Delta Air Lines continues to work towards achieving investment-grade with strong 1Q2014 results

Delta Air Lines managed to continue its solid financial performance during 1Q2014 despite battling operational disruptions from a bevy of winter storms that plagued most US carriers during the first three months of 2014.

One of the most encouraging aspects of Delta's quarterly performance was the carrier's 16.4% return on invested capital for the trailing 12M, which exceeded the carrier's stated goal of a consistent 15% annual return.

Despite some continuing challenges including the still-weak Yen and not achieving sustainable profitability at its Trainer refinery, the carrier believes demand is strong and expects passenger unit revenue growth to remain in the high single digits in 2Q2014.