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Delta Air Lines is doubling down on premium customers after budget rival Spirit went bust

There’s going to be first class, business class, and so much more...

Hyunsoo Rim

Between fast-track security, lounge access, speedy boarding, and, of course, the class of ticket you buy for the flight itself, there are already a lot of ways airlines can convince you to spend money to make your journey just that little bit more comfortable.

Now, Delta wants to go even further. At an investor day on Wednesday, the airline announced a “further segmentation” of its six cabin classes — ranging from bare-bones Basic Economy and standard Main Cabin to the slightly refined Premium Select and highest-class Delta One — where each upgrade adds more perks (including the iconic Shake Shack burger) as well as extra legroom.

While Delta Air Lines hasn’t revealed exactly how it will repackage its fare options, the company shared that it plans to start with the Main Cabin and work its way up. Ultimately, its strategy is clear: doubling down on its “premium” categories, which are set to make up as much as 85% of newly added seat capacity next year, with two new premium-focused aircraft models also in the pipeline.

Delta airlines premium cabin
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While the no-frills airline Spirit filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, premium cabins are soaring — particularly among millennials (Delta’s fastest-growing customer segment), who are willing to splurge on luxury travel. And airlines are cashing in: Delta’s premium seats, though making up less than a third of its fleet, raked in $5.3 billion of revenues in Q3, nearly catching up to the $6.3 billion from Main Cabin. By 2027, Delta expects premium-ticket revenue to outpace Main Cabin sales.

Premium seats aren’t just a revenue driver; they’re becoming critical to Delta’s bottom line, which has been hit hard this year by sharply rising fuel and labor costs in Q2, followed by Q3’s CrowdStrike outage, which led to a 26% annual drop in profit. Still, Delta leads its competitors in squeezing value from its fleet: the airline earned 20.6 cents for every seat it operates (and each mile it’s flown) in Q3, outperforming United (18.2 cents) and American (18.04 cents).

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JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, it managed to sell $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

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Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽
Max Knoblauch

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”

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GM has reportedly rehired more than 100 former Cruise employees, 18 months after shuttering the robotaxi unit

GM has rehired more than 100 employees it let go early last year when it shuttered Cruise, its former robotaxi business, according to reporting by The Information.

The hiring spree, which also includes employees from Nvidia and Uber, is geared toward ramping up GM’s plans for personal-use self-driving vehicles and not robotaxis. The former had been the focus of Cruise, prior to GM shuttering it in 2024.

Reporting last fall revealed that GM was attempting to rehire some former Cruise employees, but the scope of that effort wasn’t clear. More than 1,000 employees were laid off when the automaker scrapped Cruise, which it invested $10 billion into.

Google’s Waymo, Cruise’s former chief rival, is now worth $126 billion after a $16 billion funding round earlier this year. The company says it’s serving 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the US.

Exclusive: With Some 100 Rehired Cruise Employees, GM Pursues Eyes-Off Autonomous Cars

Exclusive: With Some 100 Rehired Cruise Employees, GM Pursues Eyes-Off Autonomous Cars

Reporting last fall revealed that GM was attempting to rehire some former Cruise employees, but the scope of that effort wasn’t clear. More than 1,000 employees were laid off when the automaker scrapped Cruise, which it invested $10 billion into.

Google’s Waymo, Cruise’s former chief rival, is now worth $126 billion after a $16 billion funding round earlier this year. The company says it’s serving 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the US.

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