172) -%
Cargo 193 243 (50) (21)% 813 934 (121) (13)%
Other 1,184 1,169 15 1% 5,109 4,474 635 14%
Total operating revenue 9,502 9,647 (145) (2)% 40,704 40,362 342 1%
Operating Expense:
Salaries and related costs 2,213 2,036 177 9% 8,776 8,120 656 8%
Aircraft fuel and related taxes 1,433 4,056 (2,623) (65)% 6,544 11,668 (5,124) (44)%
Regional carrier expense
Fuel 219 379 (160) (42)% 1,035 1,844 (809) (44)%
Other 799 825 (26) (3)% 3,206 3,393 (187) (6)%
Aircraft maintenance materials and outside
repairs 418 474 (56) (12)% 1,848 1,828 20 1%
Contracted services 473 423 50 12% 1,848 1,749 99 6%
Depreciation and amortization 451 438 13 3% 1,835 1,771 64 4%
Passenger commissions and other selling
expenses 402 411 (9) (2)% 1,672 1,700 (28) (2)%
Landing fees and other rents 329 353 (24) (7)% 1,493 1,442 51 4%
Profit sharing 380 262 118 45% 1,490 1,085 405 37%
Passenger service 208 195 13 7% 872 810 62 8%
Aircraft rent 67 61 6 10% 250 233 17 7%
Restructuring and other items - 67 (67) NM 35 716 (681) NM
Other 393 495 (102) (21)% 1,998 1,797 201 11%
Total operating expense 7,785 10,475 (2,690) (26)% 32,902 38,156 (5,254) (14)%
----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Operating Income (Loss) 1,717 (828) 2,545 NM 7,802 2,206 5,596 NM
Non-operating expense:
Interest expense, net (102) (137) 35 (26)% (481) (650) 169 (26)%
Miscellaneous, net (82) (175) 93 (53)% (164) (484) 320 (66)%
Non-operating expense, net (184) (312) 128 (41)% (645) (1,134) 489 (43)%
---- ---- --- ---- ------ ---
Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes 1,533 (1,140) 2,673 NM 7,157 1,072 6,085 NM
Income Tax (Provision) Benefit (553) 428 (981) NM (2,631) (413) (2,218) NM
---- --- ---- ------ ---- ------
Net Income (Loss) $980 $(712) $1,692 NM $4,526 $659 $3,867 NM
==== ===== ====== ====== ==== ======
Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share $1.26 $(0.86) $5.68 $0.79
===== ====== ===== =====
Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share $1.25 $(0.86) $5.63 $0.78
===== ====== ===== =====
Basic Weighted Average Shares Outstanding 778 825 797 836
Diluted Weighted Average Shares Outstanding 785 835 804 845
DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
Statistical Summary
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended Dec 31, Year Ended Dec 31,
2015 2014 Change 2015 2014 Change
---- ---- ------ ---- ---- ------
Consolidated:
Revenue passenger miles (millions) 49,573 48,028 3% 209,625 202,925 3%
Available seat miles (millions) 58,199 58,029 -% 246,764 239,676 3%
Passenger mile yield (cents) 16.39 17.15 (4)% 16.59 17.22 (4)%
Passenger revenue per available seat mile (cents) 13.96 14.19 (2)% 14.10 14.58 (3)%
Operating cost per available seat mile (cents) 13.38 18.05 (26)% 13.33 15.92 (16)%
CASM-Ex - see Note A (cents) 9.52 9.34 2% 9.17 9.16 -%
Passenger load factor 85.2% 82.8% 2.4 pts 84.9% 84.7% 0.2 pts
Fuel gallons consumed (millions) 945 944 -% 3,988 3,893 2%
Average price per fuel gallon, adjusted - see Note A $1.85 $2.62 (29)% $2.23 $2.87 (22)%
Number of aircraft in fleet, end of period 926 915 11
Full-time equivalent employees, end of period 82,949 79,655 4%
Mainline:
Revenue passenger miles (millions) 44,231 42,715 4% 188,365 181,187 4%
Available seat miles (millions) 51,646 51,190 1% 220,429 212,232 4%
Operating cost per available seat mile (cents) 12.97 17.71 (27)% 12.84 15.15 (15)%
CASM-Ex - see Note A (cents) 9.13 8.75 4% 8.73 8.53 2%
Fuel gallons consumed (millions) 794 789 1% 3,383 3,262 4%
Average price per fuel gallon, adjusted - see Note A $1.91 $2.64 (28)% $2.31 $2.85 (19)%
Number of aircraft in fleet, end of period 809 772 37
Note: except for full-time equivalent employees and number of aircraft in fleet, consolidated data presented includes operations under Delta's contract carrier arrangements.
DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
December 31,
------------
(in millions) 2015 2014
------------ ---- ----
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
Net income $980 $(712)
Depreciation and amortization 451 438
Hedge derivative contracts (455) 1,762
Deferred income taxes 558 (415)
Pension, postretirement and postemployment payments greater than expense 76 62
Changes in:
Hedge margin 262 (920)
Air traffic liability (728) (696)
Profit sharing 380 (53)
Other working capital changes, net (45) 1,116
--- -----
Net cash provided by operating activities 1,479 582
----- ---
Cash Flows From Investing Activities:
Property and equipment additions:
Flight equipment, including advance payments (640) (483)
Ground property and equipment, including technology (238) (177)
Net (purchases) redemptions of short-term investments (29) 632
Acquisition of London-Heathrow slots (276) -
Other, net 4 (10)
--- ---
Net cash used in investing activities (1,179) (38)
------ ---
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:
Payments on long-term debt and capital lease obligations (407) (443)
Repurchases of common stock (425) (500)
Cash dividends (105) (75)
Fuel card obligation 2 (42)
Net proceeds on hedge derivative contracts 230 -
Proceeds from long-term obligations - 40
Other, net 8 54
Net cash used in financing activities (697) (966)
---- ----
Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents (397) (422)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 2,369 2,510
----- -----
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $1,972 $2,088
====== ======
DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
(as adjusted)
December 31, December 31,
(in millions) 2015 2014
------------ ---- ----
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $1,972 $2,088
Short-term investments 1,465 1,217
Accounts receivable, net 2,020 2,297
Hedge margin receivable 119 925
Fuel inventory 379 534
Expendable parts and supplies inventories, net 318 318
Hedge derivatives asset 1,987 1,078
Prepaid expenses and other 796 701
Total current assets 9,056 9,158
----- -----
Property and Equipment, Net:
Property and equipment, net 23,039 21,929
------------
Other Assets:
Goodwill 9,794 9,794
Identifiable intangibles, net 4,861 4,603
Deferred income taxes, net 4,956 7,595
Other noncurrent assets 1,428 926
Total other assets 21,039 22,918
------ ------
Total assets $53,134 $54,005
======= =======
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt and
capital leases $1,563 $1,184
Air traffic liability 4,503 4,296
Accounts payable 2,743 2,622
Accrued salaries and related benefits 3,195 2,266
Hedge derivatives liability 2,581 2,772
Frequent flyer deferred revenue 1,635 1,580
Other accrued liabilities 1,306 2,127
Total current liabilities 17,526 16,847
------ ------
Noncurrent Liabilities:
Long-term debt and capital leases 6,766 8,477
Pension, postretirement and related benefits 13,855 15,138
Frequent flyer deferred revenue 2,246 2,602
Other noncurrent liabilities 1,891 2,128
Total noncurrent liabilities 24,758 28,345
------ ------
Commitments and Contingencies
Stockholders' Equity:
Common stock - -
Additional paid-in capital 10,875 12,981
Retained earnings 7,623 3,456
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (7,275) (7,311)
Treasury stock (373) (313)
Total stockholders' equity 10,850 8,813
------ -----
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $53,134 $54,005
======= =======
The 2014 Consolidated Balance Sheet has been adjusted to reflect the early adoption of certain accounting standards in order to conform to the current period presentation
Note A: The following tables show reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures. The reasons Delta uses these measures are described below.
Delta sometimes uses information ("non-GAAP financial measures") that is derived from the Consolidated Financial Statements, but that is not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP"). Under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, non-GAAP financial measures may be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results. The tables below show reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures used in this release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
Forward Looking Projections. Delta is unable to reconcile certain forward-looking projections to GAAP as the nature or amount of special items cannot be estimated at this time.
