Delta Air Lines 10-Q 2022-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022

Commission File Number 001-5424

DELTA AIR LINES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (404) 715-2600

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐ No ☑

Number of shares outstanding by each class of common stock, as of September 30, 2022:

Common Stock, $0.0001 par value - 641,188,362 shares outstanding

This document is also available through our website at http://ir.delta.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, the terms "Delta," "we," "us" and "our" refer to Delta Air Lines, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this Form 10-Q (or otherwise made by us or on our behalf) that are not historical facts, including statements about our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments or strategies for the future, may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or our present expectations. Known material risk factors applicable to Delta are described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 ("Form 10-K"), other than risks that could apply to any issuer or offering. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this report except as required by law.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

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Operating Statistics

(1)Includes the operations of our regional carriers under capacity purchase agreements.

(2)Non-GAAP financial measures defined and reconciled to TRASM, CASM and average fuel price per gallon, respectively, in "Supplemental Information" below.

(3)Includes the impact of fuel hedge activity, refinery segment results and carbon offset costs.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 31

Item 2. MD&A - Fleet Information

Fleet Information

Our operating aircraft fleet, purchase commitments and options at September 30, 2022 are summarized in the following table.

(1)Includes both active and temporarily parked aircraft. Excludes certain aircraft we own or lease or that are operated by regional carriers on our behalf shown in the table below.

The table below summarizes the aircraft operated by regional carriers on our behalf at September 30, 2022.

(1)Includes both active and temporarily parked aircraft.

(2)Endeavor Air, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 32

Item 2. MD&A - Financial Condition and Liquidity

Financial Condition and Liquidity

As of September 30, 2022, we had $11.2 billion in cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and aggregate principal amount committed and available to be drawn under our revolving credit facilities ("liquidity"). We expect to meet our liquidity needs for the next twelve months with cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, restricted cash equivalents and cash flows from operations. We expect to meet our long-term liquidity needs with cash flows from operations and financing arrangements.

Sources and Uses of Liquidity

Operating Activities

We generated cash flows from operations of $5.2 billion and $2.7 billion in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We expect to continue generating positive cash flows from operations during the December 2022 quarter.

Our operating cash flow is impacted by the following factors:

Seasonality of Advance Ticket Sales. We sell tickets for air travel in advance of the customer's travel date. When we receive a cash payment at the time of sale, we record the cash received on advance sales as deferred revenue in air traffic liability. The air traffic liability typically increases during the winter and spring months as advance ticket sales grow prior to the summer peak travel season and decreases during the summer and fall months.

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the March 2020 quarter through 2021, reduced demand for air travel resulted in a lower level of advance bookings and the associated cash received than we had historically experienced, which had been impacting the typical seasonal trend of air traffic liability. However, demand has improved during 2022 as consumers have regained confidence to travel and increased ticket purchases for travel further in advance. Air traffic liability decreased during the September 2022 quarter, as is typical with our usual seasonal trend. Our air traffic liability remains above historical levels with no material change to the travel credit balance compared to December 31, 2021.

Fuel. Fuel expense represented approximately 25% and 22% of our total operating expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The market price for jet fuel is volatile, which can impact the comparability of our periodic cash flows from operations. The average fuel price per gallon increased substantially during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. We expect elevated jet fuel prices in comparison to historical levels to continue during the December 2022 quarter due to current market conditions, further exacerbated by geopolitical events. Fuel consumption was also higher during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 compared to the prior year period due to the increase in capacity. We expect that fuel consumption will continue to increase during the December 2022 quarter, compared to 2021, as we return closer to pre-pandemic levels of capacity, partially offset by increases in fuel efficiency of our fleet.

New York-JFK Airport Expansion. During 2021, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ("Port Authority") approved modified project plans to renovate and expand Terminal 4 in order to facilitate Delta's relocation from Terminal 2 and consolidation of its operations into the single facility. The project will add 10 new gates and other complementary facilities, including an additional Delta Sky Club and a new Delta One lounge. The project is estimated to cost approximately $1.5 billion and will be funded primarily with bonds issued in April 2022 by the New York Transportation Development Corporation ("NYTDC") for which our landlord, JFK International Air Terminal LLC, is the obligor. In April 2022, we amended our sublease to provide for the expansion project, including the adjustment of our subleased space and rentals. Based on our assessment of the project, we concluded that we do not control the underlying assets being constructed, and therefore, we do not have the project asset or related obligation recorded on our balance sheet. The majority of project costs are being used to expand or modify Delta's leased premises, and thus will increase Delta's lease liability which we will pay via rent through 2043. Construction started in late 2021, with Delta's portion of the project estimated to be complete by the end of 2023.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 33

Item 2. MD&A - Financial Condition and Liquidity

Investing Activities

Short-Term Investments. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we redeemed a net of $2.0 billion in short-term investments. See Note 3 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on these investments.

Capital Expenditures. Our capital expenditures were $4.2 billion and $2.0 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our capital expenditures are primarily related to the purchases of aircraft, airport construction projects, fleet modifications and technology enhancements.

