Passenger traffic on U.S. airlines has dropped again to levels not seen in a couple decades, but Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian thinks there will be a summer surge, at least within the United States.
Like many others in the airline industry, Bastian favors testing international travelers for COVID-19, which he sees as a way to remove other border restrictions, but he is dead-set against testing people before domestic flights, fearing it will cause another disastrous drop in leisure travel.
On the pandemic, Bastian expects a stronger federal response under new President Joe Biden that will help the travel industry.
Bastian talked recently to The Associated Press about these and other issues facing airlines. The answers have been edited for length.
Q: Summer is coming, a critical time for airlines. What do you expect from the peak vacation-travel season?
A: In the spring, people will be making bookings for the upcoming summer, making plans accordingly, and we expect that to start opening…
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