The carrier’s 11.7% margin came after it saw operating revenue of $12.3 billion, a 99% recovery compared to the same three months in 2019. It led to a net profit of $1 billlion, compared to $1.9 billion in the same quarter in 2019.

The carrier ran 82% of its capacity compared to 2019 and said premium products had outperformed Main Cabin sales “across all markets”.

Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive, gave an upbeat prediction for Q3.  "For the September quarter, we expect an adjusted operating margin of 11 to 13%, supporting our outlook for meaningful full year profitability," he said.

He added: "I would like to thank our entire team for their outstanding work during a challenging operating environment for the industry as we work to restore our best-in-class reliability."  

Delta awarded staff a 4% pay rise in May.

“Their performance coupled with strong demand drove nearly $2 billion of free cash flow as well as profitability in the first half of the year, and we are accruing profit sharing, marking a great milestone for our people," said  Bastian.