Delta Air Lines has been encouraged by steady fall bookings after "bottoming out" near Labor Day, to the point where CEO Ed Bastian believes the carrier can deliver third-quarter revenue within its original forecast range.
In July, the company had forecast a 30 percent to 35 percent drop in Q3 adjusted revenue compared to the same time period in 2019, according to Reuters News Service.
Last month, the airline said quarterly revenue would be at the lower end of the forecast after a resurgence in COVID-19.
But, speaking at the International Air Transport Association meeting, Bastian said he felt as though Delta bottomed out in the later part of August and the first part of September and that business traffic is growing back in the U.S.
Delta has not officially updated its Q3 outlook, though it is due to report earnings next week on Oct. 13.
Bastian said domestic travel bookings are expected to surpass 2019 levels next year. Later, the airline said it would boost its capacity at Boston by more than 20 percent next summer over the 2019 peak, by adding five new routes including two international destinations.
Even better - Bastian said Delta is seeing an uptick in demand for international travel after the White House announced last month it was lifting its restrictions on overseas tourists who want to visit the U.S.
Bastian added that he is still unsure if the company will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees as United, Frontier, American, JetBlue and Alaska airlines have already done. He said that Delta's staff vaccination rate is currently at 84 percent.
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