Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) Continued Its Unit-Revenue Dominance in January

United Continental has also seen its share of trouble recently. The company’s profit decline last year was a big disappointment insofar as management expected to see significant cost and revenue synergies. While the 3%-4% increase reported for January is not enough to fully offset recent cost increases, it is better than management’s original guidance for a 2.5% unit revenue gain.

Another merger ahead
The last two major airlines, AMR (American Airlines) and US Airways, announced a merger agreement on Wednesday afternoon. Recently, they have been in the middle of the pack in terms of unit revenue performance. If the experiences of United and Southwest are any indication, revenue synergies will not come quickly, and things could get worse before they get better.  Delta’s continued strong revenue performance makes it the strongest investment candidate among the major airlines today.

The article Delta Continued Its Unit-Revenue Dominance in January originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Adam Levine-Weinberg.

Fool contributor Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Delta Air Lines and  is short Mar 2013 $14 Calls on Delta Air Lines. Adam Levine-Weinberg is short shares of United Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL). The Motley Fool recommends Southwest Airlines.

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