Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 71: Delta Keeps Dealing

Delta saw its operating profit margin slashed severely in the first quarter compared to last year’s Q1. Nonetheless there are plenty of reasons to smile—that’s how good things are at Delta right now—including beating rival United Airlines, which posted a much smaller profit. But the game isn’t over, and United has plenty of valuable cards to play, including improvements to its hub connections and operations. Also, what do the first few earnings reports tell us about the overall U.S. airline market in 2017? Canada's WestJet, meanwhile, has announced plans for its own ultra-low-cost carrier. Is this purely a defensive move? Is it smart? Will they even go through with it? And lastly, Alitalia workers rejected a restructuring plan. Could this mean the end for Italy’s long-time flag carrier? At the very least, it’s a reasonable question.