Delta Air Lines Reports September 2009 Quarter Financial Results

Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2009. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of October 22, 2009, and which we have no current intention to update.

Note A: The following tables show reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures. The reasons Delta uses these measures are described below.

Under GAAP, Delta does not include in its financial results the results of Northwest Airlines prior to the completion of the merger. Accordingly, Delta's financial results under GAAP for the September 2008 quarter do not include the results of Northwest Airlines for that period. This impacts the comparability of Delta's financial statements under GAAP for the September 2009 and 2008 quarters.

Delta presents its financial results for the September 2009 and September 2008 quarters under GAAP as well as on a "combined basis." "Combined basis" means the company combines the financial results of Delta and Northwest as if the merger had occurred prior to the beginning of the applicable period. Delta believes presenting this financial information on a combined basis provides a more meaningful basis for comparing Delta's year-over-year financial performance than the GAAP financial information.

This press release also includes guidance for the December 2009 quarter. Please note the year-over-year guidance comparisons assume the 2008 financial statements for the applicable periods were prepared on a combined basis, excluding special items and out-of-period fuel hedge losses. Delta is unable to reconcile certain forward-looking projections to GAAP, including projected consolidated cost per available seat mile (CASM) and Mainline non-fuel CASM, as the nature or amount of special items cannot be estimated at this time.