We have committed to future aircraft purchases and have obtained, but are under no obligation to use, long-term financing commitments for a substantial portion of the purchase price of the aircraft. Excluding the New York-LaGuardia airport project discussed below, our expected 2022 capital spend of approximately $5.7 billion will be primarily for aircraft, including deliveries and advance deposit payments, as well as fleet modifications and technology enhancements and may vary depending on financing decisions.

New York-LaGuardia Redevelopment. As part of the terminal redevelopment project at LaGuardia Airport, we are partnering with the Port Authority to replace Terminals C and D with a new state-of-the-art terminal facility. Completion is expected by 2025. In June 2022, we achieved a significant milestone by opening the 455,000 square foot headhouse, the terminal roadways and Concourse E - the second of four new concourses to be built. Additionally, in early October, we opened four of 12 planned new gates on Concourse F. Construction is approximately 75% complete and will continue to be phased to support airline operations while minimizing customer inconvenience.

We currently expect our net project costs to be approximately $3.5 billion and we bear the risks of project construction, including any potential cost over-runs. Using funding primarily provided by existing financing arrangements, we expect to spend approximately $670 million on this project during 2022, of which $534 million was incurred in the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Los Angeles International Airport ("LAX"). The City of Los Angeles (the "City") owns and operates LAX and we have an ongoing terminal redevelopment project at LAX to modernize, update and provide post-security connection to Terminals 2 and 3. In April 2022, we reached the next major phasing milestone of the project with the opening of a new consolidated headhouse for both terminals, which includes ticketing, security, baggage claim and a new Delta Sky Club lounge. In May, we opened the Terminal 3 concourse with the initial three of 14 planned new gates. Additionally, in early October, we opened the Terminal 3 satellite with eight planned new gates for a total of 11 of 14 planned new gates now open in Terminal 3. Construction is expected to be completed in 2023 with a cost of approximately $2.3 billion. A substantial majority of the project costs are being funded through the Regional Airports Improvement Corporation ("RAIC"), a California public benefit corporation, using a revolving credit facility provided by a group of lenders. The credit facility was executed in 2017 and we have guaranteed the obligations of the RAIC under the credit facility. The revolving credit facility agreement was amended in January 2022, increasing the revolver capacity from $800 million to $1.1 billion. In September 2022, the revolving credit facility agreement capacity was reduced to $800 million. Loans made under the credit facility are being repaid with the proceeds from the City's purchase of completed project assets.

Financing Activities

Debt and Finance Leases. In the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we had cash outflows of $4.2 billion related to repayments of our debt and finance lease obligations, including $1.5 billion of certain notes through a cash tender offer in the September 2022 quarter and $839 million for the early repurchase of various secured and unsecured notes through repurchases on the open market. We continue to seek opportunities to pre-pay our debt, in addition to periodic amortization and scheduled maturities, during the December 2022 quarter and beyond.

The principal amount of our debt and finance leases was $23.4 billion at September 30, 2022.

Undrawn Lines of Credit

As of September 30, 2022, we had approximately $2.8 billion undrawn and available under our revolving credit facilities. In addition, we had approximately $300 million outstanding letters of credit as of September 30, 2022 that did not affect the availability of our revolving credit facilities.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 34

Item 2. MD&A - Financial Condition and Liquidity

Covenants

We were in compliance with the covenants in our debt agreements at September 30, 2022.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Except as set forth below, for information regarding our Critical Accounting Estimates, see the "Critical Accounting Estimates" section of "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K.

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Identifiable Intangible Assets. In the September 2022 quarter, final regulatory approval was granted for our trans-American joint venture agreement with LATAM. This agreement will combine our highly complementary route networks between North and South America, with the goal of providing customers with a seamless travel experience and industry-leading connectivity. Approval was granted for a 10-year period with a subsequent reassessment and extension process. This agreement supports our strategic partnership with LATAM and the value of our $1.2 billion alliance-related indefinite-lived intangible asset. We believe the LATAM joint venture agreement will generate growth opportunities, building upon Delta's and LATAM's global footprint and joint ventures.

We have classified our intangible asset as indefinite-lived as we expect to indefinitely receive the economic benefits from the relationship, similar to other joint venture arrangements between U.S. and foreign carriers that have been cleared by competition authorities in relevant foreign jurisdictions and granted antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation ("DOT"). Antitrust immunity grants are generally subject to reporting requirements and periodic reassessment processes administered by the DOT. We have determined that there are currently no material legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that limit the useful life of our LATAM alliance-related intangible asset.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

Expected Long-Term Rate of Return. Based on our funded status as of December 31, 2021, we have modified the strategic asset allocation mix to reduce the investment risk of the portfolio. As a result of the lower risk profile of the portfolio, the weighted average expected long-term rate of return on our defined benefit pension plan assets for 2022 net periodic benefit cost is 7.0%.

