Delta Air Lines Part 2: Stiff international market competition, eased by Delta's foreign investments

Currency pressure and general economic weakness are pressuring Delta Air Lines' performance across all of its geographical entities, reflected in 2Q2015 negative unit revenue and yield performance in both domestic and international sectors.

But recent moves by Delta to increase its stake in Brazilian airline Gol and a proposed investment in Japanese airline Skymark show that Delta is attempting to lay the groundwork now to solidify its position in two markets that remain highly strategic over the long term.

Delta more than any other US airline during the last few years has moved quickly to take stakes in airlines located in areas where it needed to fill gaps in its network, and its enlarged stake in Gol shows a certain willingness to step in to ensure it achieves positive returns from its investments.

This is Part 2 of a series on Delta Air Lines.