Delta believes it is well-equipped to combat pockets of softening demand

US budget cuts, increased payroll taxes, currency fluctuations general uneconomic uneasiness would have crippled the country's aviation business just a few short years ago. But Delta withstood all of those menaces during 1Q2013 to eke out a small profit even as high-yielding close-in bookings dropped near the end of the quarter and leisure travel demand softened.

Despite those headwinds lingering somewhat into 2Q2013 with predictions that its system unit revenues will be flat to down for the quarter, Delta remains bullish about recording an annual profit. Key to the carrier's continuing positive outlook is its conclusion that fundamental shift has occurred in the business - tight capacity management has resulted in a stronger correlation between revenue and fuel prices. In the current operating environment, "the same economic factors that cause passenger revenue softness also pushed down oil prices," declared carrier CEO Richard Anderson as he assessed Delta's 1Q2013 performance.