Recent Accounting Standards

Fair Value of Equity Investments. In June 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2022-03, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions." Under this standard, a contractual restriction on the sale of an equity security is not considered in measuring the security's fair value. The standard also requires certain disclosures for equity securities that are subject to contractual restrictions. The ASU becomes effective January 1, 2024. Upon adoption, we do not believe it will have a material impact on the valuation of our equity investments; however, we may be required to include additional disclosures to the extent we have material equity investments subject to contractual sale restrictions.

Supplier Finance Program Obligations. In September 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-04, "Liabilities—Supplier Finance Programs (Subtopic 405-50)." This standard requires disclosure of the key terms of outstanding supplier finance programs and a rollforward of the related obligations. The new standard does not affect the recognition, measurement or financial statement presentation of supplier finance program obligations. The ASU becomes effective January 1, 2023, except for the rollforward requirement, which becomes effective January 1, 2024. Upon adoption, we may be required to include additional disclosures to the extent we have material supplier finance program obligations.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 35

Item 2. MD&A - Supplemental Information

Supplemental Information

We sometimes use information (non-GAAP financial measures) that is derived from the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, but that is not presented in accordance with 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.

Included below are reconciliations of non-GAAP measures used within this Form 10-Q to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations below may not calculate exactly due to rounding. These reconciliations include certain adjustments to GAAP measures that are directly related to the impact of COVID-19 and our response. These adjustments are made to provide comparability between the reported periods, if applicable, as indicated below:

• Restructuring charges. During 2020, we recorded restructuring charges for items such as fleet impairments and voluntary early retirement and separation programs following strategic business decisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the September 2022 quarter, we recognized $1 million of net adjustments to certain of those restructuring charges, representing changes in our estimates, compared to $33 million of net adjustments in the September 2021 quarter.

• Government grant recognition. We recognized $1.8 billion and $4.5 billion of the grant proceeds from the payroll support program extensions as contra-expense during the September 2021 quarter and nine months ended September 2021, respectively. We recognized the grant proceeds as contra-expense based on the periods that the funds were intended to compensate and have fully used all proceeds from the payroll support program extensions.

We also regularly adjust certain GAAP measures for the following items, if applicable, for the reasons indicated below:

*•MTM adjustments and settlements on hedges. Mark-to-market ("*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, and therefore we remove this impact to allow investors to better understand and analyze our core performance. Settlements represent cash received or paid on hedge contracts settled during the applicable period.

*•*Third-party refinery sales. Refinery sales to third parties, and related expenses, are not related to our airline segment. Excluding these sales therefore provides a more meaningful comparison of our airline operations to the rest of the airline industry.

*•*Delta Private Jets adjustment. Because we combined Delta Private Jets with Wheels Up in January 2020, we have excluded the impact of Delta Private Jets from 2019 results for comparability.

• Aircraft fuel and related taxes. The volatility in fuel prices impacts the comparability of year-over-year financial performance. The adjustment for aircraft fuel and related taxes allows investors to better understand and analyze our non-fuel costs and 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.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 36

Item 2. MD&A - Supplemental Information

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 37

Item 3. Market Risk

There have been no material changes in market risk from the information provided in "Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" in our Form 10-K.

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, performed an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, which have been designed to permit us to effectively identify and timely disclose important information. Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that the controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2022 to ensure that material information was accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

During the three months ended September 30, 2022, we did not make any changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

"Item 3. Legal Proceedings" of our Form 10-K includes a discussion of our legal proceedings. There have been no material changes from the legal proceedings described in our Form 10-K.

“Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K includes a discussion of our known material risk factors, other than risks that could apply to any issuer or offering. There have been no material changes from the risk factors described in our Form 10-K.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

The following table presents information with respect to purchases of common stock we made during the September 2022 quarter. The table reflects shares withheld from employees to satisfy certain tax obligations due in connection with grants of stock under the Delta Air Lines, Inc. Performance Compensation Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan provides for the withholding of shares to satisfy tax obligations. It does not specify a maximum number of shares that can be withheld for this purpose. The shares of common stock withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations may be deemed to be "issuer purchases" of shares that are required to be disclosed pursuant to this Item.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 38

(a) Exhibits

3.1(a) Delta's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Delta's Current Report on Form 8-K as filed on April 30, 2007).*

3.1 (b) Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Delta's Current Report on Form 8-K as filed on June 27, 2014).*

3.2 Delta's Bylaws (Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Delta's Current Report on Form 8-K as filed on February 8, 2019).*

4.1 Description of Registrant's Securities (Filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Delta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020).*

10.1 Purchase Agreement Number PA-04696, dated July 18, 2022, between The Boeing Company and Delta Air Lines, Inc. relating to Boeing Model 737-10 Aircraft.**

15 Letter from Ernst & Young LLP regarding unaudited interim financial information

31.1 Certification by Delta's Chief Executive Officer with respect to Delta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022

31.2 Certification by Delta's Chief Financial Officer with respect to Delta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022

32 Certification pursuant to Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code by Delta's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer with respect to Delta's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022

101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document

101.PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

104 The cover page from this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, formatted in Inline XBRL (included in Exhibit 101)

• Incorporated by reference.

** Portions of this exhibit have been omitted as confidential information.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 39

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. September 2022 Form 10-Q 40