Delta Air Lines , CEO , Ed Bastian , said , Donald Trump , was useful to the ship in his first word, and he expects his returning to the , White House , to become “positive” for , Delta.
” We , worked with , President Trump , well , in his first term”, Bastian said during an interview with , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bastian, who has  , led , Atlanta-based , Delta , since 2016, said Trump was “very good” in Delta’s battle against , what it called cruel benefits that Middle Eastern carriers have  , because of incentives from their institutions.
” He was a strong supporter of the , U. S.  , flights and , U. S.  , jobs”, which Bastian said he expects will remain. ” He knows our economy also — really, really well”.
In the midst of Trump’s win over Vice President , Kamala Harris , in next year’s election, company leaders are assessing what a change in governments may mean for their business, including rules.
Delta , has a gateway at New York ‘s , LaGuardia Airport, and Bastian said Trump even “knows LaGuardia very well. He’s been flying that for years and years.
In one example, however, Trump , apparently was furious when Bastian missed a gathering of aircraft CEOs , with him in the , Oval Office , in 2019 during his first word. And in 2017, Bastian also , criticized the Mexican borders wall , in described notes.
According to Bastian, the aim of the program he used was to attempt to unlock business potential by examining regulation as best to reduce bureaucracy and burdens.
Bastian has complained about the Biden administration’s governmental actions. Business press reports cited feedback Bastian made in September complaining about , U. S.  , Transportation Secretary , Pete Buttigieg ‘s , response , to , flight delays during and after the , CrowdStrike , failure.  , Delta , had an , functional panic with hundreds of flight delays.
Buttigieg ‘s , Department of Transportation, in a move to protect consumers stranded by the flight cancellations, categorized the disruptions from the outages as” controllable”, which meant , Delta , and other airlines were responsible for covering costs of meals and transportation.
” I got really offended with our minister of Transportation”, Bastian said in September, according to estimates in a statement on , thriftytraveler.com , that were eventually removed because Bastian made the comments during an occasion that was not intended to be open to the internet.
” All that was really crazy. … Technology providers blow us out, and then it’s our mistake”? Bastian said, according to estimates in the document, which were preserved in , quotes by different travel advertising. ” You’ve got officials running some of the , Cabinet , headquarters that, and they’re doing it to make gains and obtain name identification”.
” You can imagine the talk I had with him privately”, Bastian said, according to the document.
Buttigieg also , criticized , Delta , on social media, saying the DOT had received information of” continued problems and intolerable customer service problems at , Delta Air Lines, including lots of problems. … I have made clear to , Delta , that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections”.
And Buttigieg read aloud angry tweets toward , Delta , in a , video posted on YouTube by The Recount
Following the election of Trump to a second term, Bastian noted , Delta , spends” a lot of time with DOT or , FAA , or other regulators”.
” We always question, you know, what their ultimate ulterior motives are, and clearly, sometimes they’re political”, he said.
Bastian said he believes that the Trump administration will “give us an opportunity to question some of the overreach that we’ve discussed in the past, not just the president but his team.”
An aviation attorney voiced similar expectations.
Gregory Speier, a partner in Reed Smith’s global law firm, predicted that a future Trump administration secretary of transportation would change or change some of the Biden DOT’s consumer-friendly policies.
Speier wrote in a written analysis that” These rules and regulations, while heavily publicized by Biden’s DOT to give passengers additional rights and benefits, impose significant challenges and put a lot of strain on carriers operating in the United States.”
Speier added that Trump and the Republican-led Congress could reshape carrier emission standards.
The Department of Justice , under Biden also , blocked some mergers, including one by Spirit and , JetBlue, a step Speier said he does not expect a , Trump DOJ , to pursue, opening up merger and acquisition opportunities in the sector.
Additionally, he sees a Trump administration promoting industry profitability.
” While such changes may be welcomed by airlines and aerospace manufacturers, they would represent a shift away from current consumer protections and climate-focused policies”, Speier said.
Following Trump’s victory, other organizations in the airline industry congratulated him.
According to industry group Airlines for America,” We look forward to working with them and the new administration to advance policy priorities that will benefit American consumers, commerce, and the economy.”
The Air Line Pilots Association  , union said it” stands ready to work with the president-elect and the newly elected , Congress , on continuing our country’s important efforts to keep flying safe and advancing the piloting profession”.
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