Pre-Tax Income and Net Income, adjusted for special items. We adjust for the following items to determine pre-tax income and net income, adjusted for special items, for the reasons described below:
Mark-to-market ("MTM") adjustments and settlements. MTM adjustments are defined as fair value changes recorded in periods other than the settlement period. Such fair value changes are not necessarily indicative of the actual settlement value of the underlying hedge in the contract settlement period. Settlements represent cash received or paid on hedge contracts settled during the period. These items adjust fuel expense to show the economic impact of hedging, including cash received or paid on hedge contracts during the period. Adjusting for these items allows investors to better understand and analyze our core operational performance in the periods shown.
Restructuring and other. Because of the variability in restructuring and other, the adjustment for this item is helpful to investors to analyze the company's recurring core performance in the period shown.
Virgin Atlantic MTM adjustments. We record our proportionate share of earnings from our equity investment in Virgin Atlantic in other expense. We adjust for Virgin Atlantic's MTM adjustments to allow investors to better understand and analyze the company's core financial performance in the period shown.
Loss on extinguishment of debt. We adjusted for loss on extinguishment of debt in 2014 to assist investors with their analysis of the company's core financial performance.
Income tax. Pre-tax income is adjusted for the income tax effect of special items. We believe this adjustment allows investors to better understand and analyze the company's core financial performance in the periods shown.
Three Months Ended Three Months Ended
December 31, 2015 December 31, 2015
----------------- -----------------
Pre-Tax Income Net Net Income
(in millions, except per share data) Income Tax Income Per Diluted Share
----------------------------------- --- -----------------
GAAP $1,533 $(553) $980 $1.25
Adjusted for:
MTM adjustments and settlements (91) 34 (57)
Virgin Atlantic MTM adjustments 5 (2) 3
--- --- ---
Total adjustments (86) 32 (54) (0.07)
-----------------
Non-GAAP $1,447 $(521) $926 $1.18
======== ====== ===== ==== =====
Year-over-year change $430
Year-over-year percentage change 42 % 51%
Three Months Ended Three Months Ended
December 31, 2014 December 31, 2014
----------------- -----------------
Pre-Tax Income Net Net Income
(in millions, except per share data) Income Tax Income Per Diluted Share
----------------------------------- ------ --- ------ -----------------
GAAP $(1,140) $428 $(712) $(0.86)
Adjusted for:
MTM adjustments and settlements 1,966 (725) 1,241
Restructuring and other 67 (25) 42
Loss on extinguishment of debt 5 (2) 3
Virgin Atlantic MTM adjustments 119 (44) 75
-------------------------------
Total adjustments 2,157 (796) 1,361 1.64
----------------- ----- ---- -----
Non-GAAP $1,017 $(368) $649 $0.78
======== ====== ===== ==== =====
Year Ended Year Ended
December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
----------------- -----------------
Pre-Tax Income Net Pre-Tax Pre-Tax
Income Change
-------------
(in millions, except per share data) Income Tax Income Income
----------------------------------- --- ------
GAAP $7,157 $(2,631) $4,526 $1,072
Adjusted for:
MTM adjustments and settlements (1,301) 479 (822) 2,346
Restructuring and other 35 (13) 22 716
Loss on extinguishment of debt - - - 268
Virgin Atlantic MTM adjustments (26) 9 (17) 134
------------------------------- --- --- --- ---
Total adjustments (1,292) 475 (817) 3,464
----------------- ------ --- ---- -----
Non-GAAP $5,865 $(2,156) $3,709 $4,536 $1,329 29 %
======== ====== ======= ====== ====== ====== ===
Fuel expense, adjusted and Average fuel price per gallon, adjusted. The tables below show the components of fuel expense, including the impact of the refinery segment and hedging on fuel expense and average price per gallon. We then adjust for MTM adjustments and settlements for the reason described below:
MTM adjustments and settlements. MTM adjustments are defined as fair value changes recorded in periods other than the settlement period. Such fair value changes are not necessarily indicative of the actual settlement value of the underlying hedge in the contract settlement period. Settlements represent cash received or paid on hedge contracts settled during the period. These items adjust fuel expense to show the economic impact of hedging, including cash received or paid on hedge contracts during the period. Adjusting for these items allows investors to better understand and analyze our core operational performance in the periods shown.
