NPR

Delta CEO: Airline's Pandemic Strategy Is 'Putting People Over Profits'

U.S. airlines are facing unprecedented economic turmoil. CEO Ed Bastian discusses Delta's decision to fly its planes at 60% capacity and why halting the coronavirus is better than bailouts.
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, speaks during the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in 2019. Early in the pandemic, Delta was losing $100 million each day. Now it's losing about $27 million a day.

In the history of commercial air travel, airlines have never had a stretch as bad as the last few months. Early in the pandemic, Delta Air Lines was losing $100 million each day. Now it's losing about $27 million a day.

While Delta is making "good headway" on reducing its cash burn, the most important factor for financial recovery is something that's largely out of the

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