Delta’s premium ticket revenue exceeds Main Cabin ticket revenue for the first time
For the first time in its history, Delta Air Lines' quarterly ticket revenues mainly come from its premium cabins.
For the first time in its history, Delta Air Lines’ ticket revenue from premium seats has overtaken ticket revenue from its Main Cabin.
When Delta Air Lines unveiled its quarterly results on January 12, 2026, the airline’s ticket revenue split showed that its revenue from premium products had, for the first time, overtaken revenue from its Main Cabin fares.
At the end of the quarter, premium ticket revenue was $5.695 billion, up 9% year-on-year (YoY), while Main Cabin ticket revenue was $5.620 billion, down 7% YoY. Full-year revenues were $22 billion and $23.3 billion, respectively, representing an increase and a decline of 7% and 5%.
Over the past two years, premium revenue has steadily outpaced and closed the gap with Main Cabin revenue, increasing from 45% of total ticket revenue at the end of Q1 2024 to just over 50% by Q4 2025.
Cirium’s Diio Mi shows that, compared to 2024, Delta Air Lines’ first, business, and premium class seat capacity grew by 4.8% in 2025, while Main Cabin capacity grew by only 2.7%.
In September 2025, Ed Bastian, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Delta Air Lines, highlighted that “over 95% of our revenues come from households that earn $100,000 or more a year,” emphasizing the strength of the premium segment.
Delta Air Lines’ total quarterly passenger revenues were $12.9 billion, while total operating revenue was $16 billion. Q4 2025 operating costs increased by 5% year-on-year (YoY), resulting in an operating margin of 9.2% and a net profit of $1.2 billion. Full-year net profit was $5 billion, a 45% increase YoY.
Rytis Beresnevicius
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