For the quarter, Delta beat its revenue expectations handily. The company earned operating revenue of $15.6 billion in Q4 and $61.6 billion for the full year. The revenue growth represents a 9.4% increase from the fourth quarter last year, the company’s strongest since October 2023.

Delta reported earnings Friday, perhaps providing an indication that airlines could be entering a strong earnings period.

If investors were questioning whether airline stocks could keep rallying, Delta Air Lines has provided an emphatic answer. The carrier’s fourth-quarter earnings and positive outlook for 2025 gave the sector’s stocks permission to take off again early Friday.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) on Friday revealed a first-quarter outlook above analysts’ expectations as the carrier expects strong demand for travel to give it the best year in its history.

Delta forecast first-quarter earnings of between 70 cents and $1, slightly higher than analysts' estimates. Delta beat sales and earnings estimates for the last three months of the year. The carrier is the first of the major U.