Delta Air Lines posted a $25 million net loss for the final three months of 2009, much smaller than a year earlier.

The fourth-quarter loss reported Tuesday by the world's biggest airline was equivalent to 3 cents a share. In the year-ago quarter, Delta lost $1.4 billion, or $2.11 a share.

Revenue rose 1 percent to $6.8 billion from $6.7 billion. Delta completed its acquisition of Northwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Excluding special items, Delta lost 27 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting a loss of 24 cents a share on revenue of $6.86 billion.

Delta, based in Atlanta, says system capacity will be down 3 percent to 5 percent in the first quarter of this year.