Delta Air Lines today reported its financial and operating performance for March 2012.

March consolidated passenger unit revenue (PRASM) increased 13.0 percent compared to the prior year period as a result of strong demand, particularly from corporate customers, which generated improvements in yield and load factor across all regions.  Revenue for the month exceeded prior expectations on improved close-in bookings and better Pacific performance.   System traffic increased 2.0 percent on a 3.4 percent reduction in capacity, resulting in a 4.4 point improvement in load factor.

Delta employees also continued to make improvements to operating performance, a key satisfaction driver for customers.  The company's preliminary DOT on-time arrival rate of 85.7 percent was 7.2 points higher year over year, and its mainline completion factor increased 0.6 points to 99.7 percent.