Delta Air Lines: revenue passenger miles 2008-2023

In the fiscal year of 2023, Delta Air Lines’ revenue passenger miles came to around 232.2 billion. The company's revenue passenger miles incrementally increased over the past decade, before experiencing a sudden decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

What are revenue passenger miles?

The result of multiplying the number of revenue-paying passengers by the distance traveled is referred as revenue passenger miles (or kilometers). Thus, one revenue passenger mile is approximately equal to one revenue-paying passenger transported one mile. An increase in revenue passenger miles is positive for an airline, as it means that more passengers are using its service. The U.S. airline industry saw an increase in total RPMs' over the last decade until the coronavirus pandemic, when decreased from roughly 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars to approximately 378 billion U.S. dollars . In 2021, the company's RPM stared increasing again.

Delta's RPM in comparison

When contrasted with the over 272 billion available seat miles Delta had in 2023, it is apparent that Delta has a high load factor, meaning that the company is efficient at selling seats and generating income. The airline's income was at 4.6 billion U.S. dollars in that same period. Looking at Delta's main competitors: American Airlines has a higher RPM (at just under 216 billion), while Southwest trails behind with approximately 124 billion U.S. dollars.