Delta says 8,000 workers positive for Covid in last month
Delta Air Lines said 8,000 workers contracted Covid-19 over the past month, as the airline canceled over 2,200 flights since Christmas.
The festive season flight disruptions cost the airline $75 million as it posted a fourth quarter loss of $408 million.
Winter storms were also a factor, although cancellations have now dropped off sharply.
Delta’s expected recovery has been pushed back by about two months, CEO Ed Bastian said.
It expects one more quarterly loss before its starts turning a profit again.
"I don’t think we’re going to see a pickup in bookings or travel during January and probably the first part of February," Bastian said.
"It’s always the weakest part of the year, and it’s going to be that much weaker because of Omicron. We need confidence in travel returning once the virus recedes."
The airline expects first-quarter revenue at around 74% of pre-pandemic levels, similar to the previous quarter.
Bastion said it expects to hire several thousand more workers later this year
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