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Delta cuts full-year profit guidance on high fuel costs
Delta reduced its full-year profit outlook by more than $1 per share at the midpoint, citing high fuel costs tied to Middle East turmoil and disrupted global trade.
Delta Air Lines cut its full-year profit guidance in its Q3 2026 earnings report, pulling back the midpoint by more than $1 per share, which MarketBeat Ratings called one of the largest single-quarter guidance cuts the company has ever made.
The outlet attributed Delta management's more cautious stance primarily to high fuel costs, which it links to turmoil in the Middle East and disruptions to global trade.
MarketBeat Ratings said the update could raise concerns for the broader airline industry, noting that United Airlines and Southwest are scheduled to report earnings in the following weeks and that the market will be able to gauge whether the pressure is Delta-specific or sector-wide.
It added that fuel costs are weighing on Delta's margins, pointing to flat EBIT and flat earnings per share in the latest quarter, even as Delta management takes a more cautious view.