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Expedia beats estimates with B2B growth, shares up 14.7%
Expedia beat estimates on revenue and earnings per share driven by strong business-to-business bookings growth, with shares surging by more than 15%. Revenue grew by 9% year-over-year to US$4.41 billion, above Zacks estimates of $4.3 billion. Adjusted earnings per share were $7.57, up from $6.13 and passing estimates of $7.21. “Our strong third quarter results exceeded both our top and bottom-line expectations, reflecting an improved demand environment, disciplined execution and tangible progress on our strategic priorities,” said Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin. “Notably, we grew room nights in the U.S. at the fastest pace in over three years, delivered our 17th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in B2B—up 26%—and grew consumer bookings by 7%. We’re confident that our strategy and the reinforcing power of our two-sided marketplace will continue to drive greater value for both travelers and partners, and growth for our business.” Booked room nights increased by 11% to 108.2 million, with gross bookings up 12% to $30.73 billion. The company credited this to the fastest United States booked room nights growth in three years. Business-to-consumer gross bookings rose by 7% to $21.23 billion, and business-to-business gr
Travel
Delta Airlines beats on earnings, passengers increase
United Airlines beat estimates on earnings per share last quarter, as its passenger numbers rose. Earnings per share were US$2.78, down from $3.33 year-over-year but above LSEG estimates of $2.62. Revenue was $15.23 billion, up 2.6% but below estimates of $15.33 billion. “We’ve invested in customers at every price point: Seatback screens, an industry-leading mobile app, extra legroom, a lie-flat United Polaris seat, and fast, free, reliable Starlink on every plane by 2027. Our customers value the United experience, making them increasingly loyal to United,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said. “Those investments over almost a decade, combined with great service from our people, have allowed United to win and retain brand-loyal customers, leading to economic resilience even with macro economic volatility through the first three quarters of the year and significant upside as the economy and demand are improving in the fourth quarter.” Passenger revenue was up 1.9% to $13.82 billion, while cargo revenue grew 3.2% to $431 million. Other revenue increased by 13.2% to $979 million. The company recorded 48.38 million passengers last quarter, a 6.2% increase. It flew around 427,000 passengers each day. United is set to
Travel
Lufthansa cuts 4,000 jobs, leans on AI for profit push
In an attempt to increase efficiency across business areas and activities, German airline Lufthansa has unveiled plans to increase profitability by slashing its payroll and leaning heavily on artificial intelligence, digitalisation and consolidating work among member airlines. It’s understood that the airline group plans to eliminate a total of 4,000 full-time equivalent roles worldwide by 2030. While Lufthansa missed profitability targets in 2024, amid a difficult year of staff strikes, increased global price competition and aircraft delays, the airline now expects adjusted operating margin to reach 8%-10% from 2028. Adjusted free cash flow is expected to exceed 2.5 billion euros (US$2.9 billion, A$4.46 billion) annually. Annual earnings dropped 39% to 1.65 billion euros last year, and its annual operating margin was 4.4%, below Lufthansa’s strategic target of 8%. While most of the job losses will be from Germany, the focus - as part of a broader restructuring strategy - is expected to be on administrative rather than operational roles. Lufthansa told the market it was moving to deepen the integration among member airlines Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways, and is "reviewing
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Qantas to pay A$90 million for illegally outsourcing jobs
Qantas CEO, Venessa Hudson, has apologised for illegally outsourcing ground handling jobs during COVID and confirmed that the airline will be paying the A$90 million. The penalty was handed down by Federal Court Justice Michael Lee, who said the penalty must “bear some resemblance” to the maximum A$121 million and should be no less than A$90 million. Lee also said A$50 million should be paid to the Transport Workers Union (TWU). How the remaining A$40 million will be paid will be declared at a later hearing. The TWU called for the airline to be fined the maximum A$121 million; however, Qantas argued that the court instead imposed a penalty between A$40 million and A$80 million. Hudson, who became CEO in September 2023 after former CEO Alan Joyce stepped down, apologised to the 1,820 employees who lost their jobs following the decision to illegally outsource them. She said the impact was felt not only by those who lost their jobs also by the company’s entire workforce. “The decision to outsource five years ago, particularly during such an uncertain time, caused genuine hardship for many of our former team and their families,” she said. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked hard to change the way we operate as
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Boeing sheds 4.4% post-earnings; CEO eyes recovery
