Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian delivered a scathing critique of the recent government shutdown and its operational impact on the aviation industry, calling the strain placed on the system “completely unnecessary”. Speaking with Yahoo! Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi on Thursday, the same day that the historic 43-day shutdown ended, Bastian emphasized that demanding critical workers perform high-stress jobs without pay was “inexcusable.”
Bastian, who leads the first U.S. airline to reach the 100th year milestone, described the shutdown as “very disruptive” for Delta’s business and “incredibly disruptive for our customers.” He stressed that the problems began when the government made an arbitrary reduction in the system’s flying capacity “with no notice,” leaving the airline unable to reroute customers or adequately avoid delays.
“The reality is that there was stress, there was strain, it was completely unnecessary,” Bastian stated. He lamented that the aviation industry, its personnel, and its customers had to “bear the brunt of the dysfunction” because elected leaders could not reach an agreement.
The CEO was particularly forceful in condemning the treatment of federal employees, noting that air traffic controllers and security agents were working unpaid “for almost a month-and-a-half.” He stated that while he understands political disagreements exist, “it should not come at the cost of asking people to work, particularly in high-stress, incredibly sensitive areas, without pay, for weeks on end, that’s inexcusable.”
