Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian during an interview in New York, United States, Monday, November 7, 2022.
Gina Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
delta airlines CEO Ed Bastian said the Trump administration’s approach to regulation could be a “breath of fresh air.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of Delta Air Lines’ Investor Day, Bastian noted that President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a “new look” at regulation and bureaucracy.
Under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a number of rules aimed at protecting consumers, some of which have been opposed by the airline industry, and this year’s rules include It includes one that would require airlines to automatically refund cash to travelers if their flights are cancelled. .
Bastian said the industry has seen a “level of overreach” over the past four years.
The department is also investigating the airlines’ lucrative loyalty programs, which generate billions of dollars and help keep them afloat. Current Department of Transportation leadership is seeking information on how airlines can unilaterally change the value of frequent flyer points. DOT is conducting a public investigation into Delta’s handling of July cloud strike During the outage, the airline canceled thousands of flights and struggled to recover compared to its competitors.
Delta Air Lines on Wednesday said it expects sales and profits to increase in the coming months and years, pointing to the resilience of consumer demand and sharp increases in household wealth since the pandemic.
President Trump has nominated Sean Duffy, a former U.S. congressman and Fox Business host, to lead the department. Duffy did not respond to a request for comment.
Other U.S. airline CEOs expressed enthusiasm for the new Trump administration, urging incoming officials to do enough to improve air traffic control and other critical infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration. We want to ensure that resources are available to the industry.
“We have to invest in this industry.” american airlines CEO Robert Isom said this at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas last week. He said further work continues to approve more visas for people to visit the United States.
In an interview last week, sun country airlines “All we need is stability and resources from DOT,” CEO Jude Bricker said.
Industry insiders and analysts also expect the next administration to be more open to mergers and consolidation.
alaska airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines earlier this year without opposition from President Joe Biden’s administration. But Biden’s Justice Department won a court motion to block two airline deals, the planned takeover of Spirit Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. jet blue airlines and partnership with JetBlue american airlines In the Northeast, it was approved at the end of the first Trump administration.
“Maybe this administration will take a different position,” said Sun Country’s Bricker. “There is certainly no better countermeasure.”
The current Department of Transportation did not immediately comment.
