Delta Air Lines leads US airline profitability amid industry recovery

Among the major US carriers, Delta Air Lines stands out as the most profitable. According to Statista, Delta generated an operating revenue of approximately $58.2 billion last year, making it North America's most profitable passenger airline and placing it among the top globally. Insider Monkey notes that Delta ranks fourth worldwide in profitability.

In addition to legacy carriers like Delta, low-cost airlines such as Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines have also shown strong performance. Skift reported that Sun Country achieved an operating margin of 13% last year, the highest among US carriers. Despite facing overcapacity issues in domestic markets, Sun Country remains a major contender in the Midwest due to its presence in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Jay Shabat from Airline Weekly highlights Minneapolis as a solid market for Sun Country because of large corporations like United Healthcare and Target located there. The airline continues to expand its cargo operations and plans to increase its passenger aircraft fleet in the coming years.

Sun Country reported more than $30 million in profit during the first quarter of this year, maintaining momentum from 2023.