[QUOTE=Sunvox;3578856]
Originally Posted by
But seriously
Profit Sharing is a topic near and dear to my heart, and I have posted on the topic in great length here. Your comment on finagling costs inspired me to want to respond, but in the course of researching the topic of costs at the two companies I came across an item I will be researching in greater detail once the annual report comes out for both companies. Suffice to say my interest has been drawn to Delta's ownership of a refinery. In years past this line item was minor or even negative, but at first blush it appears to have been the primary driver of the difference in profit for 2022 between UAL and DAL. I will hold final judgment until I can take a deep dive into the numbers, but the latest 10Q shows Delta with $5 billion in additional income from "other" and when you go down to the notes that "other" is largely revenue from the refinery operation. Now how much that impacts profit I have no idea yet, but it does make the revenue side of the equation quite different between the two companies.

Don't know how much "truth" there is in it, but the company always states how the TECH OPS is actually a profit center as they do a lot of engine work for other airlines and other MX contracts for smaller airlines.