>> BACK WHERE HE BELONGS.
>> GOOD TO HAVE YOU HOME,
BROTHER.
WELCOME BACK.
>> Reporter: GLAD TO BE HERE.
>>> BEYOND DRIVERS, THE GAS
SHORTAGE ALSO IMPACTING AIR
TRAVEL, AS WELL.
THE PIPE PINE SUPLINE SUPPLIES F
SEVEN AIRPORTS INCLUDING
ATLANTA, THE BUSIEST IN THE
COUNTRY, AND ALSO THE BUSY HUB
FOR DELTA AIRLINES.
WERE JOINED BY THE CEO OF DELTA
AIRLINES TO TALK ABOUT THE STATE
OF THE INDUSTRY AND MORE.
ED, GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
LETS START WHERE WE LEFT OFF
WITH TOM, THE PIPELINE
CYBERATTACK
CYBERATTACK.
SOME OF YOUR COMPETITORS HAVING
TO ADD STOPS TO LONG HAUL
FLIGHTS.
GOT THAT NEWS IN FROM AMERICAN
AIRLINES YESTERDAY.
SOME ACTUALLY FLYING IN EXTRA
FUEL, AS WELL.
HAS DELTA FELT ANY IMPACT AT
ALL, AND ARE YOU MAKING PLANS IN
CASE THE SHORTAGE DRAGS ON?
>> WELL, GOOD MORNING, CRAIG.
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
WERE STAYING IN CLOSE CONTACT
WITH THE PEOPLE AT COLONIAL.
WERE MONITORING THE SITUATION
WERE CAREFULLY.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE NO IMPACT AT
DELTA.
WE HAVE SUFFICIENT SUPPLY IN THE
STATIONS.
THIS IS THE REASON WE CARRY
EXTRA SUPPLIES, IN THE EVENT OF
A SHORT-TERM OUTAGE.
THEYRE TELLING US THEY EXPECT
THE SUPPLIES TO BE BACK ON
HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE
WEEK.
AS LONG AS THOSE PREDICTIONS
COME TRUE, WELL BE OKAY.
>> WITH MORE AMERICANS GETTING
VACCINATED, IT SEEMS THE TRAVEL
IS PICKING UP.
I HAD A FLIGHT FROM JFK TO LAX
IN L.A. LAST WEEK, AND IT WAS
PACKED.
HOW IS IT ON YOUR END?
ARE YOU EXPECTING A SURGE FOR
SUMMER TRAVEL?
>> WELL, PEOPLE ARE READY TO GO.
WEVE ALL BEEN COUPED UP HERE
FOR THE LAST YEAR.
PEOPLE NEED TO RECLAIM THEIR
LIVES.
THE VACCINATIONS ARE WORKING.
WE HAVE OVER 50% OF THE U.S.
POPULATION VACCINATED.
THE INFECTION RATES ARE AT A
REALLY LOW LEVEL.
WEVE SEEN A DIRECT CORRELATION
WITH THE PICKUP OF BOOKINGS AS
VACCINATIONS HAVE IMPROVED.
WEVE SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW
MONTHS BOOKINGS HAVE TRIPLED.
SO ANYONE OUT THERE GETTING
READY FOR THEIR SPRING AND
SUMMER PLANS, BOOK THEM NOW.
THERES GREAT PRICES.
I WOULDNT WAIT.
>> ED, AS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
OPENS BACK UP, SOME COUNTRIES
WILL BE REQUIRING PROOF OF
VACCINATION, LIKE A VACCINE
PASSPORT.
WILL DELTA ALSO REQUIRE PROOF OF
VACCINE, DEPENDING ON WHERE
YOURE FLYING?
>> ITS GOING TO BE MANDATED BY
THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
SO IT IS NOT DELTAS
REQUIREMENTS.
ITS BEEN EACH INTERNATIONAL
AUTHORITY.
WERE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE
COUNTRIES.
I THINK INTERNATIONAL WILL BE
MUCH CHOPPIER IN TERMS OF A
RETURN.
THIS SUMMER, THERE MAY BE SOME
FLIGHTS TO PARTS OF EUROPE
OPENED.
I KNOW MANY COUNTRIES ARE TRYING
TO GET OPENED.
