Delta CEO Sends a Message to Travelers Amid Warning from Experts

Over the past several weeks, the airline industry felt the strain of the longest federal government shutdown in history, resulting in thousands of delayed or canceled flights every day toward the end of the shutdown. Now, the shutdown is officially over, just in time for the Thanksgiving travel season, and Delta Air Lines expects flights back to normal soon.

Staffing shortages amongst air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents led to lengthy delays, cancellations, and even mandatory flight cuts over the past several days for all airlines in the United States.

While the government shutdown officially ended on Wednesday, experts have warned that travelers could still face delays and cancellations for some time even after the government is open. However, Delta sent a reassuring message to its customers in that regard.

Government Shutdown Comes to an End

On Wednesday night, United States President Donald Trump signed a bill that officially ended the federal government shutdown after 43 days.

The full government shutdown was the longest in the history of the United States, during which air traffic controllers and TSA officers were forced to work without pay, with most missing multiple paychecks.

Experts Warn of Continued Delays

While the shutdown might be over, experts have warned that it could take some time before the airline industry completely returns to normal.

“Even if the government reopens, recovery will still take time,” said Ahmed Abdelghany, associate dean of research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University earlier this month.

“Some passengers will have to be refunded and removed from the system because capacity simply cannot absorb everyone. The severity and duration of this reduction will determine how long recovery takes.”

Delta Reassures Travelers

Despite this warning from experts, Delta CEO Ed Bastian appeared on CBS Mornings on Thursday to reassure customers that Delta is expecting to resume normal operations "by the weekend."

“The system should return to normal by the weekend,” Bastian told CBS. “And normal for us is an incredibly safe, incredibly reliable, great experience.”

Bastian made it clear that the airline will be ready to handle the Thanksgiving travel season in the coming weeks.

“Thanksgiving is going to be a great holiday period of travel,” Bastian said.