Delta Air Lines’ business is soaring; CEO expects busy summer travel season

Nine of the airline’s busiest sales days of all time have occurred in the past 10 weeks, chief exec Ed Bastian says.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 12, 2024 at 5:46PM
Attorneys for three high school students in the Los Angeles area have filed a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines after one of the carrier's planes dumped fuel over schools and residents. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Delta, which is the dominant carrier at MSP, will mark its 100th anniversary next year. (Dreamstime /Tribune News Service)

Delta Air Lines is flying high as the Atlanta-based carrier had nine of the company’s top 10 sales days of all time occur during the first quarter of the year, according to the company’s chief executive.

And things are not likely to slow down in the coming months, said CEO Ed Bastian during an investor update he gave Tuesday on CNBC.

“When you look at where we are today versus what we have been through the last four years, we are in a really, really good spot,” Bastian said. “We are seeing demand continuing with great strength. This spring and summer is going to be very busy.”

Delta, which is the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, will mark its 100th anniversary next year.

It was four years ago this week that the COVID-19 pandemic was officially acknowledged in the United States and set off a downturn in air travel. A resurgence in classic business travel, which has returned to near pre-pandemic levels, and a big uptick in international travel has fueled Delta’s recovery, Bastian said.

Delta flew more than 190 million customers in 2023, according to its website.

Delta stock was down $1.02 Tuesday after closing Monday at $42.68 a share.

about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.

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