Consolidated:
-------------
Average Price Per Gallon
------------------------
Three Months Ended Three Months Ended
December 31, December 31,
------------ ------------
(in millions, except per gallon data) 2015 2014 2015 2014
------------------------------------ ---- ---- ---- ----
Fuel purchase cost $1,415 $2,394 $1.50 $2.54
Airline segment fuel hedge losses 245 2,146 0.26 2.27
Refinery segment impact (8) (105) (0.01) (0.11)
--- ---- ----- -----
Total fuel expense $1,652 $4,435 $1.75 $4.70
================== ====== ====== ===== =====
MTM adjustments and settlements 91 (1,966) 0.10 (2.08)
------------------------------- --- ------ ---- -----
Total fuel expense, adjusted $1,743 $2,469 $1.85 $2.62
============================ ====== ====== ===== =====
Change year-over-year (726)
Average Price Per Gallon
------------------------
Year Ended Year Ended
December 31, December 31,
------------ ------------
(in millions, except per gallon data) 2015 2014 2015 2014
------------------------------------ ---- ---- ---- ----
Fuel purchase cost $6,934 $11,350 $1.74 $2.91
Airline segment fuel hedge losses 935 2,258 0.23 0.58
Refinery segment impact (290) (96) (0.07) (0.02)
---- --- ----- -----
Total fuel expense $7,579 $13,512 $1.90 $3.47
================== ====== ======= ===== =====
MTM adjustments and settlements 1,301 (2,346) 0.33 (0.60)
------------------------------- ----- ------ ---- -----
Total fuel expense, adjusted $8,880 $11,166 $2.23 $2.87
============================ ====== ======= ===== =====
Mainline:
---------
Three Months Ended Year Ended
December 31, December 31,
------------ ------------
2015 2014 2015 2014
---- ---- ---- ----
Mainline average price per gallon $1.80 $5.13 $1.93 $3.57
MTM adjustments and settlements 0.11 (2.49) 0.38 (0.72)
-------------------------------
Mainline average price per gallon, adjusted $1.91 $2.64 $2.31 $2.85
=========================================== ===== ===== ===== =====
Non-Fuel Unit Cost or Cost per Available Seat Mile ("CASM-Ex"). We adjust CASM for the following items to determine CASM-Ex for the reasons described below:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes. The volatility in fuel prices impacts the comparability of year-over-year non-fuel financial performance. The adjustment for aircraft fuel and related taxes (including our regional carriers) allows investors to better understand and analyze our non-fuel costs and our year-over-year financial performance.
Profit sharing. We adjust for profit sharing because this adjustment allows investors to better understand and analyze our recurring cost performance and provides a more meaningful comparison of our core operating costs to the airline industry.
Restructuring and other. Because of the variability in restructuring and other, the adjustment for this item is helpful to investors to analyze the company's recurring core performance in the periods shown.
Other expenses. Other expenses include aircraft maintenance and staffing services we provide to third parties, our vacation wholesale operations, and refinery cost of sales to third parties. Because these businesses are not related to the generation of a seat mile, we adjust for the costs related to these sales to provide a more meaningful comparison of the costs of our airline operations to the rest of the airline industry.
Non-Fuel Unit Cost or Cost per Available Seat Mile ("CASM-Ex") (cont.)
