New York, December 05, 2013 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the B1 Corporate Family and B1-PD
Probability of Default ratings assigned to Delta Air Lines, Inc.
and has changed the ratings outlook to positive from stable. Moody's
also affirmed the Ba1 rating assigned to the company's senior secured
bank credit facilities, the B2 senior unsecured rating assigned
to certain of the company's industrial revenue bonds and the respective
ratings assigned to each tranche of the company's Enhanced Equipment
Trust Certificates. The Speculative Grade Liquidity rating was
changed to SGL-1 from SGL-2.
The positive outlook considers the improvements in operating margin and
credit metrics that Delta has achieved in 2013 and anticipates that the
company can carry the favorable momentum into 2014. Moody's
maintains a stable outlook on the global passenger airline sector and
believes that Delta is well-positioned to further strengthen its
credit metrics as it marches towards its current Adjusted Net Debt target
of $7.0 billion by 2017. The company maintains a
yield advantage versus its closest peers, United Continental Holdings,
Inc. and the soon to be formed American Airlines Group, Inc.
Moody's believes that the three players will compete for leadership
in yields via the networks and schedules they craft and by running a good
operation to attract more high-value corporate customers,
which allays fears of increasing competition based on lower fares.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The B1 corporate family rating reflects Delta's leading position in the
global passenger airline sector, its steady earnings and free cash
flow generation and its track record for achieving its prior net debt
target of $10 billion. Moody's believes that Delta will
modestly increase profitability in 2014, with steady but slow growth
in demand because of ongoing global macroeconomic headwinds including
the impact from sequestration in the U.S., ongoing
fiscal and economic challenges in Europe and the weak yen in Japan.
Steady demand in premium cabins, ongoing industry capacity discipline,
particularly on highly competitive trans-Atlantic routes and Delta's
focus on growing ancillary revenues should help unit revenues keep pace
with growth in unit costs. Good liquidity, in excess of $5
billion including revolving credit facilities that impose no conditions
for drawings and a manageable maturity profile support the B1 rating.
The ratings also consider the benefits the global route network should
provide in periods of improving demand, anticipated free cash flow
as annual capital expenditures for aircraft are relatively modest and
that pressure on labor and other non-fuel costs will remain manageable
after the outsized increase in pilot pay in 2013 pursuant to the terms
of the contract agreed in 2012.
The change of the SGL rating reflects Moody's view that the about
$5.0 billion of liquidity and anticipated free cash flow
of about $2.0 billion provides the company very good liquidity.
The ratings could be upgraded if Delta continues to strengthen its credit
metrics while funding deliveries from the order for 100 Boeing B737-900ERs;
the first delivery which occurred in September 2013. Debt to EBITDA
expected to approach 4.5 times, Funds from Operations +
Interest to Interest that approaches 4.0 times and or an EBITDA
margin sustained around 18% could support an upgrade. Meaningful
amounts of annual free cash flow while funding deliveries of new aircraft
including one or more potential additional orders for wide-body
aircraft that Moody's believes Delta might place could also lead
to an upgrade as would no meaningful increase in the annual amount of
cash returned to shareholders. The outlook could be returned to
stable if Delta was unable to sustain its EBITDA margin, possibly
because of inflation in non-fuel costs and or setting capacity
too high such that yields decline in periods when passenger demand waivers.
An EBITDA margin that approached 15% or a sustained decline in
unrestricted cash to below $2.7 billion would be indicators
of a negative shift in the company's credit profile. While not
expected, a sustained decline in demand that led to declines in
yields of more than 8% with no corresponding offsets to costs,
possibly from a commensurate decline in the cost of fuel, could
also pressure the ratings as could aggregate liquidity (including availability
on revolving credit facilities) of less than $4.5 billion.
Debt to EBITDA that approaches 6.5 times or Funds from Operations
+ Interest to Interest that approaches 2.3 times could pressure
the rating.
The principal methodology used in this rating was the Global Passenger
Airlines published in May 2012 and the Enhanced Equipment Trust And Equipment
Trust Certificates published in December 2010. Other methodologies
used include Loss Given Default for Speculative-Grade Non-Financial
Companies in the U.S., Canada and EMEA published in
June 2009. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
Delta Air Lines, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta,
Georgia, is the world's second largest airline, providing
scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo throughout the U.S.
and around the world.
Ratings:
..Issuer: Delta Air Lines, Inc.
.... Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating,
Changed to SGL-1 from SGL-2
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Delta Air Lines, Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Old)
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
..Issuer: Northwest Airlines, Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Clayton County Development Authority,
GA
....Senior Unsecured Revenue Bonds,
Affirmed B2 (LGD5, 70% from LGD5, 71%)
....Senior Unsecured Revenue Bonds,
Affirmed B2 (LGD5, 70% from LGD5, 71%)
..Issuer: Delta Air Lines, Inc.
.... Probability of Default Rating,
Affirmed B1-PD
.... Corporate Family Rating, Affirmed
B1
....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility Oct
18, 2017, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility Oct
18, 2018, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility Apr
18, 2016, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility Apr
20, 2016, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility Mar
29, 2017, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Oct 15, 2014, Affirmed Ba2
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Dec 17, 2016, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Aug 10, 2022, Affirmed Ba2
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Aug 10, 2014, Affirmed Ba3
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Jan 2, 2016, Affirmed Ba2
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 23, 2015, Affirmed Ba3
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
May 7, 2019, Affirmed Ba2
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 23, 2019, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Aug 10, 2022, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Apr 15, 2019, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Jul 2, 2018, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
May 7, 2020, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Dec 17, 2019, Affirmed Baa1
..Issuer: Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Old)
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Jul 2, 2024, Affirmed Baa3
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Jul 2, 2024, Affirmed Baa3
..Issuer: Northwest Airlines, Inc.
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
May 20, 2014, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
May 20, 2014, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Apr 1, 2021, Affirmed B1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Apr 1, 2021, Affirmed B1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 1, 2017, Affirmed Ba1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 20, 2021, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 20, 2021, Affirmed Baa1
....Senior Secured Enhanced Equipment Trust
Nov 1, 2019, Affirmed Baa1
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the
support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive
rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt,
in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed
prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would
have affected the rating. For further information please see the
ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this rating action, and
whose ratings may change as a result of this rating action, the
associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Jonathan Root
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Michael J Mulvaney
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Moody's changes outlook of Delta Air Lines to positive, affirms B1 CFR