Delta posts strong traffic, revenue figures in October

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that a key financial figure rose last month because of strong revenue from flights within the USA and across the Atlantic.

The airline said that revenue for every seat flown one mile rose 3% in October. That ratio rises when airlines fill more seats, charge higher average fares, or both.

Most major U.S. airlines have posted large profits in 2014, as the industry has kept prices up by limiting the addition of new flights and seats.

Delta said that traffic rose 4.8% over the same month last year, as passengers flew 17.04 billion miles. Domestic traffic boomed, up 6.9%.

Delta grew slightly faster than it had earlier this year, as it expanded passenger-carrying capacity by 3.6%. The airline added seats on international flights at a slightly faster pace than within the USA.

The average flight was 83.8% full, up from 82.9% a year earlier.

The numbers included Delta Connection regional flights.