Delta CEO expects holiday travel demand to set 'record for the company'

Holiday air travel bookings are expected to cap off a strong year for Delta Air Lines (DAL). “I expect our fourth quarter to be a record for the company both in revenues as well as in demand,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said. Delta estimates that 6.2m to 6.4m passengers will fly using its service during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period between Nov. 17 and Nov. 28. For comparison to pre-pandemic demand, the airline carried 6.3m passengers during the same period in 2019. Delta has reported record earnings in recent quarters, and the catalysts have been multifaceted, as passengers seek premium travel experiences, embark on journeys to international destinations, and exercise hybrid work policies in locations away from the office. “As a full-service carrier, whether it's international, business, premium, we have a healthy mix of revenue streams all contributing to the record performance,” Bastian said, echoing Southwest CEO Bob Jordan's comments to Yahoo Finance about robust travel demand. TSA passenger throughput in 2023 so far has outpaced the travel numbers in 2019 year to date. Volumes have surged as passengers travel for corporate events, vacations, and Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concerts.<br/>