For Delta, a lot of things changed in the pandemic, but one thing stayed the same: CEO Ed Bastian still touts that his carrier leads the US airline industry. Here’s his most recent proof. Delta has signed its pilot contract, while rivals teeter as they approach the finish line. Also, Delta has decided that the major airlines will have free Wi-Fi. And Delta generates half of the industry’s profits. Speaking this week to a J.P. Morgan investor conference, Bastian said that after signing a pilot deal, “We’re now focused on the marketplace. We’re no longer focused on how to get the contract done.” When it took effect on March 2, the Delta contract was immediately recognized throughout the industry as the template for all future contracts, and while both American and United have publicly committed to move quickly, both carriers are still negotiating with pilots.<br/>As for Wi-Fi, on Feb. 1, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bastian announced that Delta would offer free Wi-Fi on all its flights. Like the pilot deal, that set the template for the industry, as Delta became the first of the big four carriers to promise free Wi-Fi, long offered by JetBlue. But the quality of airline Wi-Fi often leaves passengers unsatisfied. “With all the innovation and investment in air travel and our industry over time, there’s one unmet question that still remains to be solved: ‘Why does inflight Wi-Fi suck so bad?’” Bastian said Tuesday. “The reality is, it’s hard,” he said. “It’s a tough thing. It’s great when you’re sitting on the ground and you’re able here in this room to call up anything you want and be connected to anywhere in the world you want. You go up in the sky and you’re traveling at 500 miles an hour, it’s a little more difficult.” During the pandemic, Bastian said, Delta switched its service provider to ViaSat. The carrier now provides free Wi-Fi for 80% of its domestic seats and plans to have Wi-Fi on all international flights by the end of 2024, he said.<br/>
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Air France-KLM plans to hire hundreds of pilots for its French subsidiary this year and use incentive payments in some cases to ensure it has enough pilots this summer as the industry continues to battle staffing shortages that roiled travel last year. The group wants to hire 500 to 600 pilots for Air France and budget carrier Transavia this year, up from 450 in 2022, an Air France spokesman said by email. The airline is also implementing a system that will allow pilots of Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 planes to get bonuses if they waive up to seven days of vacation time on a voluntary basis, he added, declining to elaborate on amounts offered. European carriers have struggled to expand services in the travel-demand boom that followed the Covid-19 pandemic. Air France was able to avoid strikes in recent months, even as hubs in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt were forced to scrap flights amid a labor shortage and as workers walked out to protest spiraling inflation. Airports like Amsterdam’s Schiphol are still grappling with labor shortages and Lufthansa is set to scrap 34,000 flights this summer due to persistent staffing constraints. Air France will soon be announcing its 2023 flight schedule, the spokesman said. Air France-KLM said last month it expects second-half capacity to be above 95% of 2019 levels.<br/>