Delta Airline Profits Soar, Company Rewards Employees With Major Bonus

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Delta Airlines announced record profits for 2019, but it's their employees who will reap the benefits.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's biggest air carrier interacts with 200 million people each year - people like Emily Johnson from Blaine who are heading to the Caribbean. "They are doing good at their job. They are good at giving comfort while also giving decent prices," she said.

Retired teacher and world traveler Michele Plagman is Delta Loyal too: "We've been flying so much I finally got a Delta credit card so I could get one bag free," Plagman said.

Kirian Ponnappa, a Woodbury father who flies Delta with his little one in tow, said "One of the main reasons is the connections you get from here since it's a Delta hub."

The numbers show more people are choosing Delta. Profits from 2019 show a $6.3 billion increase in revenue. That's up nearly 30% from last year.

Delta cites low fuel costs and high demand for their increase. The biggest benefactors will be the 90,000 Delta employees who, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, will get a bonus of two month's salary. They'll get their share of the profit next month on Valentine's Day, February 14th.

"For any airline that, any airline that makes profit, it makes sense for them to share with their employees, any company doesn't matter," Ponnappa says.

Consumer expert George John of the University of Minnesota says airline profits rarely stay high for the long haul.

Delta also acquired 88 new aircrafts in 2019. You can find more information on earnings here.