ED BASTIAN

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian answers how the airline is prepared to handle the year-end rush of passengers during the holiday season. He also addresses the possibility of a pilot shortage around Christmas, changing the seat size on airplanes and sky-high ticket prices.

Airlines and travel websites say that bookings for holiday travel are strong despite higher air fares, as pandemic-weary travelers seem willing to pay.

U.S. stock futures, in a volatile morning, turned sharply lower as bond yields reversed and soared on a bigger consumer inflation gain.

Delta Air Lines is posting a $695 million profit for the third quarter, which includes much of the peak summer travel season.

Airplanes are a minor contributor to global greenhouse-gas emissions, but their share is sure to grow as more people travel in coming years.

The summer is off to a profitable start for Delta Air Lines.

Asian stock markets have climbed Thursday despite a record-setting U.S. inflation report that pointed to more possible interest rate hikes that investors worry will chill economic growth.

If you're flying this holiday weekend, be prepared for crowded airports, full planes, and higher-than-normal chances that your flight will be delayed or even canceled.

Delta Air Lines is boosting its outlook for second-quarter revenue because it expects phenomenal demand for travel this summer.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said international and business passengers are coming back strong.

"Just remember to ring the register gradually on the way up," the "Mad Money" host said.

"Search for stocks that can work long-term regardless of whether we're in the best of times, the worst of times, or both," the "Mad Money" host said.

Delta Air Lines this month is ending its $200 monthly surcharge on unvaccinated employees' company health insurance.

The Biden administration has announced it will extend through May 3 the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Delta Air Lines lost $940 million in the first quarter yet bookings surged in recent weeks, setting up a breakout summer as Americans try to put the pandemic behind them.

Carriers are scrambling to hire and train staff to match surging travel demand.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said there should be “zero tolerance” for any behavior that affects flight safety.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said there should be “zero tolerance” for any behavior that affects flight safety.

Delta Air Lines has told the U.S. Department of Justice that any person convicted of a disruption on board a flight should be put on the national “no fly” list.

American Airlines is reporting a $931 million loss for the fourth quarter and warning that omicron will further delay its recovery.

Delta Air Lines expects corporate clients to be back in the spring at a level of recovery similar to right before the new Covid variant omicron hit travel.

Delta's CEO says the operation has since stabilized.

Delta Air Lines is reporting a $408 million loss for the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December, and the carrier expects to suffer one more quarterly loss before travel picks up in the spring and summer.

Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Saturday because of staffing issues tied to COVID-19, disrupting holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

Airlines are canceling hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

The surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain staffing levels.

Cutting Covid isolation time may put flight attendants in a "position to be forced to come back before they feel better," head of the largest flight attendants union says

According to the CDC guidelines, those who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate for 10 days.

According to the CDC guidelines, those who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate for 10 days.

The letter comes as Covid cases spike and the omicron variant spreads rapidly, straining testing supplies ahead of the year-end holidays.

Virgin Atlantic has received 400 million pounds ($530 million) of new funding from its shareholders to help the airline ride out the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing the high costs associated with Covid illnesses, a growing number of employers are telling employees who decline to be vaccinated to pay up.

Southwest Airlines is backing away from a plan to put unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave.

Delta Air Lines is reporting a $1.2 billion profit for the third quarter, thanks in large part to federal aid to help the industry get through the pandemic.

Delta in November plans to impose a $200 monthly surcharge for unvaccinated employees' health care plan.

One union is warning that it could have repercussions for the holiday season.

One union is warning that it could have repercussions for the holiday season.

Employers pass on costs of being unvaccinated to workers -- and insured family members -- to avoid hits to bottom line.

The stocks making the biggest moves in premarket trading include Tesla, Moderna, Novavax, GM, and more.

The leading U.S. airlines say that the rise in COVID-19 cases is hurting ticket sales and pushing back the recovery of the travel industry.

Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers mocked Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian's steadfast refusal to use the term the "Delta variant."

CEO Ed Bastian said the monthly health plan surcharge is necessary because the average hospital stay for COVID-19 costs the airline $40,000.

The average hospital stay for employees with COVID-19 costs the airline $50,000 per person, CEO Ed Bastian said.

Delta Air Lines announces a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge for unvaccinated employees

Delta Air Lines won't force employees to get vaccinated, but it's going to make unvaccinated workers pay a $200 monthly charge.

Delta is the latest company to issue new rules for employee vaccinations, but stopped short of an outright mandate.

United Airlines will require U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by late October, and maybe sooner.

"We're continuing to encourage as much as we can amongst our own people and our customers to get vaccinated," Delta Air Lines' Ed Bastian told CNBC on Tuesday.

Airlines say the current rise in new cases of coronavirus aren't scaring away travelers.

