8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 5, 2012

DELTA AIR LINES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-05424	58-0218548
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File  Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

P.O. Box 20706, Atlanta, Georgia 30320-6001

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (404) 715-2600

Registrant’s Web site address: www.delta.com

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

£ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

£ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

£ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

£ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 8.01       Other Events.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. today issued a press release reporting August 2012 financial and operating results. The press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01       Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)  Exhibits.

Exhibit 99.1 Press Release dated September 5, 2012 titled “Delta Reports Financial and Operating Performance for August”

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SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
	By: /s/ Paul A. Jacobson
Date:  September 5, 2012	Paul A. Jacobson Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number	Description
Exhibit 99.1	Press Release dated September 5, 2012 titled “Delta Reports Financial and Operating Performance for August”

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

CONTACT:	Corporate Communications
	404-715-2554
	news archive at news.delta.com
	Investor Relations
	404-715-2170

Delta Reports Financial and Operating Performance for August

ATLANTA, Sept. 5, 2012 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today reported financial and operating performance for August 2012.

Delta’s solid revenue improvement continued with consolidated passenger unit revenue (PRASM) increasing 4.0 percent year over year for the month of August.  The PRASM improvement was driven by a stable demand environment, corporate traffic momentum and revenue resulting from customer-facing product investments.  All entities generated positive unit revenue during the month of August, demonstrating continued strength.  Absent the 2011 FAA excise tax suspension, August 2012 unit revenue improvement would be approximately 1.5 points higher. 

System load factor increased 0.9 points on a 1 percent reduction in capacity.

Delta’s adjusted fuel price per gallon was $3.26 for the month.

Delta continued to have excellent operational performance in August, with a 99.4 percent completion factor and an on-time performance rate of 83.9 percent.

The company’s financial and operational performance is detailed below.

Preliminary Financial and Operational Results – August 2012
Consolidated PRASM change year over year	4.0%
Consolidated average fuel price, adjusted	$3.26
On-time performance (preliminary DOT A14)	83.9%
Mainline completion factor	99.4%

Note: Fuel price includes taxes, transportation, settled hedges, and hedge premiums, but excludes mark to market adjustments on open hedges.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic “Airline of the Year” by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the “Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline” by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology, won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey and was the recipient of 12 Executive Travel Magazine Leading Edge Awards for U.S. airlines. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 320 destinations in 60 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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	Monthly Traffic Results (a)							Year to Date Traffic Results (a)
	Aug 2012		Aug 2011		Change			Aug 2012		Aug 2011		Change
RPMs (000):
Domestic	10,939,712		10,766,710		1.6	%		78,189,205		77,936,796		0.3	%
Delta Mainline	8,822,432		8,543,979		3.3	%		62,143,404		61,561,277		0.9	%
Regional	2,117,280		2,222,731		(4.7	%)		16,045,802		16,375,519		(2.0	%)
International	7,995,978		8,127,468		(1.6	%)		53,709,513		53,894,487		(0.3	%)
Latin America	1,207,266		1,127,391		7.1	%		9,605,730		9,366,549		2.6	%
Delta Mainline	1,193,866		1,108,666		7.7	%		9,492,059		9,222,992		2.9	%
Regional	13,399		18,725		(28.4	%)		113,670		143,557		(20.8	%)
Atlantic	4,296,392		4,525,522		(5.1	%)		27,501,094		28,729,628		(4.3	%)
Pacific	2,492,320		2,474,555		0.7	%		16,602,689		15,798,310		5.1	%
Total System	18,935,690		18,894,178		0.2	%		131,898,718		131,831,283		0.1	%
ASMs (000):
Domestic	12,554,722		12,445,755		0.9	%		92,201,116		93,535,054		(1.4	%)
Delta Mainline	9,959,893		9,711,236		2.6	%		72,033,508		72,660,912		(0.9	%)
Regional	2,594,828		2,734,519		(5.1	%)		20,167,608		20,874,142		(3.4	%)
International	9,006,414		9,288,828		(3.0	%)		64,884,743		66,992,340		(3.1	%)
Latin America	1,390,652		1,342,966		3.6	%		11,826,920		11,832,383		0.0	%
Delta Mainline	1,371,363		1,315,027		4.3	%		11,657,567		11,623,572		0.3	%
Regional	19,289		27,939		(31.0	%)		169,353		208,811		(18.9	%)
Atlantic	4,802,652		5,078,532		(5.4	%)		33,007,846		35,666,911		(7.5	%)
Pacific	2,813,110		2,867,330		(1.9	%)		20,049,976		19,493,046		2.9	%
Total System	21,561,136		21,734,583		(0.8	%)		157,085,858		160,527,394		(2.1	%)
Load Factor:
Domestic	87.1	%	86.5	%	0.6		pts	84.8	%	83.3	%	1.5		pts
Delta Mainline	88.6	%	88.0	%	0.6		pts	86.3	%	84.7	%	1.6		pts
Regional	81.6	%	81.3	%	0.3		pts	79.6	%	78.4	%	1.2		pts
International	88.8	%	87.5	%	1.3		pts	82.8	%	80.4	%	2.4		pts
Latin America	86.8	%	83.9	%	2.9		pts	81.2	%	79.2	%	2.0		pts
Delta Mainline	87.1	%	84.3	%	2.8		pts	81.4	%	79.3	%	2.1		pts
Regional	69.5	%	67.0	%	2.5		pts	67.1	%	68.7	%	(1.6	)	pts
Atlantic	89.5	%	89.1	%	0.4		pts	83.3	%	80.5	%	2.8		pts
Pacific	88.6	%	86.3	%	2.3		pts	82.8	%	81.0	%	1.8		pts
Total System	87.8	%	86.9	%	0.9		pts	84.0	%	82.1	%	1.9		pts
Mainline Completion Factor	99.4	%	98.1	%	1.3		pts
Passengers Boarded	15,560,609		15,317,550		1.6	%		111,922,146		111,019,653		0.8	%
Cargo Ton Miles (000):	205,156		194,044		5.7	%		1,589,337		1,576,789		0.8	%

Endnote:

^a Results include flights operated under contract carrier arrangements. 

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Reconciliation of GAAP Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

August 2012

Delta sometimes uses information that is derived from its Consolidated Financial Statements, but that is not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”). Certain of this information are considered “non-GAAP financial measures” under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The non-GAAP financial measures may be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results.

Mark-to-market adjustments for fuel hedges recorded in periods other than the settlement period ("MTM Adjustments"). We exclude MTM adjustments, which are based on market prices at the end of the reporting period and certain assumptions, as they are not necessarily indicative of the actual future value of the underlying hedge in the contract settlement period.

	August 2012 (preliminary)
Average price per fuel gallon including fuel expense incurred under contract carrier arrangements	$	2.62
MTM Adjustments		0.64
Average price per fuel gallon, adjusted	$	3.26

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