Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian doesn’t really like to talk politics, but welcomes a Trump administration that he perceives will have less ‘overreach’ of the aviation industry.
That doesn’t necessarily mean less oversight or less scrutiny, mind you. It just means less intervention in some matters.
Bastian said Trump promised “to take a fresh look at
the regulatory environment, the bureaucracy that exists in government,
the level of overreach that we have seen over the last four years within
our industry. I think that will be a breath of fresh air.”
Because airlines have had an extremely strong year financially. Delta has made $2.9 billion through the first nine months of this year, on top of the $4.6 billion in profit it made last year.
And Bastian expects it will continue in 2025. It might be only small growth, as Delta predicted. But in a year that ends in the black has to be considered positive.
Overall, Bastian said the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” after what had been a more restrictive atmosphere under President Joe Biden. Biden’s administration was widely viewed as being less friendly to businesses.
In fact, at one point, the Department of Justice went to federal court to block a merger between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines. Spirit has since filed for bankruptcy.
And it’s not just business and financial matters. Delta is looking at a federal investigation into its slow recovery from a worldwide technology outage earlier this year.
Still, the airline said it will focus on its premium travel segment to increase revenue for next year. Affluent travelers were thriving, it said. Delta also said 2025 capacity growth should rise.
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