Rising concern about the fast-spreading delta variant of COVID-19 is creating turbulence for the stocks of big travel companies, but airline executives say they don’t see any slowdown in ticket sales, maybe because a high percentage of their best customers are fully vaccinated. “We haven't seen any impact at all on bookings, which continue to just get stronger and stronger every week,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Wednesday. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the same thing last week, although he added that variants were continuing to hobble international travel by delaying the opening of borders.

A seemingly offhand remark by President Joe Biden is raising hopes in the airline industry that the U.S. might soon open up to European visitors.

American Airlines is telling some flight attendants to cut short their leaves of absence and come back to work.

Delta CEO says delta Covid variant has had no impact on bookings

Delta Air Lines is reporting profits of $652 million for the second quarter thanks to an increase in leisure travel and $1.5 billion in federal pandemic relief.

If you want to work at Delta Air Lines, you'll need to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Delta increases its Airbus A321 order as the carrier prepares for a rebound in travel.

Airline executives say they don't expect a jump in European bookings this summer with borders still closed.

Delta Air Lines says it lost $1.2 billion in the first quarter, but the airline thinks it can be profitable by late summer unless there's a resurgence of COVID-19.

Delta says bookings have improved over the past several months and expects to break even by June.

Delta's new statement called the legislation "unacceptable" with CEO Ed Bastian writing to employees that "the entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie."

President says it would be the right move in response to harsh new voting curbs in Georgia.

U.S. corporations are facing pressure to oppose Republican election laws in Georgia and Texas that critics say disproportionately harm voters of color.

Liberal activists are stepping up calls on corporate America to denounce Republican efforts to tighten state voting laws.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian is standing by his airline's latest statement criticizing Georgia's new voting law after the state legislature's Republican-dominated House voted to strip the company of tax breaks it receives in the state. Speaking to "CBS This Morning" Thursday, Bastian said he was "not going to respond" to the state House's apparent retaliation. "This is something that's more than money, this is about protecting the voices of our people," he said. The sweeping law imposes new restrictions on voting that critics say are designed to suppress the vote in low-income and non-White communities. In addition to Delta, Coca-Cola and JPMorgan have also condemned the new law.

Delta CEO on controversial comments about new voting law, booking passengers back in middle seats Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss Georgia's new election law and his company's selling of airplane middle seats for the first time in a year.

President Biden says he'd "strongly support" moving the Major League Baseball All-Star game out of Atlanta as a rebuke to strict new voting restrictions in the state. "Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights." He has called for his 90,000 parishioners to boycott Delta, Coca-Cola and other major brands. "Will people believe future Delta statements or actions regarding voting rights or social justice?" Civil rights groups have filed federal lawsuits seeking to overturn the Georgia law.

Republicans in the Georgia House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to strip Delta Air Lines of a tax break worth tens of millions of dollars annually. "Unfortunately, that excuse is being used in states across the nation that are attempting to pass similar legislation to restrict voting rights." He has called for his 90,000 parishioners to boycott Delta, Coca-Cola and other major brands. "Will people believe future Delta statements or actions regarding voting rights or social justice?" Advocates want corporate leaders like Bastian and Quincey to help.

Citi and Microsoft also expressed concerns about the Georgia law Wednesday. Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told CNBC on Wednesday that Georgia's new voting law is "unacceptable" and "a step backwards." The Georgia law, among other things, requires a photo ID in order to vote absentee by mail. That's an option that more than 1.3 million Georgia voters used during the coronavirus pandemic. Boycotts threatenedThe law, which passed last week, has sparked calls for boycotts of major Georgia-based companies including Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot and UPS because those companies had not spoken out against it.

Business executives across the United States are calling out efforts to restrict voting access after Georgia Gov. "Equal access to voting is the very foundation of American democracy. Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America, told CNBC in a statement that ensuring equal voting access is aligned with the company's investments in reducing racial inequality and increasing economic opportunity. "JPMorgan Chase employees span the United States and as state capitals debate election laws, we believe voting must be accessible and equitable. In a statement Wednesday to CNBC, Kemp defended the law and specifically took aim at Delta's chief executive.

The sweeping rewrite of Georgia's election rules that was signed into law by Republican Gov. AdThe reaction wasn’t much friendlier from voting rights groups that fought the legislation and criticized corporate players for not trying to block it altogether. Quincey noted on CNBC that Coca-Cola, even before Georgia's action, already had paused its PAC activity and would consider politicians' position on voting rights as part of future contributions. Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over more than 400 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, said too many corporate leaders have been “silent” on voting laws. Civil rights groups have filed federal lawsuits seeking to overturn the Georgia law.

