Delta’s Bad Week in the News

Madhu Unnikrishnan
April 1st, 2021 at 11:16 AM EDT

Georgia’s controversial new elections law caused a public relations nightmare for Delta Air Lines and its CEO Ed Bastian, whose first, tepid comment on the law caused immense blowback and calls to boycott the airline. Bastian reversed course and issued a more forceful condemnation, inviting Governor Brian Kemp’s fury. Airline Weekly’s Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward “Ned” Russell discuss the perils that lie in wait for companies when they weigh in on thorny social issues and why CEOs increasingly feel compelled to have an opinion on social and political matters.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Amazon | RSS
Madhu Unnikrishnan
April 1st, 2021 at 11:16 AM EDT

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian (left) speaks to Skift Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan at the Skift Global Forum 2019. 

Up Next

1
North America

Spirit Airlines and a Japanese Update

Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat explore two big topics in this week's episode. In part one, we examine what Spirit Airlines' Q1 numbers mean for the future direction of the…
2
Europe

Euro-Things

In this week's episode, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat take a deep-dive into the latest earnings from carriers across the European continent. From airline supergroups to more niche Nordic players,…
3
North America

JetBlue and Volaris In Focus

With earnings season well underway, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat examine the key trends and finer details from JetBlue and Volaris - two of the largest low-cost carriers in the…
4
North America

United’s Fascinating First Quarter

Fresh out of United's Q1 earnings call, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat discuss the headline numbers and critical trends facing the U.S. carrier. Don't forget, you can find a full…
5
Delta Air Lines

Why Delta’s Flying High

In this week's episode, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat dig into Delta's latest earnings report to find out what's making the U.S. carrier one of the industry's biggest success stories.…