Delta Air Lines, sponsor of this US special edition, reports strong transatlantic demand


Delta One


Delta reports strong US d D


emand for the US this summer and autumn is strong despite the impact of the high


oil price on fares and the rising cost of living, according to Delta Air Lines. Nadia Clinton, Delta Air Lines


regional sales manager for the UK and Ireland, reported: “Bookings are very strong. Our flights are full.” She noted: “Demand really


picked up after US Covid-19 testing requirements were lifted [from June 12].” Delta’s UK schedule is already


“back to our 2019 capacity, with the exception of a couple of seasonal routes”, said Clinton. She acknowledged the


deteriorating economic outlook in the UK, Europe and US, but said: “We haven’t seen the rising cost of living affect demand for this summer or for the rest of this year. We can’t tell what demand will be


10 7 JULY 2022 We’re working very


hard to protect our international long-haul schedule. We only cancel flights as a last resort


like for 2023. But for now, demand remains very strong.” Delta also remains largely


unaffected by the disruption to flights across Europe, which has mainly hit short-haul flights, although similar disruption due to staff shortages has caused delays and cancellations within the US. Clinton told Travel Weekly: “We


made some schedule adjustments in the US domestically. We’ve faced challenges due to staff absence and have been affected by air traffic control delays and weather. But we only cancel flights as a last resort. We’re working very hard to protect our international


long-haul schedule. We really try to protect our transatlantic services.” She pointed out: “Most airlines,


airports and hospitality have faced disruption. Some of the media report this as though it’s just an airline problem, but it affects airports and hospitality.” Clinton insisted: “We’ve not


seen any impact of the disruption on summer bookings. Demand remains


strong and bookings are strong for winter. We’re happy with our advance bookings.” She added: “Corporate travel


is returning, especially in the SME sector.” By the end of the first quarter of this year, corporate sales on Delta’s US domestic flights had recovered to 70% of 2019’s level and a Delta survey of corporate account holders found 90% “anticipate their volume of travel will increase this year and beyond”. Clinton said: “We’ve seen a lot


of corporates in the US remove all travel restrictions. Demand for the premium cabin is strong and corporates are booking more flexible fares. Demand is strong among UK corporates and in Europe. Since the lifting of test requirements, SME demand has been growing a lot faster than [large] corporate demand.” She added: “Corporate clients


Nadia Clinton


haven’t seen colleagues face-to-face for three years. There are a lot of smaller meetings and we see huge


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