Air travel should be back to normal by the weekend after government shutdown ends, Delta CEO says
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said travelers shouldn't have any concerns about flight cancellations and issues as the federal government begins to reopen.
"I think we'll be back a lot faster than people think," Bastian told Gayle King on "CBS Mornings." "The last couple of days actually were pretty good. As soon as the Senate deal on Monday got approved, staffing levels almost overnight approved dramatically."
He said the only cancellations the airline has had recently were the government-mandated flight cuts, which will remain at 6% instead of rising to 10% by the end of the week as previously planned. The Atlanta-based airline had about 2,000 cancellations after the Federal Aviation Administration mandated reducing flights due to staffing concerns.
While Bastian admitted that the company did lose money during the shutdown, it would quickly get business back to normal.
"I expect by the weekend we'll be pretty much full steam ahead," Bastian said.
With the busy Thanksgiving travel season coming in just a few weeks, Bastian said that he had "no concerns" that the airline would be able to handle the demand.
"Thanksgiving is going to be a great holiday period of travel," he said.
Returning to normal after a record-breaking shutdown
On Wednesday night, President Trump signed a government funding bill, ending the record 43-day shutdown.
After the bill passed, Delta released a statement, saying they appreciated the work of the U.S. Congress to reopen the government.
" We are extremely grateful to all the federal workers including air traffic controllers and officers with the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection who worked without a paycheck for more than 40 days to keep our skies safe and secure – and to Delta people who went above and beyond to take care of our customers and government workers during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history," the statement read.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the 6% reduction at 40 airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, will stay in place while officials assess whether the air traffic system can safely return to normal operations.
A report from CBS News says that employees with the Department of Transportation should receive their paychecks on Monday, Nov. 17. While the checks will only include their base pay, corrections are expected in the next pay cycle.
The Associated Press and "CBS Mornings" contributed to this report.