8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 13, 2021

DELTA AIR LINES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-05424	58-0218548
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

P.O. Box 20706, Atlanta, Georgia 30320-6001

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (404) 715-2600

Registrant’s Web site address: www.delta.com

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share	DAL	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. today issued a press release discussing additional investments it plans to make in Virgin Atlantic, Aeroméxico and LATAM. The press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1.

In accordance with general instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information in this report (including the exhibit) that is being furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as expressly set forth in such filing. This report will not be deemed an admission as to the materiality of any information in the report that is required to be disclosed solely by Regulation FD.

Statements made in this Form 8-K or any exhibit that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments or strategies for the future, should be considered “forward-looking statements” under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not guarantees or promised outcomes and should not be construed as such. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the material adverse effect that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our business; the impact of incurring significant debt in response to the pandemic; failure to comply with the financial and other covenants in our financing agreements; the possible effects of accidents involving our aircraft or aircraft of our airline partners; breaches or lapses in the security of technology systems on which we rely; disruptions in our information technology infrastructure; our dependence on technology in our operations; our commercial relationships with airlines in other parts of the world and the investments we have in certain of those airlines; the effects of a significant disruption in the operations or performance of third parties on which we rely; failure to realize the full value of intangible or long-lived assets; labor issues; the effects of weather, natural disasters and seasonality on our business; the cost of aircraft fuel; the availability of aircraft fuel; failure or inability of insurance to cover a significant liability at Monroe’s Trainer refinery; failure to comply with existing and future environmental regulations to which Monroe’s refinery operations are subject, including costs related to compliance with renewable fuel standard regulations; our ability to retain senior management and other key employees, and to maintain our company culture; significant damage to our reputation and brand, including from exposure to significant adverse publicity; the effects of terrorist attacks, geopolitical conflict or security events; competitive conditions in the airline industry; extended interruptions or disruptions in service at major airports at which we operate or significant problems associated with types of aircraft or engines we operate; the effects of extensive government regulation we are subject to; the impact of environmental regulation, including increased regulation to reduce emissions and other risks associated with climate change, on our business; and unfavorable economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate or volatility in currency exchange rates.

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, 2020 and our Quarterly Report for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of the date of this Form 8-K, and which we undertake no obligation to update except to the extent required by law.

2

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

d)  Exhibits.

Exhibit 99.1	Press Release dated December 13, 2021 titled “Delta Fortifies Global Partner Strategy”
Exhibit 104	The cover page from this Current Report on Form 8-K, formatted in Inline XBRL

3

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
	By:  /s/ Daniel C. Janki
Date:  December 13, 2021	Daniel C. Janki Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

4

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Delta Fortifies Global Partner Strategy

Investments in Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and LATAM reinforce global strategy that

fueled record growth pre-pandemic

ATLANTA, Dec. 13, 2021 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will make investments in Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and LATAM as the partner airlines transform their businesses to emerge from the global pandemic stronger and more resilient. These investments bolster Delta’s global platform that provides customers an enhanced network, seamless connectivity and an elevated experience, as well as fuel business growth for Delta, its employees and its partners.

Prior to the pandemic, Delta was achieving record international growth attributed to a combination of organic growth and its global partner network. Over the past 10 years, Delta has built industry-leading partnerships with flagship airlines across Europe, Asia and Latin America. As international travel demand returns, the connectivity, relevance and breadth of Delta’s global network with its partners remains critical to continuing this success.

“These strategic investments in our partners will transform our ability to improve the travel experience for our customers, enabling us to deliver a seamless travel experience alongside offering our customers an unrivalled network between North American and premier markets worldwide,” said Delta CEO, Ed Bastian. “The work each of our partners has done to strengthen their businesses for the future makes these partnerships even more valuable and creates a new era of international travel to benefit our customers, our employees and our investors as global travel rebounds in 2022 and beyond.”

In support of its global future, Delta is investing in Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and LATAM as each carrier emerges from restructuring or recapitalization. Upon completion of their respective processes, Delta is targeting a 20% equity stake in Aeromexico and a 10% equity stake in LATAM. In addition, Delta will maintain its 49% equity stake in Virgin Atlantic. The airline’s investment in these carriers will be approximately $1.2 billion.

With new widebody aircraft on the way, record hiring, and significant investments in international readiness, Delta is positioned to lead the industry through the ongoing recovery. Delta’s partnerships with Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and LATAM expand that growth potential, helping to fuel route additions, customer connectivity and associated job creation:

· Aeromexico: The airlines’ existing Joint Cooperation Agreement (JCA) launched in 2017. Over the past four years, Delta and Aeromexico have built a leading trans-border network of more than 40 popular business and leisure routes from their main hubs and offering the most service in the largest New York and Los Angeles markets.

· LATAM: Delta and LATAM’s trans-American Joint Venture Agreement will combine the carriers’ highly complementary route networks between North and South America. Following Chilean Court approval of the JV in October this year, Delta and LATAM expanded their existing codeshares to improve connectivity between North and South America.

· Virgin Atlantic: Delta’s joint venture with Virgin Atlantic has, since 2013, solidified Delta’s position on key U.S.-U.K. routes including the leading business route New York-JFK to London Heathrow.

“Throughout the pandemic, Delta has continued to invest in our future, including new aircraft orders, accelerating real estate projects and putting significant resources into health and safety measures to protect our employees and our customers,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dan Janki. “Similarly, investing in our partners now – even as we continue to navigate the pandemic – is the right choice to support Delta’s long-term strategy.”

There is no change to Delta’s investments in AFKL, Korean Air and China Eastern.

1

With a shared ethos of the highest levels of customer service, Delta is focused on delivering benefits for customers through initiatives including seamless technology, loyalty reciprocity and frictionless connectivity with its global partners. Delta’s own international network combined with its partnerships creates an extensive global network and positions the airline to successfully capitalize on the re-opening of international markets, as well as anticipated growth into the future.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements made in this release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments or strategies for the future, should be considered “forward-looking statements” under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not guarantees or promised outcomes and should not be construed as such. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections, goals, aspirations, commitments and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and our Quarterly Report for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of the date of this release, and which we undertake no obligation to update except to the extent required by law.

###

2

XML

Cover	Dec. 13, 2021
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 13, 2021
Entity File Number	001-05424
Entity Registrant Name	DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0000027904
Entity Tax Identification Number	58-0218548
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Address, Address Line One	P.O. Box 20706
Entity Address, City or Town	Atlanta
Entity Address, State or Province	GA
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	30320-6001
City Area Code	(404)
Local Phone Number	715-2600
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share
Trading Symbol	DAL
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false