Delta Air Lines Inc on Tuesday curbed its growth forecast for a key revenue measure for the first quarter, saying March demand was hurt by lower last-minute travel from government clients in the wake of U.S. budget pressures.

The news sent Delta's shares down 7 percent and also hurt other airline stocks. Some analysts said the sell-off appeared to be overdone because Delta's profit picture was largely unchanged.

Delta said that unit revenue, a measure of pricing power and the extent to which planes are filled, rose at a lower pace in March than in the previous two months. Delta's unit revenue last month rose 2 percent, compared with a rise of 5 percent in February and 5.5 percent in January.

Delta Air Lines cuts revenue forecast - chicagotribune.com