Delta Lost the Fare War. Lesson Hopefully Learned.

An animal that’s cornered and fighting for its life is at its most dangerous. The same goes for airlines. Low-cost carriers, including Frontier Group Holdings Inc. and Spirit Airlines Inc., are in survival mode and feeling cornered after major airlines ate into their core customer base with basic economy fares. Now, they are striking back with lower fares and more choices on seating and boarding to claw back those bargain hunters.

Delta Air Lines Inc. doesn’t need to get into a mud-slinging fare war to hang on to passengers who base their choice of airline on price above everything else. Delta is the most profitable airline because of its premium strategy. It’s clear from second-quarter earnings that the effort to keep the main cabin full with lower fares became a drag on overall results. The Atlanta-based airline would do better to focus on its strengths: winning over international and business travelers while leaving the bargain hunters to its low-cost rivals.