Delta Air Lines $DAL ( ▲ 1.13% ) is still counting the cost of the 43-day government shutdown that ended last month, and the bill comes to roughly $200 million, according to a filing on Wednesday. Break it down and you get about $100,000 per canceled flight, since Delta scrapped more than 2,000 flights after the FAA reduced capacity.
When the company reports Q4 earnings, the shutdown hit will shave about $0.25 off earnings per share. That is a sharp turn from early October, when CEO Ed Bastian said operations were smooth and the company had not felt any impact from the political standoff.
The good news is that demand bounced back. Delta said booking growth has returned to normal levels after a temporary dip in November. Shares of Delta were up more than 2 percent at Wednesday’s open.