Delta Air Lines paid out $1.3 billion in Delta profit sharing on February 13, 2026, based on the company’s 2025 results. Delta said the payout equals 8.9% of eligible annual earnings. Delta also said this works out to more than four weeks of extra pay on average, which helps explain why employees watch this date closely each year.
Profit Sharing Day has been part of Delta’s calendar since 2007, and the company usually times it close to Valentine’s Day. Delta treats it as a moment to recognize employees across the operation, including teams at airports, onboard, and behind the scenes. It is also a simple way to connect company performance to employee pay, since the payout depends on the prior year’s results.
“Sharing our success is central to our values,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “That’s why we’ve paid more than $11 billion in profits directly to our employees worldwide since 2015. Congratulations to every member of the Delta team on this well-earned payout and thank you for your outstanding performance taking care of our customers in 2025.”
How the payout works and what Delta said about it
Delta uses a fixed formula for profit sharing. Employees receive 10% of the first $2.5 billion the airline earns and 20% of earnings above $2.5 billion. Delta presents this as a clear, set method that does not change year to year. It also helps employees understand how profit sharing grows when earnings rise, since the percentage increases above the $2.5 billion mark.
Delta Air Lines said this year’s $1.3 billion distribution ranks among the top five in its history. Delta also said the total is larger than the rest of the airline sector combined. Delta frames this as part of its long-term approach to rewarding employees during stronger years, and it ties the payout to the company’s broader message about culture and performance.
Delta leadership also shared that employees will receive a pay increase in 2026, with more details planned later. Delta Air Lines did not include those details in the same update, yet the company placed that note alongside the profit-sharing news, which signals that it sees pay as part of the same employee story.
Where the money went
Delta also broke out profit-sharing totals by location, which gives a clearer picture of where large employee bases are located. In the U.S., the largest totals were in Georgia at $567.9 million for 43,500 employees, New York at $171.1 million for 13,500 employees, Minnesota at $113.7 million for 8,900 employees, Michigan at $112 million for 8,100 employees, California at $84 million for 6,000 employees, Utah at $77 million for 6,300 employees, Washington at $75.5 million for 4,700 employees, Florida at $30.3 million for 4,300 employees, Massachusetts at $28.7 million for 3,600 employees, and Texas at $12.2 million for 1,800 employees.
International totals were also listed, and Delta grouped these by region. Delta reported EMEAI at $4.7 million, Latin America at $1.7 million, NAM (Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands and Bermuda) at $1.6 million, and Asia-Pacific at $4.5 million. These regional totals show that the profit-sharing program reaches beyond the U.S. operation, even though the largest numbers sit in states where Delta has large hubs, major offices, and heavy day-to-day operations.
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