Boeing reported a significantly smaller quarterly loss as aircraft deliveries surged to their highest levels since 2018, marking a notable step forward in the aerospace giant’s ongoing recovery. The company posted a net loss of $176 million for the three months ended 30 June, a sharp improvement from the $1.09 billion loss a year earlier. Adjusted losses per share came in at $1.24, better than the $1.48 forecast, while revenue rose 35% to US$22.75 billion, beating market expectations of $21.84 billion. "Our fundamental changes to strengthen safety and quality are producing improved results as we stabilise our operations and deliver higher quality airplanes, products and services to our customers," said Kelly Ortberg, Boeing president and chief executive officer. "As we look to the second half of the year, we remain focused on restoring trust and making continued progress in our recovery while operating in a dynamic global environment." Ortberg, who assumed leadership in August last year, has been credited with bringing greater operational stability. Aircraft deliveries rose significantly during the quarter, with Boeing handing over 150 jets, the highest second-quarter total since 2018, which was also the last year t

Travel
Travel demand weakens as Expedia Group stock drops 8%
Expedia Group posted solid Q1 2025 results, navigating softened United States travel demand while delivering 4% bookings growth and 3% revenue growth. The company beat bottom-line guidance, expanding EBITDA margins and repurchasing $330 million in shares. Despite a 49% rise in net loss, adjusted net income jumped 81%, signaling strong operational efficiency. A Street consensus estimate of US$3.01 billion was missed, according to Benzinga Pro data. The B2B segment drove growth, with bookings up 14%, while B2C bookings edged up 1%. Lodging bookings climbed 5%, and advertising revenue surged 20%, reinforcing Expedia’s diversified revenue streams. Adjusted EBITDA rose 16%, with a 105 basis-point margin expansion, underscoring cost discipline.Credit: Expedia GroupShareholder returns remained a priority, with 1.7 million shares repurchased and a $0.40 quarterly dividend paid. Stockholders’ equity declined to $2.136 billion, reflecting capital allocation strategies. CEO Ariane Gorin reaffirmed the company’s commitment to margin expansion and top-line growth. “We posted first quarter bookings and revenue within our guidance range despite weaker than expected demand in the U.S., drove bottom-line meaningfully above our guidance
Travel
American Airlines beats revenue estimates; EPS declines
American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) posted losses in its latest earnings report for Q1, but better-than-expected revenue result. American Airlines' latest report showed a quarterly loss of US$0.59 per share (EPS) versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.69. Last quarter's EPS was ahead of estimates. First-quarter revenue came in at $12.6 billion, and it ended the quarter with $10.8 billion of total available liquidity. The world's largest airline also became the latest to withdraw it's financial forecasts for this year, alongside Southwest Airlines and Alaska Air. This was followed by similar moves by Delta Air and Frontier earlier this month. "The economic uncertainty in the market has pressured demand and impacted American's first-quarter results and second-quarter outlook," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a conference call after the report release. American Airlines Group Inc's share price was $9.75 at the time of writing. It has a market capitalisation of approximately $6.41 billion.
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Delta soars 23% as earnings beat; withholds 2025 outlook
Delta Air Lines soared 23.4% during Wednesday's regular trade after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the March quarter, while declining to reaffirm its full-year 2025 outlook due to ongoing economic and trade uncertainty. For the first quarter, Delta posted adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.46, surpassing market expectations of $0.38. Revenue came in at US$12.98 billion, in line with expectations. Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian commented, “While the first quarter unfolded differently than initially expected, we delivered solid profitability that was flat to prior year and is expected to lead the industry." “With broad economic uncertainty around global trade, growth has largely stalled. In this slower-growth environment, we are protecting margins and cash flow by focusing on what we can control. "This includes reducing planned capacity growth in the second half of the year to flat over last year while actively managing costs and capital expenditures.”Credit: Delta Air LinesDespite a strong Q1 showing, Delta opted not to reaffirm its full-year 2025 guidance, citing a lack of economic clarity. However, the airline did provide second-quarter guidance, forecasting earnings per share bet
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Now-or-never for Virgin's float? IPO conditions waning
There’s an old saying in capital markets: “Feed the ducks while they’re quacking”. It’s a metaphor for giving investors what they want while demand is at its highest. With market conditions for the highly cyclical airline sector being about as good as they’re going to get, Virgin Australia appears to be moving forward with long-awaited plans for an ASX relist and IPO. As a prelude to Virgin’s relist 2.0, following a failed IPO attempt in 2023 – due to weak demand – the airline’s new management team, fronted by newly appointed CEO David Emerson, is understood to be doing the rounds with investors.Virgin’s ASX relist 2.0While meetings appear to be on the downlow, there’s strong expectation that the airline will find itself back on the main board of the ASX by the end of this year. As the number two player within Australia’s airline duopoly, Virgin will expect its float to benefit from the backdraft of Qantas’ recent performance. Having reported an underlying profit before tax of $1.39 billion, an 11% increase compared with the same period last year, Qantas has resurfaced phoenix-like from the ravages of an ACCC’s enquiry which accused the airline of false, misleading or deceptive conduct. The market appears to have ove