WHAT THEYVE TOLD US THUS FAR IS
THEY ARE GOING TO REQUIRE
VACCINATIONS OR, AT A MINIMUM, A
PROOF OF A CLEAN TEST BEFORE
ENTERING THE COUNTRY FOR U.S.
TRAVELERS.
I DONT THINK YOURE GOING TO
SEE EUROPEAN TRAVEL START TO
REALLY OPEN UP PROBABLY UNTIL
THE FALL.
THERE WILL BE SOME PLACES TO GO.
AGAIN, WEVE GOT FLIGHTS GOING
TO GREECE AND SPAIN, ITALY.
WERE HOPING TO GET A CORRIDOR
OPEN TO THE UK HERE HOPEFULLY
NOT TOO LONG INTO THE FUTURE.
>> PLACES SOUND SO NICE RIGHT
NOW.
ED, I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
MIDDLE SEAT.
FIRST, KUDOS TO YOU FOR KEEPING
THE MIDDLE SEAT OPEN FOR AS LONG
AS YOU DID.
BUT WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE NOW TO
FILL THOSE MIDDLE SEATS AGAIN?
I MEAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY
KEEP SAYING THE RISK OF COVID
DROPS BY 57% IF YOU DO LEAVE
THAT MIDDLE SEAT OPEN.
>> WELL, WE SAID THAT WE WOULD
KEEP THE MIDDLE SEAT OPEN UNTIL
CUSTOMERS ARE COMFORTABLE
SITTING THERE.
THE EXPERTS TELL US ITS THE
RIGHT TIME TO SELL.
WE WERE SOLD OUT ON OUR PLANES
THROUGH APRIL.
THERE WERE NO SEATS AVAILABLE.
THE DEMAND WAS STRONG TO BE ON
DELTA.
VACCINATIONS HAVE INCREASED TO
WHERE APPROXIMATELY 60% OF OUR
CUSTOMERS TELL US THEYRE
ALREADY FULLY VACCINATED.
THE INFECTION RATES IN THE
COUNTRY ARE REALLY, REALLY LOW.
SO PEOPLE ARE THERE.
THEYRE WEARING MASKS.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS INCREDIBLY
CLEAN.
WERE MAINTAINING ALL OUR SAFETY
PROTOCOLS, OUR CLEANLINESS
STANDARDS.
IT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE SAFEST
PLACES YOU CAN BE, IS ACTUALLY
ON BOARD AN AIRCRAFT, WHETHER
YOURE IN THE MIDDLE SEAT OR
NOT.
WERE READY TO GO.
PEOPLE WANT TO BE ON DELTA.
>> ED, WE CANT LET YOU GET OUT
OF HERE BEFORE WE CONGRATULATE
YOU AND DELTA, BECAUSE WE HEARD
THAT THE AIRLINE, DELTA
AIRLINES, JUST AWARDED THE
NUMBER ONE SPOT IN THE JD POWER
2021 NORTH AMERICA AIRLINE
SATISFACTION STUDY.
ED, THATS IMPRESSIVE WHEN YOU
CONSIDER YOU WON IT DURING A
PANDEMIC.
WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR AIRLINE
WAS ABLE TO PICK UP THAT AWARD
THIS YEAR?
>> WELL, THANKS, CRAIG.
I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF OUR
PEOPLE.
IT IS ENDURELY DUE TO THE LYENTI
QUALITY OF THE TEAM, THEIR
STRENGTH, ENDURANCE WORKING
DURING A PANDEMIC.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN A MORE
DIFFICULT YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF
OUR INDUSTRY.
THERE IS NOT A MORE FITTING
AWARD THAN THE CUSTOMERS NAMING
US THE AIRLINE OF THE YEAR BY JD
POWER.
PROUD OF OUR TEAM.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, PROUD TO SERVE
YOU ALL AS YOU START TO COME
BACK TO TRAVEL THIS SUMMER.
>> WELL LEAVE IT THERE.
ED BASTIAN, CONGRATS AGAIN,
CONGRATS TO THE FOLKS AT DELTA.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
MORNING.
>> CAN YOU IMAGINE IF YOURE
WORKING AT DELTA AND HE WALKS ON
YOUR PLANE?
>> FLIES COACH.
>> LIKES TO BLEND IN.