JetBlue Airways eked out a $57 million revenue for the third quarter as robust journey demand and better fares helped the provider cowl costlier gasoline and different prices.

The New York-based airline’s income rose 30% through the quarter from the identical interval final yr to $2.56 billion, in keeping with analysts’ estimates. JetBlue’s working margin narrowed to five.4% from 9.4% a yr earlier after bills rose almost 36% from the identical interval of 2021.

JetBlue’s CEO, Robin Hayes, mentioned the provider expects “one other stable quarter of mid-single-digit pre-tax margins within the fourth quarter, and we’ll look to develop on that additional in 2023 as we proceed to revive our earnings energy.”

This is how JetBlue carried out within the third quarter, in contrast with Wall Road expectations in line with Refinitiv consensus estimates:

• Adjusted earnings per share:  21 cents vs. an anticipated 23 cents.
• Whole income: $2.56 billion vs. an anticipated $2.56 billion.

JetBlue’s shares had been down greater than 5% in morning buying and selling Tuesday after releasing the outcomes.

“Whereas the income outlook is powerful, we have now to proceed to be considerate about each penny we spend, notably in right now’s atmosphere, since our complete enterprise mannequin of competing with decrease fares is predicated on having decrease prices relative to the legacy airways,” JetBlue’s CFO, Ursula Hurley, wrote in a be aware to staff, which was reviewed by CNBC.

Hurley mentioned regardless of the quarterly outcomes, the airline will not publish a full-year revenue in 2022 “after the bumps we confronted within the first half of the yr with the Omicron variant and operational challenges.”

Bigger U.S. carriers have been upbeat about journey demand and largely outperformed analysts’ expectations on resilient bookings, notably on the return of worldwide journeys.

Airline executives say they’re restricted in how a lot capability they’ll add due to shortfalls in plane and pilots, which helps keep fares high. Airways have additionally held again on including flights after a bunch of pricey operational meltdowns prompted them so as to add extra slack within the system.

JetBlue mentioned it plans to develop flying 1% to 4% within the fourth quarter in contrast with 2019 ranges. Airways are evaluating capability ranges with these of three years in the past to point out their restoration from the Covid pandemic.

“Given the continued fragile aviation ecosystem, we’re taking a cautious strategy to operational investments and extra conservative planning assumptions that we put in place for the summer time,” CFO Hurley mentioned within the earnings launch.

The airline forecast fourth-quarter unit prices, excluding gasoline, to be up as a lot as 10.5% from three years in the past. It expects unit revenues to rise as a lot as 19%. Unit revenues within the third quarter had been up greater than 23% from three years earlier.

Hurley mentioned the airline has hedged about 27% of its fourth-quarter gasoline consumption.

JetBlue executives will talk about outcomes on a ten a.m. ET name on Tuesday, when they’re more likely to face questions in regards to the airline’s deliberate acquisition of price range airline Spirit. Spirit’s shareholders final week overwhelmingly voted in favor of the $3.8 billion takeover, which now faces a excessive hurdle with federal regulators.