Here is the webcast:CCBN - Lobby

Doing well despite possible post recession dip in US and Europe, high oil prices (up 22%) and disaster at our Asian hub. You’d expect us to be burning the furniture and raising cash at any price in this environment, the opposite is true.

June quarter notes:

• Revenue premium results in 636 million operating profit despite 1 Bn increase in fuel costs. Revenue has outpaced fuel price increase!
• Reduced to 13.8Bn debt
• 8 ½% return on invested capital

September Quarter looking better than expected:

• Operating margin between 9 and 11% (2% better than forecast)
• Fuel coming in slightly lower than expected
• Strong bookings with yield improvement (12% to 15% increase in revenue)
• Capacity down 1% Y2Y (elsewhere stated as down 3%)

Going forward:

• Managing for high fuel prices
• Managing non fuel costs, must get costs back to 2010 costs
• Winter flying down 5% Y2Y, especially in markets where revenues do not cover fuel prices
• Flying 20% fewer seats in the winter than the summer
• Done making money in the summer and losing money in the winter
• Good at selling to business. Not as good at selling to customers. Working offerings like economy comfort which has been selling very well. Thinking about using the product domestically as well. Putting WiFi in RJ’s & Lie Flat seats. Very excited about the new JFK terminal which will be the core of “mainline.”
• Delta.com & Res sales is 50% of sales. Better if we can sell direct
• 10-12% down over the Atlantic. Decreasing everywhere but Latin America. Shrinking smaller hubs, especially Memphis.
• $450 million in hedge benefits on fuel cost increases
• Capacity reductions ARE causing non fuel costs to RISE.

Fleet renewal:

• 737-900 15% to 20% reduction in fuel costs per seat and much lower maintenance costs compared to the 757. 757 flying will be reduced. Cash flow positive and accretive from a P&L basis. Thanked Boeing & Airbus for their work on the competition and look forward to talking to them in the “out years.”
• Very comfortable with fleet. Put to rest any thought that we are in the market for another aircraft order. Reason … watching Capital Expenditure. No orders in the next couple of years.
• Expect to get to 10 Bn debt level in 2013. That will save us $500,000,000 a year.

Q&A

• Paying down debt before stock buy back
• NWA merger credited with business sales strength
• US Domestic is our main market with 50 to 60% of our business. Much of our international business is sold in the US. Emirates and Air Asia are not direct competitors, but they do pressure margins. We are investing in Aero Mexico and feel being partnered well allows us to compete.
• Part of our RASM growth was the excise tax suspension
• Very pleased to be an investor with a seat at the table with Aero Mexico. We can bring our skill sets into the emerging marketplace in Mexico and Brazil and we will benefit from lower labor costs. We are looking at other internal markets, especially in South America.