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it will stop blocking seats on its planes starting May 1, the last U.S. airline to end the Covid-19-era policy as more travelers return to the skies. Delta first started blocking middle seats and limiting capacity on smaller planes in April near the start of the pandemic. Other airlines had similar policies, including Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines, but they have since gone back to selling all seats. Delta and other carriers have repeatedly said filtration systems and intense cleaning make it unlikely that travelers will catch Covid-19 on a plane. But Delta said many travelers choose Delta over other airlines because it kept its policy in place.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. "Our last three weeks have been the best three weeks since the pandemic hit, and each week has been better than the one prior,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Monday. However, the airlines still have far to go before travel fully returns to pre-pandemic levels. Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.

But TSA screenings have topped 1 million every day since Thursday, the highest volumes in a year. It had estimated in January that it would lose $19 million a day during the first three months of the year. Airline CEOs noted that bookings aren't just picking up for the near term, but for the summer vacation season, generally the most lucrative for airlines. "I think that there's going to be more travel going forward, just period," he said at a JPMorgan industry conference. Southwest Airlines said revenue trends are improving as it slightly lowered its forecasts for cash burn in the first quarter.

FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2019 file photo, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian talks at the new $3.9 billion Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Bastian says travel demand will be weak for the next couple months, but he's holding onto hope for a summer surge " in 2021. Q: How much international travel do you expect this summer? Q: How important is testing passengers for COVID-19 to allow more international travel? We’re seeing some revenue improvement ... and I don’t think that’s a big step to go from $12 million a day to break-even.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC's David Faber that he never expected he would be addressing the pace of change we are seeing in the world. Bastian told Faber that with continued government support, vaccine distribution and mask compliance he believes people will feel more comfortable flying this summer. Currently, the airline industry is responsible for nearly 3% of the world's carbon footprint, something Bastian admitted is unsustainable. "Cleanliness initiatives will absolutely stay," Bastian told Faber. With the airline industry looking to rebound after being one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, Bastian remains hopeful about getting back to business.

The FAA last week said it would fine travelers the maximum $35,000 for unruly behavior, instead of a usual procedure of a warnings. Airline passengers are legally obligated to follow crew member instructions. Unruly passenger behavior or interfering with crew's duties is against federal law. Even before the Capitol riot, the rate of cases of unruly passenger behavior had been on the rise. From January through the end of November, the latest available data, the FAA pursued 108 enforcement actions for such behavior.

Airlines and airports say they are stepping up security before next week's presidential inauguration, with Delta and other major airlines saying they will prohibit passengers flying to the Washington area from putting guns in checked bags. All said their bans will start Saturday and run through Inauguration Day until January 23. Last week, passengers on an airport shuttle bus to Reagan airport made racial slurs against a Black flight attendant, according to the union representing American's flight attendants. Price also said that it is "a good idea" to prohibit passengers from putting guns in checked bags if they are flying to Washington. Federal law allows passengers to put guns in checked baggage if they are unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case, although airlines have the discretion to ban guns.

Delta, United and Alaska airlines said Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 they will bar passengers flying to Washington from putting guns in checked bags. The moves follow the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump and politically tinged confrontations on some flights. American Airlines is bringing back a ban on serving alcohol on flights to and from the Washington area — flights go dry starting Saturday through next Thursday. Price also said that it is “a good idea” to prohibit passengers from putting guns in checked bags if they are flying to Washington. Federal law allows passengers to put guns in checked baggage if they are unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case, although airlines have the discretion to ban guns.

Delta on Thursday reported a $755 million quarterly loss and a $12.4 billion loss for the entire year. The full-year loss compared with a profit of $4.8 billion in 2019 and snapped a string of 10 straight profitable years for Delta. People will soon be planning summer vacations and, Bastian said in an interview, Delta expects bookings "to start opening up again." So far in January, air travel in the U.S. is down nearly 60% from a year ago. Revenue plunged to $3.97 billion from $11.44 billion a year earlier, when the pandemic was just beginning to affect U.S. travel.

Most major U.S. airlines on Thursday said they will prohibit passengers flying to major airports serving the Washington, D.C., to check firearms, further tightening security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines said the new policy, which starts this weekend and runs through next week, comes after last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol and a spate of politically motivated disturbances on flights and at airports. Airlines, airports and hotels are ramping up security ahead of Wednesday's inauguration. Several airports said they will add more police, while airlines are increasing staffing at airports and booking overnighting crews at airport hotels instead of the city center. A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, which scans checked and carry-on bags, said it can detect improperly checked or undeclared firearms.

FILE - In this May 14, 2020 file photo, several dozen mothballed Delta Air Lines jets are parked on a closed runway at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo. Delta Air Lines is reporting a $755 million loss for the fourth quarter, which brings its loss for all of 2020 to more than $12 billion. Delta on Thursday reported a quarterly loss of $755 and $12.4 billion in losses for all of 2020. So far in January, air travel in the U.S. is down nearly 60% from a year ago. Helped by two rounds of government aid, plus billions more from issuing new debt, Delta ended 2020 with $16.7 billion in liquidity.