Consolidated CASM-Ex:
---------------------
Three Months Ended
------------------
December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
----------------- -----------------
CASM (cents) 13.38 18.05
Adjusted for:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes (2.84) (7.64)
Profit sharing (0.65) (0.45)
Restructuring and other - (0.12)
Other expenses (0.37) (0.50)
CASM-Ex 9.52 9.34
======= ==== ====
Year-over-year change 1.9 %
Year Ended
----------
December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
----------------- -----------------
CASM (cents) 13.33 15.92
Adjusted for:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes (3.07) (5.64)
Profit sharing (0.60) (0.45)
Restructuring and other (0.01) (0.30)
Other expenses (0.48) (0.37)
--------------
CASM-Ex 9.17 9.16
======= ==== ====
Mainline CASM-Ex:
-----------------
Three Months Ended Year Ended
------------------ ----------
December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014 December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
----------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
Mainline CASM (cents) 12.97 17.71 12.84 15.15
Adjusted for:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes (2.78) (7.92) (2.97) (5.50)
Profit sharing (0.74) (0.51) (0.68) (0.51)
Restructuring and other - (0.01) - (0.24)
Other expenses (0.32) (0.52) (0.46) (0.37)
-------------- -----
Mainline CASM-Ex 9.13 8.75 8.73 8.53
================ ==== ==== ==== ====
Operating Cash Flow, adjusted. We present adjusted operating cash flow because management believes adjusting for these amounts provides a more meaningful measure for investors. Adjustments include:
Hedge deferrals. During the March 2015 quarter, we effectively deferred settlement of a portion of our hedge portfolio until 2016 by entering into fuel derivative transactions that, excluding market movements from the date of the transactions, would provide approximately $150 million in cash receipts during the September 2015 quarter and $150 million in cash receipts for the December 2015 quarter. Additionally, these transactions will require approximately $300 million in cash payments in 2016 (excluding market movements from the date of the transactions). By effectively deferring settlement of a portion of the original derivative transactions, the restructured hedge portfolio provides additional time for the fuel market to stabilize while adding some hedge protection in 2016. Operating cash flow is adjusted to include these deferral transactions in order to allow investors to better understand the net impact of hedging activities in the period shown.
Hedge margin. Operating cash flow is adjusted for hedge margin as we believe this adjustment removes the impact of current market volatility on our unsettled hedges and allows investors to better understand and analyze the company's core operational performance in the period shown.
Three Months Ended
(in billions) December 31, 2015
------------ -----------------
Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) $1.5
Adjustments:
Hedge deferrals 0.2
Hedge margin (0.3)
Net cash provided by operating activities, adjusted $1.4
=================================================== ====
Free Cash Flow. We present free cash flow because management believes this metric is helpful to investors to evaluate the company's ability to generate cash that is available for use for debt service or general corporate initiatives. Adjustments include:
Hedge deferrals. During the March 2015 quarter, we effectively deferred settlement of a portion of our hedge portfolio until 2016 by entering into fuel derivative transactions that, excluding market movements from the date of the transactions, would provide approximately $150 million in cash receipts during the September 2015 quarter and $150 million in cash receipts for the December 2015 quarter. Additionally, these transactions will require approximately $300 million in cash payments in 2016 (excluding market movements from the date of the transactions). By effectively deferring settlement of a portion of the original derivative transactions, the restructured hedge portfolio provides additional time for the fuel market to stabilize while adding some hedge protection in 2016. Operating cash flow is adjusted to include these deferral transactions in order to allow investors to better understand the net impact of hedging activities in the period shown.
Hedge margin. Free cash flow is adjusted for hedge margin as we believe this adjustment removes the impact of current market volatility on our unsettled hedges and allows investors to better understand and analyze the company's core operational performance in the period shown.
Three Months Ended
(in billions) December 31, 2015
------------ -----------------
Net cash provided by operating activities $1.5
Net cash used in investing activities (1.2)
Adjustments:
Hedge deferral 0.2
Hedge margin (0.3)
Net purchases of short-term investments and other 0.1
Total free cash flow $0.3
==================== ====
Adjusted Net Debt. Delta uses adjusted total debt, including aircraft rent, in addition to long-term adjusted debt and capital leases, to present estimated financial obligations. Delta reduces adjusted debt by cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments and hedge margin receivable, resulting in adjusted net debt, to present the amount of assets needed to satisfy the debt. Management believes this metric is helpful to investors in assessing the company's overall debt profile. Management has reduced adjusted debt by the amount of hedge margin receivable, which reflects cash posted to counterparties, as we believe this removes the impact of current market volatility on our unsettled hedges and is a better representation of the continued progress we have made on our debt initiatives.
(as adjusted)
(in billions) December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014 December 31, 2009
------------ ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
Debt and capital lease obligations $8.3 $9.7 $17.2
Plus: unamortized discount, net and debt issuance costs 0.1 0.2 1.1
--- --- ---
Adjusted debt and capital lease obligations $8.4 $9.9 $18.3
Plus: 7x last twelve months' aircraft rent 1.8 1.6 3.4
--- --- ---
Adjusted total debt 10.2 11.5 21.7
Less: cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments (3.4) (3.3) (4.7)
Less: hedge margin receivable (0.1) (0.9) -
---- ---- ---
Adjusted net debt $6.7 $7.3 $17.0
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines
