A recent plane crash has stoked worries among flyers and prompted some to pull back on air travel plans, according to two airlines that had those crashes. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian attributed the drop-off in travel to the fatal crash of an American Airlines flight and a non-fatal Delta flight, which caused “a lot of shock among consumers.” The crashes were considered some of the worst aviation incidents in the past 25 years.
Bastian said that economic uncertainty and reduced consumer confidence are also contributing factors. However, he emphasized that safety concerns are “causal facts” behind the drop-off in travel. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom echoed these remarks, saying that the crash was a major factor in reducing revenue forecasts for the quarter.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes, and the causes have not yet been determined. Political debates about air safety have added to passenger concerns, with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency making comments that some consider divisive and uninformed.
As a result, all-time low bookings are expected, according to Delta Air Lines. The airline revised its expected revenue growth for the quarter down by half in a regulatory filing. Bastian said that the politicization of the crash did not help in restoring confidence among consumers, adding that “some aspects of the crash were politicized which did not help matters in terms of restoring confidence in consumer’s minds.”
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/11/business/passengers-air-travel-crashes-fear/index.html