Delta Air Lines said Thursday it halved its cash burn and narrowed its losses in the fourth quarter as the coronavirus pandemic drove the carrier to its worst year ever. Total revenue fell 65% from $11.44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019 to $3.97 billion. The carrier's cash burn averaged $12 million a day in the quarter ended Dec. 31, down by half from its average cash burn of $24 million a day in the third quarter. Delta said it ended the fourth quarter with $16.7 billion in liquidity. Delta raised billions in debt last year, including a record $9 billion debt sale backed by its frequent-flyer program SkyMiles.

DALLAS – Southwest Airlines cautioned Thursday that the tenuous recovery in air travel could be fading as coronavirus cases spike across the United States. Airline stocks surged on Monday after Pfizer reported promising early results from a trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The report from Dallas-based Southwest added to fears that the spreading virus cases will hurt travel demand heading into Thanksgiving, a key period for airlines. It is unclear whether the weakening booking trends is directly related to the surge in virus cases. Airline stocks fell more sharply than broader market indexes.

Brandon Contreras represents the worst fears of the lucrative business travel industry. Work travel represented 21% of the $8.9 trillion spent on global travel and tourism in 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Right now, Delta’s business travel revenue is down 85%. ExxonMobil cut business travel in February — even before the pandemic’s full impact was felt in the U.S. — because of falling global demand for oil. But he thinks new kinds of business travel could also emerge.

Southwest Airlines on Thursday, Oct. 22, lost $1.16 billion in the normally strong third quarter, which includes most of the summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)DALLAS – Airlines are piling up billions of dollars in additional losses as the pandemic chokes off air travel, but a recent uptick in passengers, however modest, has provided some hope. However, air travel in October is still down 65% from a year ago. The Seattle company said that removing one-time gains and costs, the loss came to $3.23 per share, which was wider than the $2.86 per share loss predicted by analysts. Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines posted a $5.4 billion loss and United Airlines lost $1.8 billion for the third quarter.

Since then, Delta has concentrated on hoarding cash — it raised $9 billion by mortgaging its frequent-flyer program — and cutting costs. Executives said 40,000 took leave during the summer; 12,000 were on leave in September. “We haven’t needed to furlough — our employees took care of that themselves,” Bastian said in an interview. They saved each other’s jobs.”Back in April, airlines reached agreements with the Treasury Department for up to $25 billion in payroll relief, with Delta getting $5.4 billion. Delta employees say the company helped them apply for taxpayer-funded unemployment benefits if they took a voluntary leave of absence.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has put out what some are calling an aggressive enforcement of mask-wearing on the company’s flights. ”If you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you don’t fly Delta into the future,” Bastian told Today in an interview Wednesday. The CEO said the stance is one he’s taking in order to keep crew and passengers safe during the pandemic. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Delta flights have been booked to 60% of their capacity, Today reported after speaking with Bastian. “We’ve had some customers indicate that they have (an) underlying condition that makes wearing a mask dangerous for them,” Bastian said.

As the global coronavirus pandemic continues, face masks have become a requirement in business around the world. Delta Air Lines has put 120 passengers on its no-fly list after refusing to comply with the carrier’s requirement to wear a mask while aboard one of its flights, according to a report from CBS News. We’ve already banned 120 flyers from future travel with Delta for refusing to wear masks on board.”Atlanta-based Delta is also expanding its COVID-19 testing program to cover its entire workforce over the next four weeks. That will include at-home screening for employees, starting with those who live in two virus hotspots, Florida and Texas. Most major U.S. airlines now require masks to be worn on flights, but until recently enforcement has been spotty.

Growth has stalled, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said. Delta is the first U.S. airline to report financial results for the May-through-June quarter, and the numbers were ugly. Deltas second-quarter loss compared with a year-ago profit of $1.44 billion during what is normally a strong season for airlines. Atlanta-based Delta said its adjusted loss worked out to $4.43 per share, wider than the $4.16 per share average in a FactSet survey of analysts. Whether that happens at Delta could depend on how many employees accepted buyouts or early retirement offers by a Monday deadline.

American Airlines, meanwhile, plans to cut its 17,000 management and support staff by 30% about 5,100 jobs. Major airlines in Europe and the United States are on better footing after receiving promises of billions in assistance. If the pandemic rages on and air travel remains severely depressed this fall, however, there are no guarantees, even for the strongest airlines. The airlines' troubles are creating ripples through the aviation industry, at aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus and their suppliers. Airlines are looking for governments to help not only with financial aid but to take steps that might encourage more people to fly.