Delta premium travel expected to outpace coach cabin sales next year

Delta Airlines customers get used to first class.

Revenue from the more expensive, roomier seats at the front of the plane could eclipse sales of standard coach seats for at least a quarter or two next year, Delta executives said Thursday.

In the most recent quarter, Delta said its premium cabin ticket revenue rose 9% from a year ago to nearly $5.8 billion, while main cabin ticket revenue fell 4% from a year earlier to just over $6 billion.

CEO Ed Bastian said he saw no signs of slowing demand for premium travel, a trend that contributed to the carrier’s optimistic forecast, released Thursday, for the remainder of 2025 and next year.

Delta Airlines to Border have worked to court travelers willing to pay more for their seats on board.

At an investor day last year, Delta said only 43% of its revenue in 2024 came from main-cabin tickets, down from 60% in 2010. Meanwhile, Delta said nearly 60% of last year’s revenue was generated by premium seats and its lucrative loyalty program.

Delta, the most profitable US airline, has benefited from its customers paying more for premium seats. Carriers raced to add more such seats to their fleets, some of them so elaborate — with reclining beds, beanbags and large entertainment screens — that they delayed deliveries of new planes while regulators evaluated their designs.