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“We have not seen a spike in cancellations,” Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian told a news conference in London, adding that the carrier had the largest booking day in its history last Tuesday.
As Bastian was speaking, Delta raised its current-quarter revenue forecast, betting on a recovery in air travel following an Omicron-induced slump.
It now expects first-quarter adjusted revenue to be about 78% of pre-pandemic level versus 72% to 76% it had forecast earlier.
Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Executive Shai Weiss said the airline was seeing “tremendous” demand for premium leisure seats, while business was coming back strongly.
“There is a very strong pricing environment right now, which makes sense given the pent up demand but also of course the high input prices of fuel,” he said. Delta hold a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic, while Richard Branson’s Virgin Group holds 51%.
Bastian said he was not at “a point of nervousness” about rising oil prices. “We were quite successful in the early part of the last decade when fuel averaged over $100,” he said.
