Delta is facing a fresh Latin American headache as a Monday deadline nears for former Brazilian partner Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes to repay a $300m loan that the US carrier guaranteed. If Gol fails to repay - which ratings agencies say is looking more likely - Delta would have to honor the debt on Gol's behalf, honoring the five-year-old agreement. But just like Gol, the carrier, which said in July it was burning $27m a day here has little cash to spare due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gol’s struggles are just the latest challenge for Delta, whose investments in Latin America, once seen as a growth area, have faltered due to COVID-19. Delta's 49% stake in Aeromexico and 20% stake in LATAM Airlines Group are at risk of dilution or being wiped here out as both airlines undergo bankruptcy restructurings. For Gol, Brazil’s largest carrier, the due date of the Delta-backed private loan comes amid a severe cash crunch. The loan was extended by unidentified private investors. “Gol is facing constant cash burn without refinancing possibilities,” said Amalia Bulacios, who covers Gol for S&P Global Ratings, which rates its debt as CCC-, at risk of default. Story has more.<br/>
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Delta has placed about 240 people on a “no fly list’ for failing to comply with the airline’s face mask policy, CE Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees on Thursday. There is no US federal mandate on masks in airports or on airplanes, leaving US airlines to enforce their own rules that passengers must wear face coverings while traveling. “Although rare, we continue to put passengers who refuse to follow the required face-covering rules on our no-fly list,” Bastian said in the memo. To obtain a boarding pass, passengers on major US airlines have to check a box confirming that they will follow the mask policy. Airline gate agents can deny boarding to anyone not wearing a mask before the flight. But on the plane, there is little flight attendants can do to ensure compliance other than threatening to put passengers on a list that would ban them from future travel on that airline.<br/>