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Delta Air Lines on Wednesday said sales would grow in 2025, citing a “resilient economy” for strong travel demand and credit card spending, especially for higher-end offerings. It also said it expects to grow earnings in the coming years. Delta forecast revenue growth in the mid-single-digit percentage points next year compared with 2024, in line with the roughly 6% growth analysts were expecting. Delta said in a release that costs would continue to rise, up in the low single digits next year, excluding fuel. In an investor day presentation, the carrier said it would expand flying by 3% to 4% next year from 2024. Delta also reiterated its fourth-quarter outlook. Longer term, it said it expects to grow adjusted earnings by 10% a year over the next three to five years. Delta is the most profitable U.S. airline, and its leaders tout its strong partnership with American Express and high demand for pricier seats toward the front of aircraft as driving its success. It expects $7b in renumeration from AmEx this year and has a long-term target of $10b. The carrier has focused heavily on high-spending travelers, and in an investor day presentation said it has an advantage because of sharp wealth growth in high-earning households since 2019. It also said millennials and Gen Z are the fastest-growing consumer segments. Its upbeat tone on consumer spending has differed from the picture some other companies are painting. Target on Wednesday cut its profit forecast. Its COO blamed a “deceleration in discretionary demand” and higher costs. Delta rival United Airlines has made inroads in growing profit and capturing high-end travelers. Delta’s shares are up 60% so far this year through Tuesday’s close, while United’s are up 128%. Both are outpacing the broader market and other carriers.<br/>

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the Trump administration’s approach to regulation could be a “breath of fresh air.” Speaking to reporters ahead of Delta’s investor day, Bastian noted that President-elect Donald Trump campaigned saying he would take a “fresh look” at regulation and bureaucracy. The U.S. Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg has issued a host of rules aimed at protecting consumers, some of which the airline industry has bristled at, including one this year that requires carriers to provide automatic cash refunds to travelers when an airline cancels a flight. Bastian said the industry has seen a “level of overreach” over the past four years. The department is also looking into airlines’ lucrative loyalty programs, which bring in billions of dollars for carriers, helping to keep them afloat. The current DOT leadership is seeking information about how airlines can unilaterally change the value of frequent flyer points. The DOT has an open investigation into Delta’s handling of July’s CrowdStrike outage, during which the carrier canceled thousands of flights and struggled to recover compared with competitors. Delta on Wednesday said it expects to grow sales and profits in the months and years ahead, pointing to resilient consumer demand and sharp growth in household wealth since the pandemic. Trump tapped former U.S. congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy as his pick to lead the department. Duffy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.<br/>

A new air route will be launched between Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and Japan's Nagoya in December. According to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport and the China Eastern Airlines' branch in Xi'an, the route will be launched on Dec. 20, with round-trip flights every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Outbound flights will depart from Xi'an at 1:30 p.m. Beijing time and arrive in Nagoya at 6:15 p.m. local time. The return flights will depart from Nagoya at 7:15 p.m. local time and arrive in Xi'an at 11:25 p.m. Beijing time. After the opening of the route, China Eastern Airlines will operate two routes between Xi'an and Japan, linking the Chinese city with Tokyo and Nagoya. <br/>