What's going on?

Delta Air Lines, the world�s largest air carrier, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday � and its shares climbed 2%. Follow the greens, Delta niner…

What does this mean?

Back in January, Delta joined the covey of airlines lowering their 2019 earnings expectations � blaming reduced demand on the US government shutdown. But while rivals� profit projections descended further after the grounding of Boeing�s 737 MAX jets, Delta � which doesn�t fly any such planes � only increased its altitude. It was able to capitalize on disrupted flights elsewhere and gain market share.


And a strong US dollar � which hit profits at American companies like Pepsi � may have helped 90-year-old Delta by encouraging more Americans to take cheap trips overseas. Ten times as many now venture abroad as did in 1990 (tweet this).

Why should I care?

For markets: Clues in the clouds.

Delta also raised its profit forecast for the rest of the year on Thursday � it thinks its current momentum will continue to provide a helpful tailwind. If Delta�s right, that could give investors clues about how other companies are doing. The airline saw an uptick in corporate bookings last quarter � which could be evidence of more company executives and bankers traveling to negotiate mergers and acquisitions. Banks may therefore have been raking in more fees than feared � and deals later this year could venture into the slipstream of lowered interest rates making it cheaper for companies to borrow money to pay for them.

The bigger picture: Delta�s gamma rays.

Delta�s the Incredible Hulk of the airline industry: not content with owning half of Virgin Atlantic (the founder of which now has his eye on Galactic travel), it announced a smashing investment in Korean Air last month, adding to the Aeromexico and Air France-KLM stickers already on its suitcase. Better pricing and schedule coordination could create a stronger international presence for Delta � and insulate its earnings from any future turbulence back home.