Delta CEO says Trump administration will reverse government “overreach” seen under Biden

general manager Delta Airlines coming says Trump administration It will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called “overreaching” by the government under President Joe Biden.

Airline industry in crisis consumer protection regulations Imposed by the Biden administration. And Delta faces a federal investigation into its slow recovery from the crisis. a global technology disruption this summer.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the comment as he and other Delta executives prepared to host Wall Street analysts at an investor day in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Bastian said President-elect Donald Trump campaigned by promising to reform the federal government and reduce your size.

The airline executive said Trump promised to “bring a new look at the regulatory environment, the bureaucracy in government, and the level of overreach we’ve seen in our industry over the last four years.” “I think this will be a breath of fresh air.”

Delta uses investor day to provide support for the company $2.6 billion profit in the first nine months of this year after winning an industry-leading award $4.6 billion last year.

The airline maintained its previous forecast for fourth-quarter adjusted earnings to be between $1.60 and $1.85 per share. The company said 2025 revenue will increase by a mid-single-digit percentage over 2024. Analysts expect a 6% increase, according to a FactSet survey.

Consumer advocates are wary of a second Trump administration, fearing it might try to roll back a rule requiring automatic refunds after canceled flights and requiring airlines to announce all ticket prices in advance, including mandatory fees and taxes.

On Monday, airline industry trade group praised Trump election for transportation secretaryformer Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy. Duffy, a former reality TV star who co-hosts “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business, lobbied on behalf of U.S. airlines and their unions during a dispute with carriers in the Persian Gulf.

Bastian did not specify which of the Biden regulations he thought were excessive, but Delta and other carriers Lawsuit against the Ministry of Transport and eliminating a rule requiring greater transparency from carriers about the fees they charge their passengers.

The Airlines for America group said the rule would confuse consumers by giving them too much information. An appeals court panel prevented the rule from being implemented While the airlines’ case is ongoing.

The airlines also oppose the administration’s recent investigation into their companies. frequent flyer programs. Delta has generated more than $2.4 billion in revenue from its loyalty program so far this year.

But the hardest blow against Delta may come from the Department of Transportation’s investigation into the airline’s slow recovery from a technology outage in July. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said investigators are focusing on whether Delta’s treatment of passengers affected by canceled and delayed flights violated federal consumer protection rules.

Southwest Airlines reached $140 million settlement Following a Department for Transport investigation into a similar but larger service failure in December 2022.

Delta initially said it was cooperating with the investigation. Delta filed suit in October CrowdStrikeCybersecurity provider who triggered the outage after a faulty upgrade to Microsoft computers.