CEO Ed Bastian said Delta grappled with weakness in bookings, predominantly in the U.S. market and among leisure travelers in its main cabin.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) expects demand to “tick up a bit” in the second half of the year after tariffs-driven weakness, CEO Ed Bastian told Bloomberg TV.

“There’s no question in the short term, with what we’ve seen coming out of Washington and the challenges of the trade negotiations, it’s choppy at the moment,” Bastian said in the interview.

“I don’t think that’s going to be long-lasting. We are pushing through and getting to a place of some stability.”

While 2025 started on a bright note for airline companies with demand picking up pace, economic uncertainties tempered consumer sentiment, forcing Delta and its peers to curtail capacity.

Bastian said Delta grappled with weakness in bookings earlier this year, predominantly in the U.S. market and among leisure travelers in its main cabin.

He reportedly added that North Atlantic travel routes are doing well, and while there’s some weakness in the main coach cabin, yields on premium air tickets remain strong.

The airline also launched a partnership with India’s largest airline, Indigo, and said it expects to resume direct flights between Delhi and Atlanta soon.

A global tariff war has also sparked concerns over who absorbs the cost of tariffs. Delta and Airbus have indicated that neither wants to pay for the levies.

“We’re very close partners with Airbus,” Bastian said. “This time will pass, and there will be a new world order of some nature.”

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits was in the ‘neutral’ (45/100) territory, while retail chatter was ‘low.’

DAL’s Sentiment Meter and Message Volume as of 03:32 a.m. ET on June 2, 2025 | Source: Stocktwits

Delta Air Lines' stock has fallen 19.7% year to date (YTD).

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